Badly.

Every day through eight days of competition a melodic French female voice called out to us and every day I wanted to yell back, “SHUT THE FUCK  UP IT’S 4AM ARE YOU CRAZY?!?!”

One of the most difficult aspects of the Gazelle Rally is the lack of sleep.  You’re up at 4am, you leave at 6am and you put in anywhere from 10 hours (if you’re a really really good team) to 16 hours (if you’re a new team like we were) in the truck.  During that time you never know what will happen.  You may dig yourself out, you may help other teams dig out.  You’ll probably be running up and down terrain, scouting it out and you might change a tire.  Or two.  .  You’re plotting points and plotting your strategy.  Mentally and physically you are spent at the end of the day.

Yes, they are heavy.

Back at the bivouac you still have to set up camp, fuel the truck, talk to the mechanics, and eat.  You may or may not have a chance to take a shower.  Mostly I did not.

Getting to bed by 10pm was a luxury.  We were usually collapsing into our tents around midnight.  Even though it was bulky and took up space in the truck, I was so happy to have my Kelty cot.  I was getting some quality 4 hours of sleep.  My fellow Gazelles with their aired up sleeping pads often did not fare so well.

This video was taken the day after the infamous Crater Road, where we traversed a giant crater in the dead of night, only to descend down Sketch Boulevard into the maze of a palm tree farm.  I still don’t know how we made it out.

And yet….

There is a part of me that won’t shut up about the mistakes I made.   One of my goals was to take care of the truck and if you followed us at all you know that on Day 2 it all went to a bit of hell.  I came up out of a wash, hit a deep trough of some sort, and put a nice dent in the frame of our truck.  As a result we had to sign a waiver that said we understood the risks of continuing with a bent frame and that we wouldn’t drive faster than 50 km/hr.  They put an alert on our Iritrak system so that if we did it would sound an alarm back at the bivouac.

50km/hr is 30mph by the way.

I’m not sure how much this contributed to our finishing position, but I can’t help but thinking that if we could have gone faster between checkpoints we would have, well, made it to more checkpoints.

But shoulda coulda woulda, right?  The lesson to come out of this (besides the given Don’t Break the Truck) is Patience.  We were stuck with what we had.  We couldn’t go any faster, and I just had to deal with it.  This is how I did it:

That’s right.  We don’t have to win the whole Rallye (although we wouldn’t mind doing that too), we just have to beat the other teams in the Media Challenge to win some serious coin for our charity.  We have chosen FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered.  We wanted to work with them at this point as they specifically benefit women who have a hereditary risk of breast cancer, like Navigator #1 Michele Martineau.

Of course, we wouldn’t be us if we didn’t try for even MOAR press coverage.  During the Rallye, March 19-28, you can follow us at

www.jalopnik.com
www.dirtnewz.com
www.herhighway.com
www.roadfly.com
www.femaleracingnews.com

We hope you will take the time to write to us.  After March 16th just go to the Gazelle website and click on Rally Live.  There you can find a link to all the teams.  Click on us,  team 178.  Go to Write to the Gazelles and follow the instructions.  The Rallye will print out our messages for us at the bivouac each night.  We imagine this is a lot like mail call in the Army and any messages we get from our supporters will mean a lot to us.  We will try to write back but we have heard that there are only 3 computers for 300 women.  Those are not good odds.

And of course, you can track us.  Even though we won’t have GPS, we will be tracked via satellite so you can monitor our progress.  Just go to www.gazellerally.com.  We are team 178, but there are 4 other American teams to cheer for:

Team 107 Lerner/Reina; Third Time Participants
Team 136 Hamilton/Beavis; First Time Participants
Team 182 Klishevich/Chiadmi; First Time Participants
Team 185 Meddows/Barone; Second and First Time Participants

We wouldn’t be going to Morocco without the help we have received from our friends, family, and supporters.  We realize these are difficult financial times for everyone, and we thank you SO VERY MUCH for helping us get to Morocco for this crazy, life changing adventure!

