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S**t-Box Racing Series

Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
This is kind of a bench racing subject, but thought it would be fun to talk about on here, see if it would gain any traction. Years ago at the beginning of RME we talked about something similar, but it never went anywhere.

I'd like to start a yearly 'race' with low buck vehicles, say $1000 total investment. Get a few friends together to help ease the financial burden, assist with wrenching duties, etc. Lay out a loop some where in the West Desert that has a mix of high and low speeds, not too many other people, requiring 4WD and possibly requiring 4 Low. Make 3-4 laps, with check points along the way to make sure racers aren't cutting the course. Your 'race team' can take turns driving and co-driving, pitting, etc.

Each team pays a $50 entry fee that goes into the pot for the winner. 5 racers = $250 pot for the winner!

Set up the race to last several hours, so it's as much as a reliability/endurance race as it is a vehicle capability race. Safety rules would be pretty loose, seat belts, fire extinguishers and helmets.

As an example... buy a Cherokee (or Ford, Chevy, Dodge truck or SUV) for $500, toss on some cheap take-off tires ($200), some better than stock shocks ($100) and possibly a used LockRite ($200). Make sure it'll stay running thru a race and go hit the desert!

To keep it honest (far as the total investment) the winners vehicle can be purchased by any of the other competitors for $1000. :eek:

I'd want to keep it small & under the radar, for legality reasons. :D What say you, RME? Could we each round up a few friends and build up a s**t-box to go race in the desert?
 
Stephen

Stephen

Who Dares Wins
Moderator
Location
Never Far From Nowhere
I think this is a cool idea, permits though. I'm not super familiar with SRP's for competition, but I know that they are more onerous than other commercial SRP's. Maybe tie in with BOAR so you don't have to get a "new" permit?
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
Stephen said:
I think this is a cool idea, permits though. I'm not super familiar with SRP's for competition, but I know that they are more onerous than other commercial SRP's. Maybe tie in with BOAR so you don't have to get a "new" permit?
Click to expand...

That's the thing that I don't like having to deal with. This isn't an official race, more just a bunch of friends rallying POS 4x4's thru the desert.
 
Stephen

Stephen

Who Dares Wins
Moderator
Location
Never Far From Nowhere
Greg said:
That's the thing that I don't like having to deal with. This isn't an official race, more just a bunch of friends rallying POS 4x4's thru the desert.
Click to expand...
Just playing devils advocate, don't want to see RME in the crosshairs of the BLM. Saying that there is an "entry fee" makes it a commercial enterprise in the view of the BLM. You can kinda skirt this by doing a "donation" instead of an entry fee and the money goes toward keeping RME operating rather than a prize; but if the event gets big enough they still want it permitted. Also, if they catch wind of it being a race, they will definitely want to see event insurance.
Just spit balling, but one way to mitigate this might be to make it a Time, Speed, Distance (TSD) rally instead of a race in the way that you described. Similar to a standard rally, but you have a target time to get to each checkpoint and ultimately the finish line. You don't want to be too far ahead or too far behind that time, but as close as possible. Participants are staggered at the start, so they are less likely to be passing each other on the trail and limits the chances of damage to the terrain and accidents (both reasons that the BLM would require a $1M insurance policy).
 
Greg

Greg

I run a tight ship... wreck
Admin
Location
Grand Junction, CO
Stephen said:
Just playing devils advocate, don't want to see RME in the crosshairs of the BLM. Saying that there is an "entry fee" makes it a commercial enterprise in the view of the BLM. You can kinda skirt this by doing a "donation" instead of an entry fee and the money goes toward keeping RME operating rather than a prize; but if the event gets big enough they still want it permitted. Also, if they catch wind of it being a race, they will definitely want to see event insurance.
Just spit balling, but one way to mitigate this might be to make it a Time, Speed, Distance (TSD) rally instead of a race in the way that you described. Similar to a standard rally, but you have a target time to get to each checkpoint and ultimately the finish line. You don't want to be too far ahead or too far behind that time, but as close as possible. Participants are staggered at the start, so they are less likely to be passing each other on the trail and limits the chances of damage to the terrain and accidents (both reasons that the BLM would require a $1M insurance policy).
Click to expand...

It's good to talk about this now and make a plan, so we're not caught with our pants down! I appreciate the Devils Advocate approach.

I was going to ask about how we should set up the start, I like the timed TSD approach. I don't want to turn it into a demolition derby with compeditors bashing vehicles together, but more of a challenge to keep the vehicles together and moving, over challenging terrain.
 
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