[Telly9987]

Has anyone done any of the exotics rally's? Im curious to sign up for some as Ive heard very mixed reviews.

Pro's:
-Some events are truly top notch experiences with 5* meals and accommodations
-Fun
- Great cars and people

Con's:
-Heavily ding you car up due to close quarters driving and super trophio/ race tires on the street
-Hot spot for police issues

Im intrigued on the following rallies that ive found:

Gold Rush Rally
Hyper Rally
NU Rally
Corsa Rally

If anyone has participated please let me know as Im very interested. If you know of any rallies not listed please mention!

[jonahk]

I've got about 15K of rally miles in my F87 over the last two years, happy to share my perspective.

TL;DR - If you are a car fanatic at all, its worth trying at least one. They are basically rolling car shows with some pretty awesome people and even more awesome cars.

I've been part of a media team covering Crown Rally (crownrally.com) and I'm incredibly biased towards that one in particular. The cost of entry is low enough that it's still a great value and allows for a broader range of participants and vehicles.

Your pros are spot on, I'll add few things:
- Amazing roads, depending the rally. Crown prides itself as being a "drivers" rally vs a "highway bomb and evade the law" type of affair
- After-hours events, ranging from clubs/dinners to hanging around in a parking garage chatting with fellow enthusiasts until 4am depending on what you are into. The banter and antics in the garage last year were almost as fun as driving IMHO.
- Solid friendships
- A sense of community/camaraderie that only comes from working together as a group to make sure everyone makes it to the finish line
- Fantastic group of people from all walks of life, age, and experience and enough of a crowd that you'll definitely find a group you "click" with.

Yes your car might get ding'd up from sand/rocks/debris. Just don't follow so close. I was in a car shooting video so I was generally a lot closer to the other drivers than you would be, and my PPF did wonders. I did go through two windshields last year (but that was mostly from the roads out west). Lots of windshields and some busted lower splitters maybe a cracked headlight or two, but all easily mitigated if you're careful.

There were plenty of guys running R888's even in the rain. kinda sketch but no one crashed. I ran Cup2s for my first rally out to Tail of the Dragon, switched to PS4Ss for the remainder of 2019 and all of 2020

As far as the police go, Crown maintains a Zello chat channel so we can all communicate with each other. Usually the lead group will kick the hornet's nest and then everyone else who comes through the county will get additional scrutiny. There are a bunch of ways to mitigate this:
- Don't speed through small towns
- Don't pass on double yellows (this is what makes people call)
- If you do get pulled over, don't be an asshat
- Get a good radar detector

I went to dinner with the Gold Rush teams when they came through town in 2019. It's a very different group based on the price of entry. The same company I work for has also shot Corsa and Savage rallies. I'd say each have their own personality.

[KevinGS]

Thanks, Jonah, for all the insight. I think I may try one of these myself in 2022. I've done small one-day rally's, but never of the overnight ones.

[jonahk]

Originally Posted by KevinGS

Thanks, Jonah, for all the insight. I think I may try one of these myself in 2022. I've done small one-day rally's, but never of the overnight ones.

You bet. I still have dreams about some of the roads we've driven. One of the routes in the mountains last year out west was a borderline spiritual experience, and doing Blue Ridge Parkway in pea soup fog in October was an experience I'll never be able to replicate.

Plus, it gives you a chance to really stretch your car's legs and drive it the way it was meant to be driven.

I have tons of stories if you want any more details

[KevinGS]

Originally Posted by jonahk

You bet. I still have dreams about some of the roads we've driven. One of the routes in the mountains last year out west was a borderline spiritual experience, and doing Blue Ridge Parkway in pea soup fog in October was an experience I'll never be able to replicate.

Plus, it gives you a chance to really stretch your car's legs and drive it the way it was meant to be driven.

I have tons of stories if you want any more details

wow, thanks for the insight.

I do want more stories, and have more questions, so I'll PM you, Jonah. Thanks again.

For me, it's all about the driving experience with my cars, and I have done the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Tail and many of the best driving roads along the East Coast and in Cali...but doing with them with a group of other car enthusiasts would indeed be surreal. And I would love to drive west and do some of them in the midwest and in other regions, with fellow car people. Sign me up! I will put into the budget for 2022.

[jonahk]

Originally Posted by KevinGS

wow, thanks for the insight.

I do want more stories, and have more questions, so I'll PM you, Jonah. Thanks again.

For me, it's all about the driving experience with my cars, and I have done the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Tail and many of the best driving roads along the East Coast and in Cali...but doing with them with a group of other car enthusiasts would indeed be surreal. And I would love to drive west and do some of them in the midwest and in other regions, with fellow car people. Sign me up! I will put into the budget for 2022.

In the mean time, follow Crown Rally on IG: https://www.instagram.com/crownrally/

West kicks off in Denver on Thursday so the stories are full of cars arriving and teams getting ready. The wraps and liveries are above and beyond anything I've ever seen before.

[KevinGS]

Originally Posted by jonahk

In the mean time, follow Crown Rally on IG: https://www.instagram.com/crownrally/

West kicks off in Denver on Thursday so the stories are full of cars arriving and teams getting ready. The wraps and liveries are above and beyond anything I've ever seen before.

Thanks, following them now. And OMG is the October Rally calling my name, JK. From Chicago to the Tail. Wooohoooo! Sounds perfect to me.

I'm starting to think "less mods, more driving"!

[jonahk]

Originally Posted by KevinGS

Thanks, following them now. And OMG is the October Rally calling my name, JK. From Chicago to the Tail. Wooohoooo! Sounds perfect to me.

I'm starting to think "less mods, more driving"!

In 2019 that South rally started out with shutting down millennium park and getting a police escort to drive 100mph+ down lakeshore drive.

2020 there wasn't a a public launch but the police still shut down the freeways to get us a clear exit out of town:

[KevinGS]

Originally Posted by jonahk

In 2019 that South rally started out with shutting down millennium park and getting a police escort to drive 100mph+ down lakeshore drive.

2020 there wasn't a a public launch but the police still shut down the freeways to get us a clear exit out of town:

I think I'm signing up, Jonah. This may be serendipity since I haven't even had a vacation yet this real since work has been crazy. And this summer will be tough as well for a meaningful vacation. So maybe this fall in October is perfect.

[Telly9987]

JonahK. Thanks so much! Im going to look into the Crown BUT I think it starts inn 3 days and probably not going to make that one....


Anyone else?