After suffering from a grueling race at the Oregon Trail Rally earlier this month (finishing 3rd in class), the Sparco Rally xD is rebuilt and ready for the upcoming event, the Susquehannock Trail Rally.
For those that have been following, you may remember seeing some pics of the rear end with the rear twist beam axle being ripped out from both sides. Lessons learned, my friends, because they’re ready to attack again.
Where they’re going, they don’t need roads…. Oh wait, actually, yes, they do.
After suffering from that rare DNF last year, leaving the car looking somewhat like a DeLorean Time Machine, the crew made some revisions to the rear suspension, reinforcing some key areas as to address the axle beam fatigue that rally racing brings.
To think, previous season of racing were on a completely stock axle beam. I still find that pretty impressive, considering how many well-funded teams use some beefed up components.
Oh, and while doing some testing in preparation for this event, the team had a minor setback. Seriously,,,,,, minor
Whoops
But the car is right side up again, running, and doing some sweet jumps
We’re sure this time around will be just as eventful, but in a much more positive way. I expect to see this car race from start to finish, and you should too. Please be a pal and cheer these guys on directly on their Facebook page!
Hats off to the Scion Racing Rally xD team once again. A great result for a less-than-perfect event.
For those that have not been following the Rally America series, the TEIN-sponsored Rally xD has been leading the 2wd pack, taking back-to-back wins in its last two outings.
This time, however, proved to be a true challenge for the crew. Mechanical woes hampered their performance for most of the event. As we understand, boost related problems were later resolved during the last day of the event. Through the final day of the event, a blown head gasket threatened to take the team out of the race entirely. Enough time for driver Andrew Comrie-Picard to make his push for yet another podium finish (3rd place). Well done, ACP.
As has been mentioned several times before, rally racing ain’t easy. Parts will break and driver and co-driver will be tested. But, persistence is key in getting everything in running order.
As the famous Rick Mears saying goes, “To finish first, you must first finish”.
Let’s look forward to their next event (Susquehannock Trail Rally starting May 31).
Yes, yes. Another post about one of the best built FWD race cars. NO, AGAIN, THAT IS NOT AN OXYMORON. FWD race cars can be pretty damn fast.
You gotta hand it to these guys- this year’s Rally America competition Scion xD is quite amazing. As I stated in my previous post, it may look very similar to the previous cars, aesthetically speaking. But, when you get to the finer details of this car, that is when MINDS GET BLOWN.
By the time you’ve read this, the Rally xD will have already completed its maiden voyage at Sno*Drift in Michigan and 100AW in Missouri. Results which you can find on
Again, aesthetically, it isn’t a far cry from how it’s looked in previous seasons. Love the new Baja Designs lights fitted into the bumper!
I’m not sure if Andrew Comrie-Picard’s legs got longer over the off-season, but that seat is pushed back pretty far… You can see where the B-Pillar is in reference to the seat, just at the bottom right of the pic.
Looks like driver and co-driver have extra security sitting right inside of the B-Pillar section. That, in conjunction with the fabricated safety cage makes for an extra safe section of the car to be seated in.
Catalytic converter mounted as far rearward as allowed.
How blinding?!
Check out Car and Driver’s article on the Rally xD online
For starters, they continue to use quality products from quality aftermarket manufacturers. We’re quite flattered to be considered one of those manufacturers!
Sponsors this year are (in no specific order)
Sparco
TEIN
RAYS Wheels
GReddy
Motul
Brembo
Baja Designs
TRD
Exedy
KAAZ
RÄZO
and of course Scion Racing!
I’m sure I missed a few key sponsors, unintentionally. Please forgive me. I’m just really glad that TEIN can be a part of a great team. We feel they’ve helped to represent us very well!
Anyway, keep track of these guys on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@RallyxD).
You can also track their progress during this year’s Rally America series at the following link
Congratulations to Andrew Comrie-Picard /Jeremy Wimpey and the Rally xD team for their win in the Two-Wheel Drive National Class in their Scion Racing Rally xD!
First Day Result: Andrew Comrie-Picard and Jeremy Wimpey leads the 2WD Class in their Scion xD at the end of the first day 1:18.1
Second Day Result: Andrew Comrie-Picard still leads in the 2WD Class after stage 17 by +3:13.8
Check the Road Coarse conditions video to get a better understanding of how the track and snow conditions that they had to face this past weekend were.
Not only is 2013 an exciting year for TEIN in regards to new products, but we are also prepping for a great year of racing. One of the teams we assist in Rally America, and who we are quite fond of writing about, the Sparco Rally xD team is starting to put the finishing touches on this year’s chassis.
Aesthetically, it may look to be just about the same. But, as the saying goes, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. And this chassis lives up to that saying!
Much more fabrication is going into this new car. As it is, the Rally xD team are facing some serious competition. Some of which are tried and trued platforms used internationally. The Rally xD is one of few cars that doesn’t have that sort of background. For the past 4 years, this team has been the guinea pig in getting a Scion xD into a competitive vehicle. As I’ve stated before, and as I say again, these guys are doing such a great job at it.
