Rally cars to roar through county again

More speed and spills expected

By FRITZ MAYER

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — Dozens of drivers and navigators, and their brightly colored cars, will gather in Narrowsburg on March 30 for the opening festivities for the Rally New York 2007 event.

As in the past, the street-legal cars will wend their way through public roads to get to “special stages”—areas that have been blocked off for racing, where the drivers will crank up the speed.

This year the driving teams will traverse 43 miles of special stages on paved roads on Saturday morning, followed by 50 miles of special stages on dirt and gravel in the afternoon. All of these stages are in the Tusten area, including some on the grounds of the Ten Mile River Boy Scout Reservation.

Along with trying to bring in the best time, the drivers and their navigators will be trying to avoid spin-outs and other unplanned driving maneuvers, which can bring their role in the competition to an early end.

During the race in April 7 and 8, 2006, the Irish team of Enda McCormack and Mark McAllister failed to finish the race because they made a miscalculation and ended up in a pond off Blind Pond Road. At the time Ed Jackson, planning board chair in th,e Town of Tusten and an official with Rally New York, said their car swerved off the paved road and traveled for about 100 yards before plunging into the pond in a spectacular splash. “But nobody was hurt,” Jackson said.

In fact, there were several minor accidents on the special stages, as there are at most rally events. The cars are built with roll bars and other structural enhancements that are designed to absorb the impact of minor collisions.

Before the race, the driver and the navigator go through the stages slowly, taking notes about curves, hills and other features. When the actual racing comes, competing with the whine of the engine, the navigator shouts instructions to the driver about whether to jam on the brake or punch the accelerator, so missteps are a common feature of the race.

Drivers come from all over the United States and countries as varied as Ireland and Argentina.

Among the favorites of this year’s entries are driver Seamus Burke and navigator Eddie Fries, both of Ireland. Burke was the 2006 U.S. Rally Champion, and he was runner-up in the event last year, and the winner in 2005.

The closing ceremony this year will be held at the Narrowsburg Inn.