STPR 2012

[Luke]

By the time Seth and I made it back from picking up supplies (gasket maker, coolant, oil, paper towels, nitrile gloves, etc) the crew was hard at work and had the engine mostly loose. Jeff and Paul had just backed up the 99T with the spare gearbox they had gone to fetch.

The following are a few more pics I captured before I passed out around 2:30.
After a few minor hickups, the crew kept working and had the car on the ground and they drove it back to the hotel by around 5:00 in the morning.

Seth woke up early that morning and hoped in the car and drive it to the parc expose.
I slept in a little while longer and joined him just before the first car left for the stages.

[Luke]

[Luke]

And finally, a few pics from the following day - where the crew had a break and only had to replace a ball joint, a shock, an alternator bracket, intercooler hoses and a rally computer probe :)

Jeff's sweet 99T served as the secondary service car and transmission fetching vehicle.

[Rallyho]

Nicely done team!

[DrewP]

So awesome. Thanks very much for the timeline and the photos, looks like quite the weekend.

Well done on placing so high considering the circumstances as well.

[321go]

Good job on the finish. Rally never goes to plan, does it?
Car looks great in the new color. Found a couple more photos on this guy's FB page.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10100620787119588&set=a.10100620741630748.2562930.15703839&type=3&theater

[Crazyswede]

Its likely we will not see very many professional photos from RA events due to the way that RA is controlling all rights to media. Many of the good photographers who used to get the good photos are no longer bothering because they don't own the rights to the photos as soon as they take them. Technically any in car video we take or any photos we take belong to Rally America

[SwedeSport]

Because it's good business to get into a pissing match with a participant over photo and video ownership.

Sounds like if RA keeps going the way they are, They will chase the competitors away too, just like the photographers. Couple that with the priority they place on a few select teams, and the disorganized manor in which they conducted the awards program, sounds like a recipe for teams to pick another event to do that weekend.

All weekend the chatter seemed to be about the mess that STPR has become.

[Crazyswede]

Because it's good business to get into a pissing match with a participant over photo and video ownership.

Sounds like if RA keeps going the way they are, They will chase the competitors away too, just like the photographers. Couple that with the priority they place on a few select teams, and the disorganized manor in which they conducted the awards program, sounds like a recipe for teams to pick another event to do that weekend.

All weekend the chatter seemed to be about the mess that STPR has become.

You mean you don't like 2am award ceremonies?

[SwedeSport]

5 am gearbox changes are more fun than 2 am awards.

[Luke]

MOnGo sAd, MOngO wANt bEtTeR GeARbOx

[Luke]

More great photos:

[Hans]

What an epic!

Car looks great in the forest.

[Geoff]

You mean you don't like 2am award ceremonies?

Did it really take that long this year?

Some of you may not know but up until not too long ago competition in the forest used to end around 3AM, then transit back to Wellsboro, then scoring would take place, then awards would be given at breakfast.

Anyway, that's a great effort put in by all to get that box changed out overnight. You all deserve a for Luke to build you a nice new rally car. Sorry I couldn't be there to help, but at the same time... I'm not too sorry I missed the all-nighter in the garage .

[Crazyswede]

This is mongo looking at the checkpoint lady and thinking: "Are you really going to stand there and make me wait 1 minute before I can leave with my time card"