Although I don’t feel at liberty to cough up the details on the new car, I will say that their TEIN dampers for 2013 are a big step up from the HG-based dampers of years prior. This year, they’re using 2-way adjustable dampers based loosely off of the Group N. dampers. Basically, it is height adjustable and compression and rebound adjustable. This damper project was completed through our Specialized Damper Program- a program also available to the public!
Below are a few photos of the team’s progress on the vehicle, as well as their new TEIN dampers.
I’m sure I can dig up a few more photos of the car build. But I’m sure they’d appreciate if you gave them a follow on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (@RallyxD,,, easy enough to find!), which they are very active on. Tons of photos for all of you to see! So, please do so and be sure to wish this hardworking crew the best of luck for 2013!
Other than this team, we look forward to another great program of events for the year ranging from Time Attack to the Formula Drift series. As always, we’re glad to be involved!
As you may have read from our previous posts on the Sparco Rally xD team, they held a good lead on their competitors for most of this season. But no good season is without its own ups and downs. Like any team, the Rally xD crew hit their own set of hurdles to overcome. And as always, they persevered. The final tally brought them a Second Place finish in the 2wd class for Rally America.
Big congratulations to the team for their hard work in getting the car as reliable as it can be!
As I’ve mentioned before, rally racing isn’t easy. This has to be the best, and most brutal form, of automotive parts testing. Many man hours go into prepping a commuter car into a racing platform, ready to take the abuse mother nature can dish out. I’ve seen the beating this xD has taken over this one season, and to say it is an incredible feat to keep it running is an understatement.
It takes a passionate team to keep a car competitive. These guys have spent every opportunity to keep this car going to good use. And I imagine many late weeknights, and some weekends, which would otherwise be spent with family and friends, went right into this xD.
But, as you can see, persistence pays off. BIG TIME. This isn’t just a hobby. This is work. And these guys work hard to get that win.
It doesn’t mean that they can’t have fun, though!
I know I blog about this car a lot. It really is incredible what this small team has done and continues to do. Without a doubt, the next season will be even better. Be prepared for big things from this team to come. I’m referring to you, the reader, to be prepared. Because these guys are clearly ready for the next season!
We recently read this post Speedhunters put up on Andrew Comrie-Picard, driver of the TEIN sponsored Sparco Rally xD. Any follower of Rally America, or of the Rally xD team, know just how great of an addition “ACP” has been to the team.
ACP’s experience driving for several teams, different vehicle platforms and racing formats, and ability to perform well under pressure only adds to the experience the Rally xD team has gained over their tenure as rally competitors.
Without a doubt, the team at Rally xD know how to build a competitive car. They enlist the assistance of only the top names in the aftermarket industry and turn to skilled fabricators and mechanics with racing know-how to take an otherwise plain-Jane econo car into a gravel spitting monster capable of taking the abuse that off-road driving offers as ill reward. They’ve got some serious brainpower working inside of that garage.
But without an operator fully committed to pilot that fabricated chunk of steel and turbocharged madness, it’s simply an awesome looking stationary billboard. Clearly not what would be intended for these guys. But so is not the case when you add ACP to the mix.
Instead, we get a front-wheel drive monster (no, that is not an oxymoron), hurling through the woods and dirt at nerve wracking speeds. Currently, his “full-speed ahead” mentality has netted the team a 2nd place in class in Rally America.
As for now, ACP and team have completed a great exhibition run at the Pikes Peak Int’l Hill Climb. Now it’s time to prep for the final Rally America event for this season. With this in mind, I imagine this guy won’t be lifting off the throttle AT ALL.
Check out the Speedhunters article when you have the chance
Recently, the boys at Sparco Rally xD have been in the middle of prepping their rally car for tarmac duty in preparation of the annual Pikes Peak Hill Climb in Pikes Peak, CO. Although it was originally scheduled to run in July, a wildfire broke out, postponing the event which is now tentatively set for August 12.
But this didn’t stop the Rally xD boys from getting their car ready. As I posted previously, they had a rear beam axle failure. Fortunately, not much was damaged and a new beam was put in (after they reinforced the new beam, that is) along with some rear cosmetic work. Other than that, the car is back to normal!
I must say, this car looks plenty tough in this configuration- 18″ Volk TE37’s on a lowered suspension we’ve helped set up specifically for this tarmac event.
More on the event- The Pikes Peak Int’l Hill Climb is in its 90th year. That’s right. People have been crazy enough to race vehicles up the 14,100 ft elevation, all while risking the the potential of falling over the ledge (there isn’t much in the way of barriers, except for some select sections of road) and sent tumbling down since the first World War. This all in a quest to clock the lowest elapsed time up the hill. It’s essentially Time Attack, but on a 13 mile road course and with the aforementioned hazard.
Old timey racing.
New for this year is a completely paved course. In previous runs, it was a mixture of pavement and hard packed dirt. So, as you can imagine, one vehicle setup had to serve dual purpose for these dual road conditions. Not an easy feat. The current record to the top is 9:51:278 in a Suzuki SX4. A Suzuki SX4 that resembles very little of the commuter car we can see on local roads.
