Last weekend was Barefoot Racing’s first encounter with the 100 Acre Wood Rally centered around Salem, MO, in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. Due to our second place finish in the central region championship last year we were invited to the 100 Acre Wood Rally to compete against the top teams from the other two regions for the Regional Rally Cup. Therefore, Barefoot Racing wanted to come prepared and ready to push for the top spot. This is not how we usually do things, this is how it went…
We nearly lost the rally countless times before we even crossed into the state of Missouri. The broken suspension from Sno*Drift never really got fixed, just recharged, and arrived at our shop at 3pm Wednesday afternoon accompanied by excuses of Chinese New Year. We needed to leave the shop early Thursday morning in order to make the tow to Missouri in a timely fashion, so this did not leave much time to get the new suspension and fancy new Bermeister camber plates installed. Around 11pm everything was installed and seemed to be alright except for positive camber and terrible toe out on both front wheels. Thursday morning we scrambled to fix the camber issues and alignment but were only able to get a bit of negative camber out of the driver’s side and almost, but not quite, neutral camber from the navi’s side. Alignment came out alright but we figured we would have plenty of time Friday morning to mess with it or get it into a shop in Missouri.
Thursday at 9:30 AM Matt Stoffle and I departed Clintonville, Wisconsin, hoping to arrive in Salem early enough to register and possibly get through tech. The first 45 minutes went well. Then I got pulled over for going 43mph in a 30 zone. I disagree with the Fon Du Lac police officer, but who am I to voice my opinion when $83.80 will reconcile the issue. So we pushed on. As we entered Illinois and toll booth country, we realized we had no cash. No cash at a toll booth means you get another pink ticket requesting $2.85 at your leisure. Stoffle brings up the idea, “how many pink tickets do you think we can get on this trip?” I figure there is only one way to find out, so we pushed on and got the finger from every car that was stuck behind us at the toll booth.
About 6 hours into the drive and somewhere in the middle of Illinois, we need gas and I need to stop driving. Stoffle takes the wheel and a half an hour later going 75mph down the highway we here a loud ‘POP’ and a straight piped snowmobile start up under the hood. Holly Crap! We pulled over to the side of the highway and open the hood, no snowmobile but the number 7 sparkplug blew out of the head. Brian Holder soon pulls up to give much needed assistance. The three of us spent an hour or more trying to thread the plug back in, but to no avail. Lincoln, IL, was only a few miles back so we figured we would drive back and try and find a shop or parts store to help with the situation. However, the sound of the engine was atrocious and soon we were parked along the highway again phoning AAA for a tow truck. Poor choice. We called at 5:30pm only to have a truck arrive at 8:15pm after being pulled over for speeding. He then informs us that it will be another $140 to tow the trailer back with the broken truck because AAA does not cover trailers. We opt against the cop’s recommendation “NOT to leave a perfectly good trailer and race car along this stretch of highway” we had received only 2 hours earlier and get towed the massive 2.5 miles into Lincoln. If we had known it was that short of a distance we would have driven! The bill was pink…
Now in Lincoln with a broken truck and a race car on the highway, we realize all the shops and parts stores are closed. We begin calling truck rental services, closed. This is when I begin to freak out a bit. After a short fit scaring all the locals at the KFC/Taco Bell, we decide to drive the broken truck the rest of the way, what harm could it do? We walk the half mile back to the truck only to find the battery is dead, why not? Not worried a Walmart was only another half mile up the road.
At 10:30pm Thursday evening we climb back into the Ford F150 Off Road 4X4 Snowmobille and head back to the highway in hopes that our race car is still there. 11pm we are south bound on I-55 toward St Louis.
We arrive in Viburnum, Missouri, at our hotel at 3:15am Friday Morning. Great only 5 ½ hours until tech! Then Matt Wappler, co-driver, pulled in around 4am with White Knuckle Photography’s Eric Iverson and Scott.
After a nice 3 hours nap we were off to Salem for registration and tech. No time for an alignment now, maybe at the first service.
