Joyridin'
I can deal with cold for an hour or two. But the Starlight Rally was run the second weekend in December from Santa Barbara to Las Vegas and it was over 12 hours long. Some years it was 14! After a few hours at speed, the very best ski clothes and gloves are no longer effective for the wind curling over the windshield and hitting you in the back. The wind stream blowing in under the standard wind wings hits your left hand and your face and gets very uncomfortable. It averages about 30 degrees across the desert, but gets much colder as you go over the mountain passes. The heater is very nice at low speeds, but above 50 mph, (with stock wind wings) you can barely feel it any more. To me, at the time, it was a test of endurance and I was determined to beat the cold and the 150 other teams in comfortable cars. After 6 years of trying and suffering tremendously, we drove my Nissan Altima in 1998 and won.
In the year 2000, for the last Starlight Rally, I bought a hardtop from Ron Butler and ran the Cobra with the Equinox Rally Team (I will post a picture from that event). It was a good thing that we had the top, because it rained for most of the rally. We made a couple of mistakes and finished in 7th or 8th place. However, the Cobra team has won many rallies since then, including the 2013 Stardust event. I have learned that it is just too hard to concentrate on the timing and navigation when you are uncomfortable.
We are working towards our next big event on September 26 called the "Midnight Run". It will be 9 hours of magnificent roads and I heard a rumor that we may see a Sequoia tree or two. You can read all about it here: ITNrally.org. Of course, we plan to run topless if at all possible. If you want to have the most fun possible with your Cobra, you should join us.
RS
