2097 Racing Finishes the Treeline Rally!

Twenty-six rally teams converge in Southern California’s Angeles National Forest for the Treeline Rally on Saturday July 16, 2005 saw. Known as the tightest and twistiest event on the California Rally Series schedule, the rally also wound up as one of the hottest of the year, with temperatures climbing over 100°F in the valleys. The conditions proved to be a true test of both man and machine as only 21 teams made it to the end of the final stage. Erik Christiansen and Amy Floyd drove their 1987 VW Golf GTI to a respectable 17th overall finish and 7th in the highly competitive open 2wd class.

The day started with a 45-mile transit to the stages via congested San Gabriel Valley Freeways. The first stage was a 4-mile downhill run with several water splashes thanks to the legacy of the second rainiest winter in Southern California’s history. The freshly graded roads were relatively smooth for a west coast event, but the loose surface in some corners managed to catch Erik by surprise resulting in more than a few sideways moments. The team finished the stage with some minor damage to a rim and tire, but it still held air pressure, so they pressed on.

Stage 2, the longest stage of the event, was thrown due to a car breaking down in a narrow section of the road and blocking the competitors. Once the car was moved, the rest of the teams transited the stage and regrouped at the start of the next stage. Stage 3 was another downhill run, this time more than 7 miles long. Twisty with some scenic and intimidating overlooks, the stage proved to be similar to the first, but without the creek crossings. The team rewarded the patient spectators on this stage who spent hours waiting under the hot sun with a blast from their famous La Cucaracha air horns. Just after crossing the finish line, Erik ran a little wide and nailed a rock embedded in the berm with the front passenger’s side tire. This time the sidewall damage was even more severe, but the tough Michelin rally tire continued to hold air.

Upon completion of stage 3 the teams had a two-hour service break. With no crew for this event, Greg Montgomery and Chrissie Beavis in car #392 were kind enough to let the team throw some tools, fuel and spares in their service truck. Only in rally do you find competitors friendly enough to go out of their way to help other teams in need. In service, the team replaced the two damaged front tires, washed the windows and relaxed while eating sandwiches and drinking plenty of fluids. The team also found time to give an interview to a Speed Channel crew filming the event. Watch for us on the Street Tuner Challenge episode that airs on Wednesday, November 16th!.

Following service, the rally re-traces its route through the forest, running the first three stages in reverse. This turned stage 4 into a hillclimb, which taxed the cooling system of many rally cars. With an eye on the rising temperature gauge, the team elected to turn the heater on for the last half of the stage to help the engine dump heat. The position of the setting sun made the westerly-bound stage even trickier. More than once the team had to slow to a near stop due to the blinding sun. The net result was the team lost more than a minute to their nearest competitors and dropped two places in the standings.

Stage 5 was the reverse of what was scheduled to be stage 2. The 11-mile stage is lined with many of the eponymous trees, which provided welcome relief from the blinding sun. The stage was a true test of endurance as the tight and twisty 11 miles took the team more than 28 minutes to complete! Even the stage winner averaged under 30mph.

The final stage was a run back up what was stage 1. By the start of stage 6 the sun had just crossed below the horizon, turning into a twilight stage with unknown hazards hiding in the shadows. With the memory of how slippery the creek crossings can be firmly etched into their minds from the first run through, the team drove swiftly, yet conservatively to finish the stage almost half a minute up on their nearest competitors, but not enough to gain back the positions lost earlier.

The team intends to return to the stages for the 2006 series opener in Jean, NV on March 4, 2006. Hope to see you there!

For more information on the Treeline Rally, including results from the event, see http://www.treelinerally.com. For more information on 2097 Racing, see our website: http://2097racing.50megs.com.