Forwarded from Phil and Dallas Smith.
RallyRhybuddRacing makes first Historic Class entry at Sno*Drift Performance
Rallies.
Atlanta MI, January 2001
The 1968 MGBGT of the Team Paradox RallyRhybuddRacing program became the
first car to compete under the SCCAs new Historic Class rules at the 2001
Sno*Drift ClubRallies on Januarys last weekend. Simultaneously entered in
both the national-level ProRally event and both supporting ClubRallies, the
car and Team Paradox successfully completed this mid-winter rally on the ice
and snow of northern Michigan backroads.
Starting 41st on the road of 61 starters, the Team finished 27th of 34
finishers in the national-level event, placing 5th in Group 2. In both
ClubRallies, Team Paradox finished 2nd in Group 2, close behind Tom and
Brenden Lawless in their Civic. The backroads of Montmorency County,
surrounding Atlanta MI, were largely glare ice under a thin film of packed
snow, quickly removed by the powerful all-wheel-drive cars earlier on the
road. This left a very treacherous surface for racing, and Team Paradox
quickly adjusted their goals for this rally, concentrating on finishing the
rally without incident. Finishing as well as they did, the Team commented,
This is a surprise. By keeping our cornering speeds down, we managed to
avoid many of the snowbanks that caught and delayed our competitors. Our
strategy, intended initially for mere rally survival, proved itself in the
results. Only two other rear-wheel-drive cars competed in either the
ClubRallies or ProRally, which were dominated by the superior traction
capabilities of the AWD cars.
Sno*Drift is the opening event of the 2001 SCCA ProRally series, the
national series of Performance Rallies. Performance Rallying involves
racing modified, but street-legal, automobiles against the clock over
back-country public roads, closed for the event. All Performance Rally cars
are equipped with safety devices such as roll-cages and safety harnesses,
and are classified according to the degree of modification and engine power.
Group 2 classification is for modified small-displacement non-turbo,
two-wheel drive cars, and has been the classification for the vintage MGB of
the RallyRhybuddRacing program. Beginning this year, the SCCA has added an
Historic Class for the divisional ClubRally program, allowing limited
modifications to pre-1973 rally cars. Cars eligible for Historic Class are
marked with an H in addition to the regular classification marks. The
teams MGBGT was initially constructed with period modifications, and was
readily prepared to meet the Historic Class rules for the Sno*Drift event.
As no other Historic Class cars competed in the ClubRallies at Sno*Drift,
Team Paradox competed directly in their usual Group 2 classification in both
Pro- and Club- rallies.
The RallyRhybuddRacing program was launched in 1997 by dedicated MG
enthusiasts Phil and Dallas Smith, aka Team Paradox, to campaign an MG in
the SCCA Performance Rally series. Two years were required to find and
prepare a 1968 BGT for the rigors of Performance Rally. After obtaining
their rally licenses at the Ski Sawmill Performance Rally school, Team
Paradox made their ProRally debut at the Susquehannock Trails ProRally in
1999. As the Teams rally skills and car preparation knowledge increases,
a more aggressive rally schedule has been pursued each year, and
participation in most of the eastern ProRally events is planned for 2001.
For further information about RallyRhybuddRacing, Team Paradox, and the
rally MGBGT, check out their website at www.rhybudd.com. Information about
the SCCA Performance Rally series can be found at www.scca.com.
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