Sandblast Rally 2008 - Part 1

Sandblast Rally Report - The Preparation

It's been said that preparation is the foe of inspiration. In a creative pursuit, perhaps that's true. But when it comes to motorsports, preparation is at the heart of it all. We've seen some pretty inspired efforts this week as the Team MAX competitors navigate toward the Sandblast Rally in South Carolina tomorrow. The usual storylines are here: work schedules pushing departures back, bad weather making towing a trailer treacherous, and of course, a slew of eleventh-hour repairs and last minute upgrades.

Unlike last year, where we sampled the tourist traps along 95 on a leisurely pace to Cheraw, this year's approach into the sandhills was direct and dark. Wearily, we pushed over the state line and within ten-minutes were greeted with the southern hospitality we knew to expect.

Jason Adams, who RallyMoto fans from last year will remember for his 1000 mile through-the-night drive after his flight was canceled, was lucky to get a flight yesterday and avoid a repeat experience. But Jason always seems to find a way to do something dramatic enough to warrant mention in an e-Rider. OK, this time, it's more than a mention. Last Sunday morning, his R100 GSPD looked like this:



Jason decided to take a Sunday, a week before the rally, to essentially a replace the top end.

With new big-end bearings, piston rings and rebuilt heads, you'd think the GSPD with 93,000 miles would have a completely new lease on life. But since Jason rides as much "Gelande" as "Strasse" there were bound to be a couple of other items lurking. This morning, in the parking lot of the hotel we noticed a familiar looking box:


and witnessed this:



An ignition canister transplant is how Jason decided to start his day. Synching the carbs was the next item on his list. As far as early morning bike work goes, he was in good company. As a steady flow of trucks and trailers continued through the parking lot, Aaron Gibson had the doors to his Sprinter van-turned-workshop open and was tying up some loose ends on his rally bike. Aaron was adding a pair of plain looking turn signals to his unique bike that has the soul of a borg, the skin of a zebra and a serial number that proves it's a BMW. Talk about inspired!

Things were a little calmer in the parking lot by the pool, where Doug Morrison and Mark Albertson were wiping the frost off of their comparatively familiar looking HP2s. With newly laced wheels from Woody's Wheelworks and some cleverly mounted HIDs for the night stage, Mark and Doug get the Eagle Scout award for RallyMoto preparedness.

Keith Ciampa has been getting prepared for the Rally commando-style in the sandhills of the Carolinas. Keith was one of the history making Sandblast RallyMoto riders last year on his F650 Dakar. Apparently, he's got a new mount this year and we uncovered one of his secret training videos out on YouTube. It's an uncensored glimpse into the mind of a competitor and a nicely edited piece. The Internet is a wild frontier folks, so please don't say we didn't warn you that there's a some coarse language in the video. (Video temporarily unavailable.)

NCO (or Novice Competitor Orientation) starts in a few minutes, so we're off to school for a couple of hours. Registration and tech are this afternoon, followed by some shakedown runs, a solid meal, and then probably a rough night of anxious sleep. We'll be up and out early tomorrow, but we'll report to you as soon as we can. Check out www.sandblastrally.com for more info on the Rally and also be sure to tune in to RallyRadio.net for Internet-radio coverage from RallyMoto riders who will be calling in throughout the day.