I've started a BABE 2012 team with a couple of friends from autocross and we are looking to have a truly epic time come June! I just thought I would post some info on here because I know some of you are crazy enough to try this! Please forgive me for pasting a prewritten invitation, but it describes things much better than I could. It'd be great to have another local team!
Greetings! Registration has just opened for the 2012 BABE Rally (that's BigApple2BigEasy, so put your tongues back in your mouths, boys) -- a 1,500 mile, 5-day road rally from New York to New Orleans in mechanically-challenged old cars driven by sanity-challenged teams. Cars must be at least 15 years old and cannot cost more than $500. Top prize for winning the rally is $750, but the bragging rights for even finishing are priceless. We have had many vehicle type's on the rally in the past several years, but would like to see more. Our hope is that we can get some good old-fashioned rivalry going between teams driving competing marques, sponsored by national and local car clubs representing them.
Participating in the 2012 BABE Rally is easy:
1. Register your club's team at
http://www.baberally.com and pay the registration fee.
2. Pick a charity or charities to support. (This is optional but highly recommended.)
3. Start searching for that perfect clunker, keeping in mind it has to be at least 15 years old and cannot cost more than $500.
4. Secure a few teammates, remembering you will be spending a lot of time with them during the rally in the car, in cramped hotel rooms, broken down by the side of the road and at endless tailgate-style parking-lot parties each night of the rally.
5. Make your car safe and road ready, paying special attention to the brakes. (As one BABE veteran often says, "A car that wont start is an annoyance. A car that won't stop is deadly.")
6. Block June 4-8, 2012 in your calendar.
For more information, visit
http://www.baberally.com and the excellent forum at forum.streetsafari.com.
Thanks for reading, and see you on the road!
As of today Team Reaper has it's chariot! I just finished paying for our 1978 Cadillac Fleetwood hearse. I found it on Craigslist for $1000 and got the guy talked down to $500.
It's close to a 10 hour drive to the car, but another BABE participant stepped up and drove a 3 hour round trip to go look at it for us ahead of time. He not only offered to do this for a total stranger, but took like 30+ pictures and well as video of the car starting and running! And I'm pretty sure he was there within 24 hours of contacting me that he was willing to do it. I'm loving the camaraderie of BABE already and I haven't even left my desk yet!
As seen in the pics below, it's a rust bucket, has a tire so flat it's off the rim, and the underside has obviously been around the block a time or two. Bonus points for already having spray painted flames and straight pipe exhaust! Apparently the car overheats so we'll have to look into that once we get it back here. We'll be sitting 3 wide across a bench seat for BABE?! Proper hygiene is going to be key!
Anyway on to the pics. I'm excited and probably rambling anyway
