Faboy Raceworks Takes Home Production Class Honors
The local father and son team of Ed (Co-Driver) and Kris (Driver) Dahl took home first place honors this weekend in a production class Acura Integra at the Doo Wop Rally Series in Southwest Washington state. The team picked up 4 class stage wins on the way to finishing 12th overall and was the second highest placing two wheel drive vehicle.
Photos by Jim Culp
The two-day race covered 240 miles, including 13 high-speed timed competitive “special stages” over 99 miles consisting mostly of unpaved logging and forrest roads. Rally races are run rain or shine and the Doo Wop Rally Series featured gravel roads, as well as some sections of closed-off paved roads. The teams had to contend with mud, snow and ice in addition to dry gravel and asphalt roads.
The Dahl’s reached speeds of nearly 100 mph and averaged nearly 60 mph on several of the off-road gravel stages. The team also averaged over 69 mph on the high speed asphalt stages.
The Dahl team had a few close calls, including blowing an radiator hose while racing. Luckily the hose blew off less than a mile from the end of the stage and the team was able to make repairs and continue. For safety and to control dust, rally teams are started at one minute increments, and despite the gap the Dahl’s found that they were running a quick enough pace to both catch and pass two other teams while on stage.
A total of 40 teams competed in five classes ranging from largely unmodified street cars to purpose-built, high-horsepower turbocharged and all-wheel drive race cars. Rally racing is notoriously difficult on teams and cars, only 32 of the 40 teams finished both days of competition. Retirements were due to mechanical failures and damage due to crashes. No competitors, spectators or volunteers were injured.
Locals Lou Beck (Driver) and Randee Hahn (Co-Driver) also did well, finishing 6th in the production class and 20th overall with a Toyota MR2. Adam Crane of Bellingham finished 4th in the Group 2 class and 30th overall in his first rally. Bellingham co-driver Jason Grahn’s hopes of winning were dashed after his team rolled their car, yet were able to continued and later crashed out of the event on Saturday.
The Dahl’s next competition will be Oregon Trial Rally, a national championship event near Portland, OR in April.
