The deep sand and rugged terrain of the sandhills region of South Carolina proved to be a challenge to both driver and vehicle in the 2008 running of the Sandblast Rally.

The day started well with a refreshingly warm morning and abundant sunshine as the rally cars lined up at the ceremonial start and Parc Expose in Cheraw SC. With the importance of finishing this event weighing heavily on the SAABrally.com team, we took some time to survey the competition. Eight other vehicles filled the entry list of our competitive Modified 1 class.  Surrounding our 1975 SAAB 99 were Porsche, Mitsubishi, Datsun, Ford and Nissan, all well prepared and poised to attack the stages.

The first stage was no warm-up at over 15 miles in length. A good stage time would be necessary to secure a shot at an overall 2wd and class victory.  We set off into the sand with a fury, knowing that carrying as much speed as possible would give us the momentum needed to get through the knee deep sand washouts and canyon like ruts.  We finished the first stage by catching the 4wd car that had started a minute in front of us.  Comparing time with the other competitors we were surprised to learn that our time was nearly a minute quicker than any other 2wd car! This gave us confidence and left us in a good position, but we knew we would need to stay consistent and drive smart since we still had a long day ahead of us.

At the first service the car idled in seemingly unscathed.  The only cause for concern was a slight knocking over bumps of the rear suspension. The car was refueled, windows washed and fluids checked. With the car up on jackstands and wheels removed, about 4 buckets of sand were shoveled out from various cavities and nooks. It was only then that crew noticed the cause of the knocking at the rear… A severely bent rear panhard rod mount!  Having only minutes remaining in service, our top technician for the weekend Matt Joseph jumped into action. He attacked the folded sheet metal wielding a dead blow hammer, pry bar and vice grips. With a bit of assistance from crew chief Matt Weir and some struggling the mount was pried back into position as a temporary fix. We departed for the next series of stages while the team set out to secure a welder and devise a plan for a more permanent fix at the next service. The next 3 stages went very well. Once again we were fighting through the sand but carrying good speed where we could. Stage 4 “sandtrap” had a particularly soft area. We were able to use momentum and our limited slip differential to churn our way to the top of the hill avoiding the area where we learned 8 other 2wd cars got stuck behind us!

Returning to service the first order of business was to make a more permanent repair to the panhard rod mount. To our surprise the mount had only been bent slightly more from the last service, but upon close investigation another issue was uncovered. The rear trailing links were being damaged by inference with the body due to the dislocated rear axle and bent panhard mount. Quick action by the crew with a sawzall, angle grinder and the ever-important dead blow put a new retaining bolt on the trailing link and the rally car back into action. With two more rugged stages remaining we needed make sure that no mistakes were made that could put our lead in jeopardy. With spot on notes from the co-driver and smart driving we finished the last night-stage by increasing our lead another half a minute over the closest 2wd competitor. When the trusty SAAB 99 rolled into the final time control and dust settled we had taken on overall victory in 2wd and our class and 8^th overall in the rally.  An outstanding result and a great start to the 2008 rally season.

Also be sure to check out the grassroots motorsports  blog of the event at: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/news/022008/success-at-sandblast.phpThey put in a great showing in their 1977 SAAB 99 in stock class and finished the car’s first rally. Congradulations!