Road to Targa Newfoundland 2008

Sponsorship: A New Attitude

I'm just going to say it; I hate going after sponsors. I hate asking people for money, I hate asking friends to help me out and above all, I hate asking people for something that isn't even 'needed'. Racing, for me, is a hobby. This is fun, not work. I don't make a living off it, and don't expect I ever will. I race because I love it, and I've often felt like it's 'wrong' to go after sponsorship to do it. Let's face it, I'm not asking for money so I can afford food or rent. The problem, though, is I can't afford to race without sponsors...not many of us can. Warwick asked one of the competitors this year what his Targa budget was. "Well, I budgeted for $20,000", he said, "but I've spent $45,000."

Targa is not cheap.

One of the big questions Warwick and I have tossed back and forth is how we are going to make ourselves "marketable" to sponsors. We've discussed so many potential ideas I think we could write a book. We'd title it "Amazing - and Amazingly Horrible - Ways to Build Sponsorship Dollars." One of the biggest things I've always struggled with is how a 'grassroots' team can provide value for its sponsor's money. If you're not on the podium consistently, is there still value?

The other day a friend linked me to an artlcle on the American Le Mans Series website. Take the time to read the article in full...the impact it had on me cannot be matched by editing out sections.

CORVETTE RACING'S FEHAN: WHY WE DID WHAT WE DID
After watching Corvette Racing finish off a sweep of the American Le Mans Series' GT1 class on Saturday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, GM Racing Program Doug Fehan explained the reasoning for fielding a two-car team in a class that more often than not provided no other competition. It was eye-opening and showed the passion GM has for the Corvette brand and the legions of its followers.

"When the season began, we weren't the only ones to realize that we could possibly go all season long without serious competition. You guys (the media) had a lot of questions about would we continue. Why were we doing this? How long can you last? What's management saying? Are you out of your mind? You're spending all this money racing yourselves. And most of those questions I got myself every time I walked into the RenCen (GM Renaissance Center). So I was pretty much the Lone Ranger there and was approached on a regular basis by upper management with those very questions. And I had a simple answer because I was confident in what would happen.

"At the end of the day, the object is to sell vehicles. And do that, you have to capture customers. I told them at the beginning of the season that if we went forward with this program - as we had laid it out and with no competition - and we saw a drop in sales, or a lack of enthusiasm or participation by our customers at any point during the year, then we could call it quits.

"You only have to look at the turnout we got each and every event this year. Our car count was up every place in our Corvette Corrals. Autograph lines were longer than they had ever been. Demand for the model cars, demand for posters, for clothing ... everything increased this year. And it opened some eyes and began to shed some light on the fact that at the end of the day, this is a marketing exercise. We bring these Corvettes to the race track for Corvette lovers to see, touch, smell, hear and be a part of this team. They love just seeing these cars. Would they love to have more competition? Absolutely. And do we hope it comes? Yes we do.

"But I can tell you what, as far as Corvette customers are concerned, they had one hell of a show this year and they were very, very pleased with it. And in turn, management saw the light and said, 'You know what, there is some truth to this.' People who buy Corvettes expect a couple of bucks out of each one of those sales to fund racing. They like seeing these cars and being a part of this team. So do I wish there competition? Hell yeah, I do. But at the end of the day, this is a hell of a marketing effort we've put together and we are going to continue with it."

Fehan's attitude on the incredible expense of the Corvette program really hit a chord with me. Chevy isn't dumping tonnes of money into the program because they like racing. They aren't dumping tonnes of money into the program to develop improvements to the street corvettes. They aren't even dumping money into the program for the prestige of winning (hard to have prestige when you race yourself). No, Chevy is dumping money into the program because it sells product.

This article alone has crystalized my views and attitudes on sponsorship. I'm no longer concerned, or confused, on whether there is value for a company to sponsor a grassroots level team. In fact, I can honestly say I no longer fear the whole sponsorship problem. I have an angle, a very realistic angle, and it's no longer scary. Indeed, it's quite simple. I simply need to provide a compelling argument that sponsoring my Targa effort will sell more of a product or service. If I can do that, it's a no brainer.

-Dave

Sense and Sensibility...

When Dave and I set out to "do" Targa, our original intent was that we would each be fielding a car. As we've gone through our initial preparation, our motivation and excitement has hit highs and lows. The thought of all the money we'd have to raise was giving us a headache!  Preparing and funding two Targa cars, we've realized, is perhaps a little out of our league.