Everything went rather smooth and we were off to the first stage of the 2007 100 Acre Wood Rally on schedule in early afternoon. The first stage went pretty well aside from a large chunk out of the front wheel and tire. The roads were real fast and the car was handling quite poorly but nothing far from the normal. Stage 2 was similar.
Stage 3 began well and it felt like we were picking up some speed. Then a left 5 or 6 took me by surprise and sent us ‘pin balling’ down the road out of control. After a few bank encounters and a near end to end roll we straightened out back on the road. The car rotated real easy and often unanticipated which made the rest of the stage very interesting. Not long after the incident Matt and Andy Bushore passed us on stage which was a new experience and rather interesting as they were flying and taking corners like we would have like to be. At the end of the stage, Wapp and I got out to assess the damage and replace the one blown tire for the trip back to the first service. The rear axle was bent real well. I began to think our rally was finally over after all the crap we put up with just to make it to Missouri.
Once back to service, I began to run from VW team to VW team in hopes that someone brought a spare. Low and behold Miles Bothee from car 770 had one he was willing to part with! Wapp, Stoffle, and I went nuts on our car pulling out the old and replacing it with Miles’s and we left the service only 4 minutes late! A huge thanks to Matt Stoffle and Milles here. Our hope of a decent finish in Friday’s regional was gone and we drove the rest of the day to finish. In the end we finished 5th in the regional, quite a feat with the circumstances.
Saturday started out like Friday had left off. We broke the driver’s side CV joint in the incident and it needed to be replaced. Bushore’s were willing to lend us a joint but we were not sure if we could get it in. Then Miles showed up with a complete half shaft, wohoo! Stoffle spent the next hour in the pouring rain at park expose installing the new half shaft. Another, big thanks to Matt Stoffle, here!
With only a few minutes to spare we were off to the first stage of day two. Stages went about as good as Friday. We were off the pace and unable to push hard enough with the camber issues and now the wrong tires. No accidents or excitement to speak of until the very last stage. We were sucked into the loose shoulder of a left 5 and went agricultural for a quick second. We did not think much of it but at the finish we noticed the rear wheel was not pointing how we would have liked. Rear axle number two down!
Saturday was not very exciting but we were able to snag 2nd place in the regional by the end. As for the Regional Rally Cup, we came out 2nd behind Matt and Andy Bushore! We were very pleased with this finish but feel bad that it is only due to a brain fart from Brian Dondlinger who forgot to gas up on day two.
So, our first 100 Acre Wood experience was not optimal but helped us to realize how much more preparation we need to be doing to the car and truck before event. It has taught us that we NEED to start bringing spares. And, it has motivated me to begin the build on our new 1988 VW Golf RC. Finally, we can collect three pink slips on the way to Missouri…
I need to thank, Matt Wappler, for taking off of work and making the long drive to Missouri only to ride along with my sorry self. Matt Stoffle for keeping his and my spirits up through out the rally, not complaining about the weather he had to roll around in all Saturday, fixing the rally car, twice, and fixing the truck! Amazing. Thanks to Miles Bothee for the use of your spare rear axle and front half shaft, you saved our event! Thanks to everyone who helped Stoffle with the truck, I heard a little about but not the specifics. Thanks to Brian Holder for stopping on the highway, for working the event, and it looked like you were towing Dondlinger’s car back when you passed us on the way home… Thanks to Doug at DavenportRacingUSA.com for all his help tying to get our suspension fixed on time. Thanks to Paul, Dick, and Dave at the Keweenaw Brewing Company for their support. Thanks to Cole and the Steinke’s for their continual help and use of their shop. And finally, thanks to Eric Iverson for the pictures you see here on the website. As one can see, it takes the help of a lot of people to keep Barefoot Racing going and I’m sure there are lots more I forgot and I apologize.
Congratulations to the Bushore brothers for one of the best events I have ever see them have! Also, to Miles for a very impressive drive.

~Paul Koll