SNO*DRIFT RALLY 2024 (AKA #poodrift)
Posted on Mar 07, 2024
We have been attending the Sno*Drift stage rally in northern Michigan as a sponsor or volunteer for nearly 20 years but this year we decided to fulfill both roles simultaneously. We were honored to be asked to feed the course workers and other volunteers during the event on the second day, Saturday, using our Cayenne “Timsyberia”. This would entail driving the entire route and handing out lunches at the various worker stations as well as feeding some of the mobile volunteers. First, we had to prep the Cayenne. As room would be a premium we put our spare on the roof, loaded up our recovery gear and checked the air pressure in our Blizzaks.
After studying the schedule and the route it soon became apparent that this would be a lot more complicated than we thought. As we had to wait till workers were on course in order to feed them that limited when we could start each stage. We also had to get to the end of each stage before the 000 car caught us which meant getting to the end of the stage before their scheduled finish time. This wouldn’t leave much time to stop and distribute lunches along the route. Even more complicated is that the event runs two sets of zero cars that cover alternate stages. This meant that by the time we’d finished feeding one stage the 000 car for the next would already be on the stage. We either needed a time machine or a new plan. While our Cayenne is more than capable of going 88 mph, we decided to come up with a new plan instead. We decided to feed some of the stage crews ahead of time at their meeting points and to hit some of the stages that were run twice after their first run was completed. Even so this would not leave a great deal of time on some of the stages so we decided to make the Cayenne more conspicuous by adding an ice cream truck chime! Yes, we turned it into an ice cream truck and made as many people as possible aware so they’d know to expect us and we wouldn’t have to wait around too much. Not only was this extremely effective it also made many of the workers smile which was an unintended bonus.
https://youtu.be/GuTJE4uTgzE?si=W5D6wnA5afJCj01i
Another hurdle confronted us however, when we went to pick up the lunches first thing on Saturday morning. There were nearly 300 of them and they wouldn’t all fit in the vehicle; even if we dispensed with the occupants! A plan F was needed. (Yes, we were already at plan E). Looking at our schedule and negotiating with the folks who made all the lunches we decided we could swing by two more times during the day and reload more lunches, hopefully. That actually worked out and we got to feed everyone we were supposed to, got to drive quite a few of the stages and watch the rally at the spectator area of the iconic bonfire alley stage.
https://youtu.be/RfIfE3aM1u4?si=eqXwjwnPrZxkoeD_
https://youtu.be/tXvRevIMBW0?si=rtQHiygLjmdtH_vN
https://www.facebook.com/reel/754729666720682
Even though it all worked out the logistics of a stage rally are so complex that we might have just gotten lucky and we can’t say with any certainty that we could implement the same plan next or any year. We concluded that, assuming we are invited back, next year we’ll run two vehicles with two people in each one rather than the three people we had this year. That should allow us to basically precede the two sets of zero cars on each stage and not have to go back for more lunches during the day. Hopefully, before then, we’ll have lots more fun with this amazing vehicle so like and subscribe, as they say.
After studying the schedule and the route it soon became apparent that this would be a lot more complicated than we thought. As we had to wait till workers were on course in order to feed them that limited when we could start each stage. We also had to get to the end of each stage before the 000 car caught us which meant getting to the end of the stage before their scheduled finish time. This wouldn’t leave much time to stop and distribute lunches along the route. Even more complicated is that the event runs two sets of zero cars that cover alternate stages. This meant that by the time we’d finished feeding one stage the 000 car for the next would already be on the stage. We either needed a time machine or a new plan. While our Cayenne is more than capable of going 88 mph, we decided to come up with a new plan instead. We decided to feed some of the stage crews ahead of time at their meeting points and to hit some of the stages that were run twice after their first run was completed. Even so this would not leave a great deal of time on some of the stages so we decided to make the Cayenne more conspicuous by adding an ice cream truck chime! Yes, we turned it into an ice cream truck and made as many people as possible aware so they’d know to expect us and we wouldn’t have to wait around too much. Not only was this extremely effective it also made many of the workers smile which was an unintended bonus.
https://youtu.be/GuTJE4uTgzE?si=W5D6wnA5afJCj01i
Another hurdle confronted us however, when we went to pick up the lunches first thing on Saturday morning. There were nearly 300 of them and they wouldn’t all fit in the vehicle; even if we dispensed with the occupants! A plan F was needed. (Yes, we were already at plan E). Looking at our schedule and negotiating with the folks who made all the lunches we decided we could swing by two more times during the day and reload more lunches, hopefully. That actually worked out and we got to feed everyone we were supposed to, got to drive quite a few of the stages and watch the rally at the spectator area of the iconic bonfire alley stage.
https://youtu.be/RfIfE3aM1u4?si=eqXwjwnPrZxkoeD_
https://youtu.be/tXvRevIMBW0?si=rtQHiygLjmdtH_vN
https://www.facebook.com/reel/754729666720682
Even though it all worked out the logistics of a stage rally are so complex that we might have just gotten lucky and we can’t say with any certainty that we could implement the same plan next or any year. We concluded that, assuming we are invited back, next year we’ll run two vehicles with two people in each one rather than the three people we had this year. That should allow us to basically precede the two sets of zero cars on each stage and not have to go back for more lunches during the day. Hopefully, before then, we’ll have lots more fun with this amazing vehicle so like and subscribe, as they say.