We are both "drivers" in the sense that we are more comfortable behind the wheel and in control. I simply LOVE driving, so it is kind of a hard decision to make, but I've decided that I am going to co-drive for Dave at Targa 2008.  I've co-driven in both recce and routebook performance rallies before, and it does suit me.  I like being the organizer and manager of the car, keeping us on time and on track.  At Targa, the co-driver is also the one who gets to hand out all the hero cards as we drive down the road!

One reason I made the decision to co-drive is because Dave has made the decision to re-shell and re-cage his rally car. I'm not sure I would have agreed to co-drive in the red car with the cage as it is now.  I can't get the seat far enough back, and there are a few layout details I would change.  With a new shell and cage, however, I can provide some input into the seating position and co-driver layout, and make the right side of the car my "office".

With the car decisions finalized, and now only one entry to worry about, the task doesn't seem quite so daunting!

Sigh

It's so daunting, I don't even want to start.

-Dave

Before I take the Red shell to Targa...

I might want to sort out the engine management issues...

-Dave

More Research...

Continuing my thoughts from the other day, I've been researching whether or not my Audi's would be a competitive choice for Targa. Using some rather broad assumptions I discovered that a class 7 car could be a good choice to gain a top-ten finish over-all, and a top three in Modern Division. Trying to win Targa outright, at least historically, has not been a successful venture. With only six Targa Newfoundlands in the history books, this isn't likely a great representation though. Next up, I need to consider whether a class 7 Audi, is more or less competitive then a class 7 Porsche, BMW or other.

When considering Targa, the actual vehicle isn't 'supposed' to matter. The Targa times are adjusted by class to ensure each car has an equal chance at the overall win. Cars inside a particular class are supposed to be competitive with each other, and the Targa times set for each class are supposed to 'even out the field'. Careful study of the Targa times shows that classic division gets a little bit of an extra boost with the Targa times. Technically its easier to meet your times in a Classic car over a modern car. This view, however, is hotly argued. For myself, I just don't have the budget to purchase, restore and modify a classic car, so it's a moot-point. Modern, and older moderns, are the division my wallet dictates. Knowing that Targa times are supposed to be equalized, I thought I'd take a look at who I'd be competeting against inside class 7. If my car is competitive within it's own class, then it _should_ be competitive inside the whole of Targa.

In previous years, class 7 started out rather small but has grown to have about 10 cars competing each of the last few years. The class seven cars have included:

Porsche 944's, 911's, BMW M3's, 325i's, Mazda RX7's, and Honda Civic CRX's seem to dominate the 'most often raced' list. There are a few odd balls, a Caterham Super Seven raced one year, as have a Merkur XR4Ti and some other interesting artillery. It looks as though a Mustang may have started a run at Targa and a Chevy Monte Carlo shows up every few years. Predominately, however, it's going to be 944's, 911's, RX7's and the BMW's.

How does the Audi stack up against these? From my track-day experience, if the weather is dry I'm going to be hard pressed to push as hard as the Porsches and BMW's. They both eclipse me in power, and handling in the dry. I'm not so sure how I stand up against the '85 Mazda RX7, but I know the rotary engines scream and the cars are lightweight. If Targa is dry, I've picked a pretty difficult challenge. If Targa is wet, however, the tables have certainly turned. Both of my Audi's benefit from Audi's all-wheel-drive quattro system. In the wet, I'll be able to lay down all my power while the rear-wheel-drive cars will need to take it easier to avoid spinning. At the track days I've been to, I lap the 911's on the wet days, and get smoked in the dry. Targa guys are a special breed, however, and I wouldn't expect the wet to be as easy as I'm making it sound. It does, however, give me some advantage.

Realistically, I can't see myself buying a Porsche or a BMW just to make myself a little more competitive at Targa. I will, however, start looking at things like Solo 1 results where similar cars are raced, just to get an idea of how difficult it will be to keep the Audi competitive with the rear-wheel-drive crew.

Hmmm...going to Targa hoping for rain? Not exactly the best game plan, is it?

-Dave

Research

Before I even consider building another shell (or taking my current one) I felt it prudent to do some research on classes, to see if the car I want to use would even be competitive.

Ideally, my car will be a late 80's Audi quattro, of relatively low power and all-wheel-drive. My red car is likely turning out between 160 and 170hp, at the flywheel...though I would have to dyno it to be sure. A good place to start, when trying to choose a vehicle, is to read the rule book. For starters, I was curious to see what class the red car would be placed in, with the modifications I've made.