We had such an awesome time at Battle at Primm this past weekend!  SNORE Racing put on such a well organized and safe event.  They had over 200 cars there but everything ran smoothly and on time, with plenty of volunteers and an awesome staff.

There were 26 cars in our class, and AAAALLLLL the big dawgs came out to play.  Many of them had their single seat 1600 cars, which probably weigh about 10 pounds over the minimum.  They all had their win faces on too.  I knew this was a place to sit back, learn, and JFF.

As we pulled into staging on Saturday, I was shaking and my stomach was in knots.  Just seeing all 26 starters there and knowing I’d be out with them on those short 13 mile loops was enough to get me super nervous.  I needn’t have worried though.  Since we were unable to attend qualifying we started in the back and I am not kidding when I tell you I saw only two cars that first day.  What I thought was going to be some kind of epic wheel to wheel experience was more like any other desert race where you often find yourself out there alone for long stretches of time.  I’m sure the guys in the front didn’t have that same experience, but for me I was rollin’ solo.

After the first day, it became obvious that the leaders had me in just flat out speed, to say nothing of drive experience.  BAP is all about fast straightaways and dangerous turns.  I’m sure I lost some time in the turns as my entrances were pretty timid (there is a limit to the whole slow in/fast out theory after all) but I was pinned in all the straights and the highest Mark saw for me on the GPS was 72 mph.  Mostly we ran those sections in the high 60s.  I am sure the other guys had at least 5-7mph on me in those straights.  It’s a combination of gearing, weight, and let’s face it, money.  I can’t afford a new engine or a complete tear down every race.  So I guess we will continue on our quest to JFF and know that we are doing the best we can with the resources and talent we have got.

Mark took over driving duties on Sunday.  Everyone turned in slightly slower lap times since the course was chewed up a bit from the day before.  The fast speed I saw for him was 75mph, but there was a wicked wind and we may have been pushed a bit! At one point on the dike jump we could both feel the wind push us as we were flying through the air…not a good feeling!

We ended up 14th out of 26 overall so that isn’t too bad. I learned about the car, I got a lot of practice in dangerous turns, and hell we even got to drift a bit in the stadium section of the course!  Next up for me is the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles in Morocco March 19-28th.  In a week or so I’ll have info about how you can follow my team as we navigate our way through the dunes using only a compass and an old map.

OMG I ALMOST FORGOT ALMOST THE BEST THING THAT HAPPENED OVER THE WEEKEND! Fellow Gazelle Julie and her hubby Ben drove out from Vegas to say hi…IN A RALLY FIGHTER!!!  I was so not expecting them to show up in a freaking Rally Fighter!!!  And get this….BEN LET ME DRIVE IT!!!!!!!!  It’s way bigger than I thought it would be and feels quite ponderous.  The hydraulic steering is a bit twitchy but nice and heavy and the torque is just clean and available through a wide power band.  I drove it on the highway and off road and while I was nervous because, hello it’s not my Rally Fighter, I did go fast enough to feel confident in saying that this car is a beast!  AND Ben is hooking us up with a set of pink MaxTrax for the Gazelle Rally.  Thanks, Ben!!!

Mr. Miyagi, doing work.

After testing we headed on over to the Slash X, or /x to those who know.  Always a great time to be had.  Sabrina, my navigator for Gazelles, was able to join us and she just fell in love with the place.   There are always motorcycles, quads, and buggies parked outside as families come out for a day of wheeling and always stop at the /x for lunch.

Hot damn she looks good!!

The next race will be Battle at Primm with SNORE Racing, Feb 22-24.  Truth be told I’m scared shitless.  There are at least 30 1600 cars entered (we’ll be running #1611 as our number has already been taken) and ALL the big dawgs will be there.  The format is 2 days of racing with your class, and we will do 5 laps of 13 miles each.  There will be a ton of wheel to wheel racing and I’m in my head about it a bit.  I’m always scared before a race though.  I think you’re an idiot if you’re not scared.  Hello….you could die!!  The trick is to push through that fear.

