Grassroots Upset At The 2011 RallyCar Sno*Drift Rally
By Joey Leh, Photography by Duane Uyeda
The 2011 RallyCar series kicked off in Atlanta, MI with the frigid Sno*Drift Rally and held quite a few surprises. More than living up to its name, Sno*Drift Rally is the only winter rally on the RallyCar calendar and sees ambient temperatures as low as 0-degrees during night stages. This meant that competitors drove the entire race on ice and snow, sliding sideways and churning powdered clouds of ice dust when blasting through every corner. If there’s one way for any driver to improve his or her car control and technique, it has to involve ice and sliding – there’s a reason why Finland is able to mass produce so many great rally drivers.
Temps reached as low as 0-deg at night
The majority of the stages took place in the frost-covered forests of northern Michigan, almost four-hours north of Detroit. Aside from a couple of more spectator-friendly Super Special stages held on the second day of competition, rally racers were faced with high snowbanks, slight hills, and quick, tree-lined forest roads. Add in the complete darkness of night stages and you’ll quickly realize how the Sno*Drift Rally event separated the different levels of driving talent.
Early bets were on that the large, sponsor-backed teams were going to dominate the rally. Powerful, fully-prepped Open Class cars, multiple crew members, and reputable driving talent led many spectators to expect a battle between Rockstar Energy Rally Team’s Antoine L’Estage/Nathalie Richard (Lancer Evo X) and Subaru Rally Team USA’s David Higgins/Craig Drew and Dave Mirra/Marshall Clarke (Subaru WRX STI).
Beyond the RVs and large, covered pit areas, the Open Class leaders also featured impressive driving resumes. L’Estage and co-driver Richard are the 2010 Rally America Champions, Higgins was the 2002 SCCA ProRally Champion, and BMX rider Mirra was the 2008 Rally America Rookie of the Year.
Showing just how tough rally racing really is, and how even the best fortunes can turn in racing, L’Estage’s Rockstar Evo X overheated on the first day during Stage 4. We know how it sounds but yes; it’s possible to overheat when racing in the cold, even when daytime temperatures don’t peak over 20-degrees. Subaru Rally Team USA then looked to capitalize on the podium until Stage 6, when Higgins and Drew were taken out by a mechanical failure.
2WD Sparco Scion xD
This then left the door open for many of the Super Production competitors, who drove minimally modified, all-wheel drive, turbocharged machines with responsive torque curves and solid traction.
Travis Hanson and Terry Hanson would eventually claw their way to the overall rally victory in their Super Production Subaru WRX STI, edging out Dave Mirra and Joseph Burke’s Open Class cars. As privateers, Hanson Motorsports pulled off an early season upset, showing how important driver/co-driver talent is in rough conditions.
Sno*Drift Rally also held a special category called the Sno*Attack, a sort of “rally within a rally” for two-wheel drive competitors. The 2WD’ers included 2010 2WD National Champions Chris Duplessis/Catherine Woods (Scion xD), 2009 2WD National Champions Dillon Van Way/Jake Blattner (Ford Fiesta), Wyatt Knox/Verena Mei (Mazdaspeed3), and Chris Greenhouse/Phil Marsh (Plymouth Neon).
With the field filled with the usual WRX STI and Evo racecars, many of the relatable 2WD rally cars became instant fan favorites. Hondas, VWs, and the all-new Scion xD drove against the turbocharged Mazdaspeed3 and 2011 Ford Fiesta. There was even a Ford Aspire and boxy Volvo 242 mixing it up on the snow.
Duplessis and the Sparco Rally xD team took the early lead, despite having brought out an all-new, untested car which previously was used mostly at auto shows. A flat tire and fuel shortage put Duplessis behind at the end of the first day and despite attempting to make the most of the xD’s nearly stock engine setup, the Scion would finish in second place behind Van Way’s Ford Fiesta. Greenhouse/Marsh’s Neon would finish out the 2WD podium.
2011 RallyCar Sno*Drift
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