For Targa, cars are classed first into a 'Division', based age range. There are two divisions, Classic and Modern. Within each division, they are then further broken down into specific age ranges. Modern, for instance, has Early, Late and Contemporary. Following this breakdown cars are then placed into Standard or Modified, and then further separated by small and large displacement engines. Above all of these is a third division, officially known as "Open" division, but more commonly called "Unlimited Class". For Unlimited, it doesn't matter what year, or modification level the car is, anything goes. The last thing I want to do is find myself in unlimited with crazy-horsepower cars!

Thankfully, my car still keeps within the Modern rules. The red car, if classed as it sits would be in Class 7 - Early Modern, Modified, Small Displacement.

From here, my next step was to see what else has been used to win Targa:

This year, 2007, was quite a wet year. The overall win for Targa 2007 was as follows:

1) Roy Hopkins, Adrienne Hughes - Classic division (Class 4 Modified – large) BMW 2002 ‘69
2) Jud Buchanan, Jim Adams - Classic division (Class 4 Modified –large) Acadian Canso SC ‘67
3) Dyrk Bolger, Terry Milnes - Classic division (Class 3 Modified – small) Austin Mini Cooper S ‘63

The first modern car finished 7th overall:

Jeff McKague, Mike Gayowski - Modern division (Class 9 Standard – small) Mazda RX-8 0

2006, a relatively dry year (one day of hurricane rains) had a slightly different result 

1) Glen Clarke, Evan Gamblin - Classic division (Class 6 Modified – large) Porsche 911 '79
2) Jud Buchanan, Jim Adams - Classic division (Class 4 Modified –large) Acadian Canso SC ‘67
3) Keith Townsend, Jen Horsey - Modern division (Class 9 Standard – large) Subaru WRX Sti '05

Keith and Jen were 3rd overall and the first modern car.

I've continued this research, and here's what I've learned:
- The highest any Class 7, modified, low displacement vehicle has finished overall is 7th.
- In Modern Division, the highest a class 7 vehicle has placed is 2nd, there was also a 3rd and a few top tens.

The above tells me that while it may be difficult to win Targa outright in a class 7 car, top ten is possible and perhaps even realistic.  A top three finish in the Modern Division is certainly doable as well. These are fairly broad assumptions as one has to consider whether a class 7 Audi, for instance, is more or less competitive then a class 7 Porsche, BMW or other.

So far, the Audi doesn't appear to be a bad choice for Targa.

-Dave

It is nice to have this problem...

I have a problem. I can't decide what car to bring to Targa.

Now, you might be thinking to yourself "isn't it a little early to be figuring out your car?" And, you might be right, but only if you're assuming I am going to bring a car which currently exists in racing trim. Building a fresh car is going to take a fair bit of time and commitment, something I should jump onto as soon as possible. For me, at least, it comes down to two choices.

Option 1: My 1989 Audi 90 quattro Rally project

I bought this car eight or nine years ago. At the time it was my mom's daily driver, and then I got a hold of it. I fell in love with rally the day I saw Frank and Dan Sprongl slide across my TV screen in an Audi. Two years later I bought mom's car. Over time, while I was a student and then working, I slowly stripped things out of it and modified it for racing. At the moment, race ready, it weighs 2777 lbs, about 300 lbs less than the street car it once was. As far as Targa is concerned, this car should be a no-brainer. Most of the major work has been completed, and there are just a few items I need to address to ensure that it's legal for the Targa rules. In fact, the list of things the car needs to be strictly legal are pretty small. The list of items I need to address to ensure the car makes it to the finish in one piece is also pretty small. Perhaps the best part, and worth another blog post on its own, is the fact that while my roll-cage is not legal for it's intended role in Canadian Rallies, it is legal for Targa Newfoundland. Really, it's a no-brainer.

Or is it?

I find whenever I build something for the second time, it turns out way better then the first. The second time around for an engine swap, things always seem to turn out neater and more professional looking. The same can be said for painting skills, my coaching skills, heck anything. The list of things I would do differently with my car is quite long. I was 19 or 20 when the interior was first pulled out, and I've learned a lot since then. I would ditch the sunroof, for instance, since the car would be strictly race and not used to get to school or work. Losing the sunroof would save weight, and allow me to put in proper roof scoops for cooling the occupants. If I could move my cage back 6-8" I'd be in heaven. I'd re-do the rear half of the cage to better fit the items I need to carry, I'd change the front half to be Canadian Rally legal, etc. The list is quite long. The other reason I'm thinking of moving from "the red shell" is the body rot. It's an east-coast car, with a poor body repair from it's first two years of life. The rot isn't structural, nor is it visible to the naked eye. It does happen to fill the trunk with water when it rains though. A minor inconvenience perhaps, but we all know rust stops for no-one. Technically its repairable, but for the money is it worth it? Weighing the costs of repair always brings me to...

