Brief Warmup...

Or should it be cool down??

Just a return to good old SCCA Rallycross for a quick run through on the truck to make sure everything is in working order and test my co-drivers helmet and intercom system, HANS device and seatbelt adjustments.

Last weekend was the first Rallycross event of the New England Region of the SCCA and was run in the snow and ice at Stafford Motor Speedway in CT.  This was its usual two day event with a race being run on each day and also a cumulative event for those who ran both days.  The NISMO Stuff Racing Frontier did not participate in the Saturday race as the snowstorm that was occurring that day made travel a bit risky for a RWD vehicle so close to my next stage rally event.  Sunday was cold but the roads were clear.

Driving to and from the event in a non-heated vehicle with no interior and lots of gaping holes through which the wind can blow made conditions commuting to the event far more uncomfortable than those at the event.  Racing was good though not the conditions for the Frontier.  I did manage to spin the truck once and had to drive very slowly given the lack of grip.  About the only notable accomplishment I had on the day was being declared the first person anyone had seen at a Rallycross that drove OVER a cone without knocking it down.  I guess that's something.  Out of the 7 RWD entries in the event there were two Toyota trucks and a couple Miatas that were being driven by multiple drivers.  The NISMO Stuff Frontier finished right smack in the middle in 4th place...three ahead and three behind.  More importantly the event showed that the truck is in good shape with all systems working without flaw before the Sandblast Stage Rally event later this week.

A quick wash and the truck was put to bed to dry and rest before the big opener to the 2012 season in only a few days and knowing we did at least a tad of proper testing/shakedown gives me a good deal of confidence in the upcoming race.  We'll see...