Because there are so many cars they will do qualifying runs.  I won’t be able to get there in time for that but it’s just as well.  My plan is to let the big boys battle it out and break down.  My strategy is always JFF.

Just Fucking Finish.

We are now deep in the depths of finding a rental truck…in French.   Here’s how you communicate via email to French rental companies:

1.  Frantically search the internet for “French truck rental”

2.  Realize that there are contacts listed in your Gazelle packet

3.  Feel dorky

4.  Attempt to write an email in French

5.  Proof read it with your terrible French but think, “This sounds good,” and hit send

6.  Remember something called Google Translate and run your already sent French email through

7.  Laugh at the pathetic translation and rewrite email

8.  Resend email with addendum: “Ecrit avec l’aide de Google Translate”

9.  Receive email from said French company

10. Reverse Google Translate process

The map has gone up, giving us plenty of time to check out the terrain via Google Earth.  It seems I owe a lot to Google Inc, lately!  At any rate, here’s a glimpse.

So we now have lots of things to take care of:  getting the necessary supplies, a new pair of boots (yes!), tools, a tent…everything we’ll need for 9 days in Morocco.  One thing we will NOT need is a navigation unit.  Remember, Gazelles navigate with a compass and an old map and nothing more.  It’s what makes the Gazelle Rally FULL OF AWESOME!!!

(PS:  I stole this idea from someone.  I don’t talk to him anymore but I like to give credit where credit is due.)

We saw some great cars at the LA Auto Show.  My faves were the new Abarth cabrio, although to be honest I’m not sure how much of a true convertible it really is.  I adore that car and really wish it were offered in AWD and a true drop top, but if you’re down with FWD and want some fun, definitely check it out.

Interior of the 2013 Abarth Cabrio

I also got to say hi to the head of SRT, Ralph Gilles.  We talked Challenger and Viper and all things SRT.  I really like how they have brought back some great designs, but never lost the original feel.  Design evolution as opposed to revolution if you will.

I can't decide who is the best looking: Ralph, me, or the Viper.

And though I will probably never ever buy one, I was pleased to see the redesigned Honda Civic.  Everyone pretty much trashed the 2012 Civic as being, well…boring.  Honda responded quickly with a 2013 refresh that I think is quite successful, at least from the rear.

It looks good, no?

Friday I found myself driving the new Beetle Convertible. They had many different engines/transmissions to try and I got behind the wheel of the TDI manual and the turbo manual.  Both are fantastic, with the TDI offering excellent mpg and torque.

Those headlights...so Boxster-y

Along the way they had some vintage VWs for us to drive.  Honestly I was more excited about this 1979 bug than anything!  Funny but it drove just like a class 11!!

Air Cooled Love

A highlight for me was watching some journalists try to get the Beetle out of the soft sand.  They were so cute!  I was tempted to tell them to lower their tire pressure, but decided it was more fun to just sit back and watch.

ROTFLMFAO!!!

That night I hightailed it out of Los Angeles and made my way up to Barstow for the MORE Toys For Tots race.  It honestly felt a little odd; like I was just kind of dropped at the race with little prep time, which I guess is not far from the truth.  Mark and Dad had been out with the Mr. Myagi of Shocks the week before and had the car dialed in as much as they could.  The engine had been gone through down in Mexico and everything was good to go.  They had even bought gas.  It just feels odd not participating in any of the pre-race stuff.  I never pack up the truck or do any of the leg work…I really want to get back to CA.  Being this far away from everyone is killing me.  I’m just so lucky that I have good people helping me.  Very very lucky.

At tech, making sure I have all my safety equipment and that it's up to date.