Option 2: My 1988 Audi 90 quattro street car

Okay, perhaps not the best photo of the car, but we'll get to that.

When the opportunity to purchase this car for $600 came up, I jumped on it. I bought it for one reason, and one reason only; I knew that one day I would either wreck or want to replace the red shell, and here was a perfect donor shell. As an added bonus, I could drive it to work too. Sadly, it's been a bit of a roach. This photo is two years old, right after I bought it and Warwick and I drove my two cars across the country. The black shell taught us the joys of middle-of-nowhere repairs in crazy weather, and perhaps vehicular patience. It also taught me to actually look at a car before buying it, even if it does come from a friend! Regardless, even after it blew the motor I still kept it. From the day I bought it my view of the red car changed from "rally project" to 'development bed'. I don't know why, or how to explain it...it just did.

Building up the black shell would allow me to go back and fix everything on that list of "things I wish I did differently", not to mention the shell is rust and accident free. It's a huge undertaking though, and will take me the entire year to finish correctly. Looking at Gary Faules' job on Lucky, though, makes it all seems so realistic.

To build, or not to build? That is the question. So many pros and cons bounce between my ears it has been keeping me awake at night. I happened to bounce the problem off my good friend Andrew Comrie-Picard (a professional rally driver) this past weekend. Andrew didn't need to hear much before offering his advice. He simply said "Always fix the running car and use it, before building a new car."

Two things kept coming back to me while making the long drive home from seeing Andrew. First, was something that Gary wrote to Warwick a short while ago:

Everyone has their limits and some of the best built cars arrive as a result of being forced to be resourceful. Be sure and do you homework with regards to all the research you can get your hands on and remember, much of what you are told or read is not worth listening to.

At the end of the day, or rather the start line of Targa, it isn't going to matter what anyone else thinks. I may be wasting my time building a second car, but if I'm building it because I'm not comfortable with the state of the red shell, I'm doing it for all the right reasons.

The second thing that keeps coming up is that I have used the red car. No, I have not used it for the original purpose I intended it for (Rally of Tall Pines), but I have used it for so much more. I used it to develop custom race parts not available anywhere else. I used it to figure out what's weak and what isn't on this platform, and made changes to solve those weaknesses. But more importantly, I used it to develop my driving skills. I've moved from a hot-shot teenager who thought he knew everything, to a fairly skilled individual who recognizes he needs to learn so much more. I've done rallycross, driveX rallies and insane speeds, ice racing and track days. I've crashed it, repaired, and crashed it again. It has been everything I ever hoped it would be. My desire to run it at Targa stems more from nostalgia than economics.

The first day Andrew and I met was at a rally-cross in 2002. It started to pour rain four cars before my last run. The tires on the car were for dry conditions, not mud, and I had a mud set sitting beside the car. I commented to no-one in particular. "Is it worth changing them over?". Andrew, who I didn't know at the time, looked right at me and said, "Are you here for fun, or are you here to win?" I will never forget that moment, nor the moment right after where he stepped into the rain to help me change tires.

To build, or not to build? Am I going for fun, or am I going to win?

-Dave

Important Lessons

Whew! The past two weeks have been a little crazy for Warwick and I. The routine for each of us has basically been wake up, work a full day and then move to the garage and work until we can no longer stand it.

About two weeks ago Warwick said goodbye to his 2006 Subaru and the monthly payments that went with it. Both of us knew Targa was going to take some sacrifices, and Warwick stepped up to the plate in a big way by dropping the car. The departure of his wagon, however, meant that project Subaru Justy took on a whole new priority level.

Warwick's been working hard at prepping the interior and installing various racing upgrades like a roll cage and racing harnesses. The big job, however, was with the powerplant. Project Justy arrived at our place with a blown headgasket and a few other mechanical gremlins. While we could have tackled the engine rebuild and fixed up the drivetrain in a single weekend, I thought it would be a great learning experience for Warwick to do as much as he could on his own.

