(Each month, Gonzalo “Gonzo” San Miguel, the SCCA® RallyCross® Board (RXB) Chair, presents you with the latest RallyCross news and information.)
For those who weren’t able to make it to the 2024 RallyCross National Championship in Hollytree, AL, I can tell you that it was a lot of fun. In fact, let me give you my account.
Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, was the day to show up to Hollytree Off Road, so we arrived around 3 p.m. During our travels around Kentucky and into Alabama, we found ourselves on some mighty narrow roads. I’m pretty sure these roads were never meant to comfortably hold a seven-foot car trailer heading down the road at 70mph, but it worked even when there was only a couple of inches of clearance between the pavement and grass.
Once into the Alabama hills, you’re forced to slow down for the sharp and windy curves, which is fine by me. Even though I had Google Maps directing the way, the closer I got to the turnoff in Hollytree, the more I thought I was on the wrong path. Then suddenly, I arrived at the large metal Sasquatch next to the half sunken Jeep at the Hollytree Off Road area, which is located in Vaught Cove, next to Williams Creek.
(Photo by Langlee Clark)
I pulled up the road, signed the waiver in exchange for a rubber wristband, and headed to the paddock area just past the Hollytree office and huge smoker. I got my spot, unloaded the car, and chatted with some great friends.
A few weeks prior, Jason Lee, the SCCA equipment manager, had asked if anybody had an open seat, so I offered up a ride in my Prepared Rear-class Mazda Miata because that’s what I do. Jason also competes in a Miata in North Dakota, so he hopped in the car for seat fitment and was good to go.
The Competition Begins
Friday morning, I got back to Hollytree to see my car covered in ice from the dew that had collected overnight, then froze in the morning hours. Even though sunrise was just before 7 a.m., being in the cove meant the sun didn’t hit the paddock area for another hour or two. I started the car up to get the thawing process going and then headed to tech once I could see through the windshield.
After walking the course a couple of times, I could see it was going to be fast and fun, but I couldn’t exactly tell what the surface would do under the grass.
I got the car into grid, which was situated in between the two courses (which is a first) and awaited class inspection and then collected the papers once inspection was over. At noon, everybody gathered by the timing trailer for the National Anthem and a quick and painless drivers’ meeting, followed by some instruction on understanding the timing light and new countdown clock at the start line.
I had the first session off, so I watched from the sidelines as Stock Front, Stock Rear, and some very fast Stock All class drivers took to the course. The first of the two UTV classes (UM) also hit the dirt – the first UTVs to compete at an SCCA National Championship event. After two quick runs, it was our turn, and I already knew that I didn’t bring the tires needed in order to be as competitive as I wanted to be.
(This year marked the first time UTVs competed at the RallyCross National Championship. Photo by Dante Donati)
I had read that snow tires were probably going to be the preferred tires, but I didn’t feel like purchasing a set of tires I would only use at this event, so I was running on a three- or four-year-old set of gravel tires that I run at home in the dirt.
I began my first run two seconds off the lead, but then while I was close to the end of the course, I over rotated and hit my rear tire pretty hard and debeaded it without anybody noticing because of the dust. After that, I hit a cone and then got through the finish, so no rerun for me.
I have never debeaded a gravel tire before, so I wasn’t very prepared – I had to drive to my trailer and get my tools to pop the tire back on before Jason’s turn, but it worked out since there were nine of 10 cars between the two of us.
My second run was another 1.5 seconds off of the first-place pace, so I was going in the wrong direction. My co-driver had never been on rally tires before, so the feeling of grip and turn-in was something for him to learn as quickly as he could (which he did very well doing).
Once our runs were done, it was time to work grid for the Mod classes.
It’s always fun watching times get lower and lower as drivers figure out the course and where to push harder.
After the competition runs, the Saturday course opened up, so it was time for a couple of quick laps on foot to get the lay of the land.
