96XJ wrote on 02/26/5 at 19:30:11:Next year I won't be stopping to pull anyone out since it cost me 3.8 minutes this year.
It's a shame to hear that... I felt that way last year, after stopping to help someone when I was a minute ahead... only to become a minute behind, and find a checkpoint around the next corner.
This year, we went off towards the end of leg A.... understeered up onto a snowbank. A subaru wagon who had DNF'd himself (running on his spare tires) pulled us out.... we only lost 9 minutes in the snowbank, and had made up 2 of those by the next checkpoint. We had enough difficulty getting grip in the corners that I realized I wasn't going to zero any controls on some of the legs.... so I didn't mind stopping to help. On leg B, we came into an uphill left a little quick, and I decided to go straight..... and down a little laneway (someone else had already done the same thing).... quickly back out, drive 10m up the hill, and hook onto the guy who was running ahead of us. Pull him out. Take off... few turns later we come across Karl S. in his STi.... pull past him, and give him a few hard yanks to pull him out. By the time we had come by, he had lost 29 minutes in that snowbank. I didn't mind losing a few minutes yanking on him if it meant getting him back into the rally.
I think if I was running better tires, and had been able to push more, I would have been on the speeds a little more.... but running a worn set of winter tires basically leaves you snow grip, but poor ice grip. With the better tires, if I was zeroing a road, I may not stop to help (unless it looks like a serious situation)... but I had accepted the fact that I was just out to have fun.
Hehehe.... I love that I cottage in coe hill.... the run down the 620 to 504 is like 2nd nature to me.... the little twisty bit on the 504 before it meets 46 is great... hard uphill left into crest, into downhill sweeps left to right, 50, into hard left, caution lake beyond road (no gaurd rail!!!), into 3+ right, into 3 left into long 3 right opens and tightens (great camber... in summer the car hugs this turn, in the winter you can get into a nice little slide and still feel confident), into 5 uphill left *caution drop on right*..... atleast... thats how i'd describe it. 8)
Glad you could make it up from Michigan.... sounds like the OWR is popular with several American teams.
Now, if only ross would turn it into a crazy event like was described to us at the drivers meeting... the late 70's OWR, where it ran up towards sudbury and back.... you'd never see the same road twice!