Alcan Winter 2008

[Crazyswede]

So I am thinking about entering the Alcan winter 2008 rally. It starts february 18th and runs for 10 days. The entry fee is $2800 which includes lodging and banquets during the rally. There are already 24 or so teams preregistered including a saab 96. I was thinking of building up a saab 900 turbo....sort of a street/club rally car..modified suspension, basic cage etc....possibly an external cage. Anyone else interested?

[max]

Where is it? And why is it 10 days long? Sounds like something Luke needs to do too.

[Luke]

It goes up through Canada and then into alaska to north of the artic circle. It was my understanding that its more of a giant TSD rally though, ie no safety equipment required. Has the format changed?

[Crazyswede]

You are correct...it is like a giant TSD rally...there are TSD sections connected with transit sections and 3 ice races through out the journey. However, it covers something like 5000 miles in 10 days over ice and snow covered roads. To cover the transits on time it seems that some high speeds are required. A friend of mine did the rally on a motorcycle during the 2006 summer rally....he talked about doing 70 -80 mph to make it to the next section on time. So, I was thinking a basic cage might not be a bad idea...in case of a high speed off road excursion.

[Geoff]

I've been interested in doing the Alcan for at least 10 years now. I remember seeing an old issue of Nines where there were a few SAABs, I think one was a 9000 and the other was a C900 with an airflow kit. At the end of the rally the front airdam on the airflow car was demolished.

From the ice road website:
NOTE, --- If a driver does not like, or can not control his speed over the ice at 25 km (15 mph) or the posted speed, for hours and hours at a time, this is no place for him to be. Safety is paramount, and it could mean a life and death situation. This is no place for the impatient turnpike hot-rodder. On the ice roads, speed really does KILL.

sheesh!

The part that sucks is that we'd have to get a car there, drive the event, and get the car home with limited vacation time.

I notice Gary Webb is already registered, he always set up great winter events when he was in Maine.

[max]

excursion.

Yes exactly. I think you'd need a Ford Excursion. With a roll cage and harnesses.

[Crazyswede]

a Ford Excursion? sheesh that would be about the worst possible vehicle to take. If I had my choice of any vehicle I'd take a euro spec'd evo MR with some good nokia Q2's or an old school Audi coupe quattro turbo.

[Luke]

Max, you could do it in your mini, but first you'd need a build honkin light rack

[max]

1. I'm not doing anything even remotely of that sort in my mini.

2. I don't want a big honkin light rack because: see above.

[Hans]

I am registered. We are not sure what vehicle we'll be driving yet, but the fall-back is an 85 900 Turbo.

[SaabsBreakDown]

One of our club members did this event several years ago and spent over 1,000 on just fuel, in addition to the entry fee. It probably takes a good 5 thousand dollars to do this rally.

It's something I'd love to do, but its a huge expense. It starts in my backyard, and they have been saying they might not have another winter Alcan in the future. There isn't as much turnout as there used to be. All the more reason to go!

[Crazyswede]

Well a year in advance there are 20+ cars preregistered so I'd say the interest is there.

[Luke]

Well, it sounds cheaper than a year of stage rallying and just about as much fun. Something you'd never forget for sure

[max]

I think someone should enter a really light shelled out body of a car, and attach it to 10 sled dogs and do it Iditarod style.

[Crazyswede]

mONgO TiNk MAX NOt SO bRITE