Day Two: Adapting on the Fly
Saturday morning was another chilly one. With one last course walk in before the drivers’ meeting, it was go time for the Stock classes and UM. Once they had their three runs, we were back at it.
It was pretty much the same result for me as where I left off on Friday: A couple of OK runs along with clipping a cone on my final run of the morning session. Jason stayed steady and clean throughout the day – and the weekend, for that matter!
Unfortunately for the afternoon, a run needed to be cut in order to make the time to not get the Mod classes stuck with a lack of wind to clear the course, so that meant two more runs on the Friday course. Both runs for me were OK – not spectacular, not terrible. It was good that the one run was cut because during the Mod group, the later it got, the more the wind slowed and cars had to have longer and longer times in between to mitigate the dust.
The Final Day Arrives
Walking the course on Sunday morning was a hike.
The Sunday course was, for the most part, the outer area of the two previous courses, and they were fast and fun. Oh yeah, and everyone would get four runs!
Watching the groups on the final day is always exciting, and this year’s RallyCross Nationals was no exception. Johnathan Coatney was behind on day one and most of day two, but he was able to chip away and take the lead by the end of Saturday, keeping that advantage on Sunday to secure the win in UTV-M. Carl Donald came up big in his last two runs in Stock Front to take (and hold) the lead to the end. For Stock All, Shelton Wright had his foot on the gas all weekend, running clean; he kept the lead all the way through in his Focus RS. And finally, in Stock Rear, Logan Altmyer stayed clean for the weekend and finished strong to take the win.
For group two, I was trying to hold onto third in Prepared Rear. I hit a cone on my first run through a faster section, then I had two “meh” runs. My final run to hold onto third went out the window as I got very sloppy trying to force the issue, tagging three cones and having a very slow time on top of it; I ended in the last trophy position of fourth.
Shawn Roberts was blazing fast, like he always is, and led the whole weekend, finishing first by 13 seconds! For Prepared Front, Jason Fuller took command the entire time and cruised to first place with a clean, almost 19-second lead, as did Mark Hill in Prepared All with a whopping 33-second victory. Andrew Surprenant was the only clean driver in UTV-S, winning by 9 seconds.
(While dust got kicked up, it was largely controllable if certain measures were taken. Photo by Langlee Clark)
The mod group was great to watch, too. Leon Drake in his Mod Rear “Porscharu” mixed it up over the weekend against Vaughn Micciche in his full-blown Porsche to hold the lead to the end. Andy Thomas really buckled down on his last two runs to win in Mod Front by 1.5 seconds. Mod All was a great battle between Mark Macoubrie and Warren Elliot, with Mark holding the lead by only 0.347 seconds! What a day!
It's a Wrap!
At the end of the day, with the announcers of their heats, SCCA’s Director of Rally/Solo Rick Myers and I proudly handed out the trophies to all of the very deserving winners. Besides the normal awards, Leon Drake gave a special “Cotton Picking Good Driver” award for being the most consistent clean-running driver – that went to Michael Detota.
This year, the True Grit award for making the National Championship a great event went to basically the entire TVR group, but more specifically Leon and Tom Harrington. And finally, Mark Macoubrie won the Hagerty Keepin’ it Cool award for keeping his head despite having Warren breathing down his neck. Mark took home a sweet Yeti cooler as the award trophy.
(Mark Macoubrie with his well-earned Hagerty Keepin' it Cool cooler. Photo by Langlee Clark)
Put another way: The 2024 RallyCross National Championship was a blast. There are pluses and minuses to having two or three runs at a time like we did. On the one hand, you can feel like you lose your mojo if you’re running hot, but on the other hand, if you’re not having a great day, there’s time to reset.
With this being my 16th National Championship event, of course I want to do the best I can, but when it isn’t in the cards, I’m just happy to talk to the friends I’ve made over the years from all around the country. Ultimately, that’s what it’s all about: having fun with great people.
Thanks to everybody who could make it out this year, and we’ll see y’all next year!
Lead photo by Gonzalo San Miguel by Dante Donati