At any rate, we ran a pretty smooth race.  I dropped to fourth after the first lap (hey, I didn’t pre-run…gotta take that first lap slowly) but came back to second by the end of the second lap and held it the rest of the race, thanks to co-driver Pepper keeping me at a good pace and boosting my confidence with phrases like, “That was so much better than on the last lap!!!” The format of the race was pretty cool.  We ran 6 laps of 19 miles, then 6 laps of 13 miles.  Sometime on lap two I separated the tire from the rim a bit and had a flat.  Best flat to have if you ask me, as the guys just popped it back on the wheel and it holds air just fine.  We stopped again at the end of lap 3 for one minute as the guys had missed a lug nut during the tire change.

Talent running out in 3...2....1 (don't worry. we saved it)

When I gave the car over to Mark, we were 6 minutes behind the leader and 4 minutes in front of third.  Martee hopped in as co-driver but we had a bit of a fuel spill while she was getting buckled in.  I’d like to say that making sure this won’t happen again is Priority Number One for next season.  A fuel spill is absolutely not to be tolerated.  It’s unsafe and we won’t have that.

Mark and Martee took off and put down two great laps, but the spill took it’s toll on Martee.  She was smart enough to take herself out of the car so she could get out of her suit and clean up a bit.  I was  the only one still suited up, so guess who went into the car for another 50 miles?  Yours truly. I was happy to do so, honestly, as I got to ride with Mark who has more 1600 seat time than I do.  He kept a steady pace and took us the last 4 laps and on to the podium.

Congratulating the winning team by giving them a tiny little bit of shit. Kidding! First in class Chris Fogle in #1620 could not have been nicer.

The guy who won said his team were sweating us a bit.  They found our radio channel and modified their pit schedule when they heard our chatter.  It’s nice to know I made someone worry a bit.

The whole in-car team made the local paper

So now it’s all about Morocco and raising the money to get to the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles.  It’s nine days, off road in Morocco with no GPS.  Points are awarded for shortest distance, not fastest time, making this a rally that is won by navigation and decision making rather than speed.  We need about $18,000 just to register.  You can donate via the link at the top of the sidebar.  Anything raised above and beyond our entry and rental fees will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

And of course, don’t forget about our awesome Women of Off Road Racing 2013 calendar.  We are on our second printing so be sure to get yours NOW.  www.teamcouragegazelles.com/calendar

Pepper and I at tech for the Powder Puff

Looks like we’ll be out at the last MORE race of the season, the Holiday 200 on December 1.  The race will be a toy drive for Toys for Tots.  Gotta bring an unwrapped race car for a lucky kiddo!  From my understanding the race is 2 short courses of about 20 miles.  They split up the fast cars and the slow cars and you get a few hours on one course and then you switch.  I don’t know if they’ll put 1600 in the fast group or slow group.  We’re kind of slow fast cars.  At any rate, I’m so excited that Pepper Junus has agreed to co-dawg for me. She and I took 1st in class at the Powder Puff in October and we are hoping for a repeat.  Mark Burke will take over for the second course, with a super secret co-dawg. Let’s just say we are working on having the lightest passenger weight possible with his co-driver. I’ve heard Jason Coleman’s co-driver is a midget, and I aim to beat him.

And my week leading up to the race promises to be full of awesome.  I’ll be hanging out at the LA Auto Show for Roadfly.  Word on the street is Porsche will be debuting a new sports car, and since I just got out of a 911 I’m excited to see what it’s all about.  I’ll also get the chance to drive the new Beetle convertible.  But on Friday evening I have to high tail it out of LA to Barstow in time for tech.  If anyone can give me a ride let me know.

This has nothing to do with anything in this post, but I like the pic.

Remember you can still purchase our calendar, featuring some rockin’ female off road drivers.  All proceeds will go to getting us to Morocco for the Rallye Aicha des Gazelles AND help fund mammograms.  How rad is that?