rally and caffeine.. other things too!

Sno*drift rally picks!:

2009-01-26T15:32:00.001-08:00

Here are my picks for the sno*drift rally in Michigan happening next weekend... Should be good- there will be no Pastrana's, but wait!!! Where the fuck is Antoine L'Estage and Nathalie Richard?!?!?!?!? They would be my first pick, but the new Evo X prolly isnt ready yet-- build faster, Pat! So, is it Tanner in Antoine's old Hyundai? Hmmm, hes going to be on the list somewhere too! Here is the entry list to date: http://www.rally-america.com/events/2009/SnoDrift/entries/...
Overall:
1. ACP if he doesnt destroy another Evo in the trees in a snow rally
2. Block... I dont know why, but it sure sounds right
3. Foust. Hes bound to come back strong
** I also like Patrick Moro and Travis Hanson, but Super Production just isn't going to pull up with the big guys here...

Super Production:
1. Who the F*ck is Matthew Johnson for the win!
2. Dave Mirra, why not?
3. Keeney's. After a National PGT win last year in the USRC, I think Jimmy and Melissa are bound for big things especially in super production... they are always steady and Sno*drift claims many to attrition.

G2:
Hmmmm....
1. ???
2.???
3.???

...And-- whats Kyle Serasin driving? Where is his co-driver, and whats going on there?

Any other thoughts?

new web page?!?

2009-01-23T23:27:00.000-08:00

So we have a new webpage for the Checkpoint Racing & Suba Performance rally team, and shockingly, I have my own site... maybe you have seen it: www.alixhakalaracing.com!!!
So at any rate, I am going to try and be better about posting stories, drama, and racing updates here. Lucky you for reading this...
So nothing is really new for 2009- Mitch and I will be running a limited schedule for the season. The plan is going to be: Colorado Hill Climb Series events, maybe Rally Idaho, and RFKaC (Rally Colorado). I will also be running High Desert Plains Rally with Jukka-matti Karhu (maybe?), and Ojibwe (definitely) with Erik Schmidt in his 1995 Subaru Impreza STi..
In other news, lets go into a little relapse of what happened during the rest of my rally calander in 2008:

Mitch and I managed to keep Svetlana (the green, Ruski tank-looking 2004 Subaru Impreza STi) in one piece for the remainder of the year. We finished strong at the Prescott Rally (5th overall), and raced really well in New York at International Rally New York (4th overall, with a 3rd place on day two overall and in Open class!)... That resulted in a 3rd place in Open class, 4th Overall in the United States Rally Championship, and 2nd place overall in the West Coast for 2008.

Who wants to hear about Rally TN?!?

2008-05-27T15:24:00.000-07:00

I originally put tarmac rally + the state of Tennessee in a situation of unhappiness and boredom. A place to be shot at by country bumpkins, while traveling down a rather straight line, maybe some trees and be a waste to drive from Laramie to the southeast for no reason... Man was I the fool in this case. This rally, Mitch at Checkpoint Racing premiered his new 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX STi at Rally Tennessee 2008. Here you see Mitch and I lost in the middle of BFE Kansas, and yes I am wearing cowboy boots. Yes, I am from Wyoming, and no I dont screw sheep or own a pair of Velcro gloves.
At any rate, for once in my lifetime, we get to an event really early, despite the fact that our torque converter in the Diesel was leaking like a sieve, as well as we had to stop in Arkansas because our trailer lights were not functioning-- heh, I spose no rally truly runs smoothly.
So, off to shakedown we go after recce, which started to change my mind about tarmac rally for the roller-coaster and unpredictable roads. So, off to shakedown we go... down the highway when Mitch punches the gas- THWACK!, Troy (our service chief) forgot to latch the hood pins, so Mitch and I got a mouthful of STi hood scoop. So, at this point we are shittin' bricks for 3 reasons: 1) we are in the middle of Tennessee, 2) we are in the middle of TN with a Subaru, and 3) we are in the middle of TN and there are no windshields for a Subaru. So, off go Troy and Scott to Memphis to find a STi windshield on a friday afternoon... They show up after parc expose with this task accomplished... whew! dodged one bullet!
The new car is freakin' awesome. Nothing really advanced yet, etc., but it pulls well and I think Mitch loves the idea of active diffs.
Here the bullshit though: the service times were a real atrocity. a 20 minute first service and RGC, an extended second service because no one really had time to eat, etc. much less work on their cars, and then a TEN minute 3rd service!!! HUH?!?
So the third service comes, and Troy and Scott throw on the light pod, which we come to find out that one of the relays fails, so Mitch and I are forced to run with just brights in the pitch black forest of TN, where every corner is proceeded by a crest... Example taken from Hohenwald (SS10): (starting at mile 4.58), R4lg 50 L5+< into smCr into L5- into R5-lg lgsmCr/50 into L6 lg R6 Vlg/smCr ! smCr L6 50 Chicance R entr.... it doesnt look too bad. There is nothing really nasty, but in the pitch black with stock headlights at 88 mph through there was un-nerving. My rally mantra when I see things like this is: "if I keep my nose in the stage notes, then nothing bad can happen!"
But, none-the-less... A bid thanks goes to Anders Green and his wife, Amy for showcasing such a great rally!

