Boy does this thread bring back some memories! I drove the Arntz on five Starlite Rallys, without a top. The rally took a little over 12 hours, starting in Santa Barbara and ending in Las Vegas the second week of December. We competed in Regular Class with the Equinox Team and the temperatures in the mountains was often in the teens. I gave up going topless in 1997 when I thought I was seriously going to die. We made it to the end, but even with the very best ski clothes, it was living hell. After that, I ran with the hardtop on.
The crazy thing is, I am planning to do it again (topless) in 2009. I have discovered and bought WarmGear electric jackets for our team. These things are fantastic! You can plug them into a cigarette lighter or wire them directly to the battery, like I did. We have run them on short rallies with temps in the 30's and you just dial the thermostat to a temperture you are comfortable with. You can run the jacket without a thermostat, but they get way too hot. With a thick ski cap and gloves, you can stay perfectly comfortable. On one rally last year, we got into some heavy rain. The jackets keep us warm, but the raindrops in the eyes was pretty tough to take. Any speed over 50 was fine because the water goes over your head. It was the twisty canyon roads that slowed us down. I took a lot of them in complete slides trying to keep the rain off our faces. It was such a blast!
Our next rally is March 28 starting in Fallbrook (California). If you want to make memories that will last the rest of your life, bring your Cobra out to run with us.
http://itnrally.org
Rallysnake