This race car sports a 910bhp, turbocharged v6 engine with all that power going to all four tires. And that aero looks like it was jacked straight out of Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works program, just mounted upside down for road-shoving downforce. So, while it really isn’t a mirror image of an SX4, it’s definitely for the better.
High altitude racing is far from easy. For any of you that have been to areas of high elevation, you probably notice how out of breath you are, even for just a simple walk. Trying to work out in high elevation is even tougher! So imagine a car in which the engine breathes in air to make power does the same thing. Only this time, as the car approaches the 12,000 ft elevation mark, it is down on power by about 30%. This is the effect of elevation- the higher up you go, the less dense the air is. And that lower density air carries less of the power producing oxygen we and our cars need to keep a’moving.
So that explains the big turbocharged horsepower figures. The more air (and fuel) you can force into the engine, the better the chances of it surviving any major loss in power the higher up in altitude it goes.
Good thing the Rally xD is turbocharged, then. It may not be in the 900 bhp mark, but any little bit helps the somewhat tiny 1.8 liter four cylinder.
As always, we hope the Rally xD boys do a great job at this event. By the time you’ve read this, they had already completed the New England Forest Rally (July 13-14), then prep for Pikes Peak again, then back to gravel setup for the Olympus Rally (Sept. 22-23). Daaaaaang, yo! Get some rest somewhere in between all of that, PLEASE!!!
Last month we had reported that the Rally xD had run into some…complications.
With the hard work of the Rally xD Team and all others involved the xD was up and running and ready to race in no time at all.
The latest race took the Rally xD Team to the New England Forest Rally, where after much effort they were able to finish in 3rd place, despite some initial set backs.
The Rally xD Team’s next challenge will be the upcoming Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Look forward to more on the Rally xD’s exploits.
As we previously mentioned, the Sparco Rally xD team had a rear twist beam axle failure during the last event, Susquehannock Trail Rally in PA. Once they got the car back down to California, they dropped off the rear dampers to us for inspection/repair.
Like we stated before, we knew that the dampers had some damage and broke the piston shafts. Here’s a look at the carnage
Remote hose was ripped right off. The shell case took a few hard impacts causing some dents. Now onto the piston shafts
The above picture shows the top of the shell case where the ring nut seals off the damper. The piston shaft broke midway and the remaining pieces recessed into the damper with oil coming out this ring nut portion. The top portion of the piston shaft was still attached to the shock tower.
This pic below shows the piston shaft broken towards the top, snapping right off after the twist beam axle gave way.
But after a full teardown, we saw that the inner tube (where the piston is inside of) was still intact. The outer shell case took a hit, but the inner tube was unscathed during this violent axle breakage. Here’s a pic showing the dent
The second pic from the top shows the other indentation on the shell case.
On a mono tube damper, this wouldn’t fare so well with that type of dent. Since the piston would reside right against the inner lining of the shell case of a mono tube damper any imperfection to the case will make it either impossible to function properly, or to be field stripped, or both. This is what I meant as testament to the durability of the twin tube damper structure and this case shows it well!
If you’re wondering why we would make a twin tube damper for a rally car, there’s a bit more to it than just the damage that could be inflicted to it physically. Our HG twin tube structure isn’t like a normal damper.
In a standard twin tube damper, there is still an inner tube that contains the piston shaft and piston. This area is fully submersed in damper oil. From the bottom of the damper and through the base valve controlling oil flow into the outside of the inner tube (inside of the shell case) is where there is some oil and the nitrogen gas charge. This charge is important in sufficiently providing rebound force to the damper.
What we do with the HG is fill the inner and outer tube with damper oil.
But wait. If you fill a damper full of incompressible oil and no compressible gas like nitrogen, then technically the piston shaft will never recess into the damper and it wouldn’t function at all.
That is true. But this is also why we utilize an external reservoir to keep the nitrogen charge separate. With this, we can eliminate any chance of aeration (nitrogen gas mixing with damper oil, causing it to froth, decreasing damping effectiveness) while still being able to secure sufficient rebound. The twin tube structure also allows ample stroke length for a given shell case size compared to a similarly built mono tube damper.
So why not utilize this design into all rally suspension? Mono tube dampers still have many great benefits- they dissipate heat better; when inverted, they decrease unsprung weight (you can technically invert our HG damper, btw); they allow a larger piston size; overall damper oil volume can be much higher. They also allow for us to use our Group N.technologies, which aren’t readily applicable to twin tube dampers
But mono tube rally dampers are a much higher investment as development costs are quite high. Also, they are physically much larger in length and body diameter. the pistons used in them are much larger too, which is key for precise damping control.
So in the end, the HG is still very capable and also very durable at a much more reasonable price!
Anyway, enough ranting. We went right to work getting it rebuilt with new shafts and internal seals. this time, we stuck with our shorter length reservoir hose, still giving the team the freedom to reposition the external tank for their needs.
Awwww. Looking as spiffy as it will ever be! Ready for more abuse!!!
Speaking of which, here’s a video the Rally xD team posted from their blog showing the twist beam axle breakage