Lets talk about navigator non-monogamy!

2008-05-02T10:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes people do not understand why some of (us) the navigator population "whore themselves out" to multiple cars/teams. So when this does happen, we usually catch a bunch of shit for it. Some of the best complaints I have heard when going to other teams, includes:
+"Im going to call that bitch and tell him that if he kills you, then Im going to go to his house and shoot him personally" (thanks Mitch for having my back)
+"I worry that when we get in the car again, that you just are not going to be the same."
+"Sometimes I worry that you aren't going to want to come back and co-drive for me anymore, because you have found someone better."
I mean, really? I personally get calls or e-mails for almost every event, for someone who needs a co-driver... Uhm, sure, guy- If your team is paying for all my shit, then where do I sign? Haha, well sometimes it is not that easy. Let me take for example this year's Rally-America Olympus rally. Originally the plan was to get me a flight out there, and everything else was covered for the race... Well, I never heard back from my flight and ended up getting a last minute flight on Dad airlines. Heh, that was lucky...
At this same event as well as the six other cars I have navigated in the last year-- Mitch Williams, who I co-drive for on a regular basis, has called every other driver and has told them "not to kill my co-driver." So the conundrum becomes: what happens when he wants a different co-driver for the Temple Canyon Hill Climb next weekend, because I am (finally!) graduating from college. I find myself strangely jealous?!? Yes, that is right-- I am a whorish co-driver.

Todays external commentary comes from this crazy bastard, Ben Slocum- who just so happens to be about as much of an "around the block co-driver" as I am:
...and I directly quote from what he posted on my facebook of the divorce of a certain family rally team in Minnesota:
On the humorous end, the divorce of an in-car team-

Originally Posted by tcc
Chad who's codriving for you?

This is the first question in a long line that will result in a divorce.

Jay- Who's co-driving for you?

Chad- No one, it's only you, I swear!

Jay- Don't lie to me, I see a different color highlighter in your route book!

Chad- I swear Jay, you're the only navigator for me.

Jay- Damnit Chad, how could you have?

Chad- Jay, I'm sorry, I, I just.... he understands me. He knows how I like my notes called.

Jay- So it's all about the notes?

Chad- Yes, I'm sorry. It's just notes. Your the only co-driver for me.

Jay- What about the other times? The transits, the services, the time controls? Didn't those mean ANYTHING to you?

Chad- Please Jay, please understand. It was just about the notes. What we had was special.

Jay- Aparently not special enough. Chad, I want to ride with another driver. This team is through!

Chad- No Jay, no! I need you! I'm sorry, please give me another chance!

It all eventually ends in tears, fighting for custody of the service crew, and alternate weekend and half of the summer sharing of in-car videos.

It will take a while for you to feel comfortable seeing other drivers/co-drivers again. You'll both be jaded, and step into the car with your new teamate with trepitadion in the future. You'll ask your self, will this new Rally relationship last, or will they just leave me once they get bored with me like the last time.
__________________

An introduction... rally navigational humor

2008-05-01T09:17:00.000-07:00

Ok all, here is the moment that you have been waiting for-- a humerous side to rally... well rally navigation that is! From the same guy from the rather whorish navigator company, "Turku Navigation" comes a blog about all things related (and most not) to being that crazy bastard that sits in the passenger seat, while yelling at a monkey-esque about where to drive. I would like to give a shout out to Ben Slocum when he says: "all for the glory of trashing a really expensive car." The best definition of a navigator/co-driver/navi./ ballast-holder comes from Mark Utecht: "co-driver (n.)- the insane person who sits on the right side of a rally car who is able to calculate the the square root of a prime number, while traveling at high speeds down a dirt road and is able to say: 400, L6 opens, gas, gas, gas! while hanging upside down from a tree with his hair on fire." If thats not a run-on sentence then I do not know what is, but hey! it works.

In a brief conclusion, this is going to be the posting site for all things regarding rally navigation-- My goal is to make one episode per every couple days... or so. So, if you like rally, or are a co-driver then please keep your monitors cued into this site!

If you doubt my credibility as a navigator, here are a few reference sites:

http://www.cp-racing.com/profiles.cfm

http://www.coloradorallycup.org/teams.html

or check me out (bow chicka bow bow!) at: http://www.myspace.com/finlandic

Or if you prefer the facebook variety, search for me under AJ Hakala

to conclude todays introduction, please visit and support my/our team's sponsors:

http://www.nocoastmotorsports.net

http://www.saltamotorsports.com

http://www.subaperformance.com