Ever since I remember my dad was always working on a project car. Growing up the projects that passed through our garage would likely out number the starting grid at Targa. I was 11 or 12 the first time Dad asked me to help out, I guess having small arms was an advantage when replacing VW Bug fuel lines! The assistance when I bought my first car, however, switched. Dad taught me how to change the oil, change the brakes and various other routine maintenance jobs. As I got more comfortable I moved onto other jobs on my own, although Dad was always available for help if I needed him. Project Justy is Warwick's first real venture into the 'do it yourself' world of Automotive repair. Knowing that anything can happen at Targa, I figured he needed a crash course. Over the past week Warwick has removed, rebuilt and reinstalled the Justy motor. While I've been available to help out and answer questions, Warwick has primarily done the whole job himself. I'm happy to say it even started on the first try!

Along the way there were definitely some tough moments. Warwick experienced the joys of wrong or ill-fitting parts over and over again. There were a few sheared bolts, and more then a few frustrating moments trying to decipher what the Chilton book was (or more likely wasn't) telling him. But between the internet forums, asking for help and just working it out on his own, Warwick tore the car down, rebuilt it and got it back together in just two weeks. Pretty impressive for a rookie!

I think the biggest benefit, however, is that Warwick appears to have lost his fear of 'diving in' and tearing something apart. When you're used to driving leased and warrantied vehicles, you don't go trying to fix it  yourself. At Targa, however, if something goes wrong at the side of the road it will be up to Warwick to figure out what the problem is, and how to fix it. Project Justy was the perfect learning tool.

-Dave

No-Budget Racers!

This is going to seem a little ridiculous, and not just a little bit embarrassing. As I was painting the interior of the Justy today, I ran out of paint.  Big deal, five bucks for a new can, right? Well, its the beginning of the month, and between bill and mortgage payments, and the slow return on Targa photo work, the ol' bank account has been a little strapped. To the point that I didn't have $5 to spare (we did say this was the BUDGET racer's guide...). Not one to let that stop me, I gathered up the mountain of summertime recycling that I've been putting off for weeks and took the bottle returns back.  $11.03 in bottle returns, $10.59 for paint and masking tape.  Profit!

I also bid farewell today to my trusty 2006 Impreza 2.5i Wagon. It's been a fantastic car, and I'm sorry to see it go - especially with the new wheels I just put on it!  At the same time though, I'm quite excited. I'll be saving almost $500 per month on car payments and insurance...a large chunk of change! It was a tough decision, but it marks a big commitment to actually making this Targa dream come to fruition!

A reminder lesson...

There are three types of rules in racing: The rules laid down by the organizers, the rules laid down by your pocketbook (or perhaps significant other) and the 'golden rules' we all know.

You can't do much about the rules laid down by the organizers. They are there, you must follow them, or you don't race. Well, mostly. You have to follow the safety rules, but the rules governing 'performance' have always had some measure of interpretation. For some, the real fun in racing is finding these loopholes. As far as Targa is concerned, though, the rules are pretty basic and 'creative interpretation' really isn't that important.

The rules laid down by the pocketbook are always important. These rules, more then any others, are what keep most people from racing. Half of us got into rallying under the myth that it was 'cheap racing'. Yes, that's right, I said myth. For me, the pocketbook is what will effect my Targa Journey more then any other. It's will govern what goals are attainable, who I can bring to support me, and how prepped the car is. My need to keep a careful eye on my bank account while prepping the car prompted me to look for an economical solution to Intercom Headsets.

We will use these headsets in between stages at Targa, when we aren't required to wear helmets. There is only one commercial option available for my Peltor Intercom, and that's Peltor headsets. They retail for $270 a piece, and I need two of them. So, I figured I'd make my own. Surely it can't be that expensive, right? Besides...I wanted them quickly, so I could use them for a TSD rally.

To say my efforts were slightly less then successful, would be an understatement. While I knew that a Peltor intercom uses Dynamic Microphones, I didn't know it couldn't be simply modified for condenser mics like all the other intercoms in the rally world. That was just one of my many issues...

So it's with some embarrassment, that I recount a golden rule I learned when having my roll-cage done. When prepping your race car there are three things you need to be aware of: fast, cheap and good.

Fast and Cheap, are not Good.
Good and Cheap, are not Fast.
Fast and Good, are not Cheap.

While it's a humble lesson to be reminded of...I'm much happier relearning it now, rather then discovering I didn't halfway through Targa!

-Dave