Setting the stage for this event started a full 8 months ago. Johnson and Nakamoto met at the Rim of the World rally in southern California in May of 2004. She was present at this rally making a return to her roots of racing from childhood when the family was involved in desert racing. After their meeting Nakamoto finds out Johnson is on her Dad's list of 'approved' drivers that she could potentially ride with as a co-driver and her target was set. Get into the car with Johnson and do some rallying!
Johnson soon made very clear that it wasn't going to be a cakewalk and Nakamoto took on the challenge full bore. She arranged a event in Sacramento to support the team and bring Johnson out West to meet sponsors. The event and weekend were successful and Nakamoto had secured her seat in the car for a rally in the Eastern States Rally Championship down in South Carolina. Now it was time for her to figure out how to be co-driver.
Nakamoto arrived in NC with enough time to help with the packing and towing the CarolinaRS WRX down to the event in South Carolina. Before loading the car they practiced changing a tire in the shop in case they had a flat during the rally. Fortunately it didn't come into question on this rally.
The event started off smoothly with Johnson getting use to the car's handling in the sand and Nakamoto getting up to speed with her job of describing the upcoming corners with her notes. After they crossed the finish line of the rally's 2nd stage out of 7 both driver and co-driver were visibly excited about how much fun they were having. Having started in 10th place overall at the beginning of the event they had moved up to the lead of their class and 5th place overall already. After earning a victory while adjusting to his new car at a very slippery first outing in Michigan in October, Johnson was eager to get back out and find some confidence in the new car. He found the sandy roads of SC to be very likable and the predicted snow and precipitation was no where to be seen.
As Nakamoto found her rhythm to navigate the car from the passengers seat it gave Johnson the confidence to pick up the pace and they charged onwards in first place in class and up to third place overall by the end of Special Stage 4. They kept that standing for the remaining three stages of the event and completed the rally with a swift charge through the rally completion at the end of special stage 7. Johnson said "This rally was really good for us, we learned to work as a team and had a great result. Wendy was getting the notes figured out really quickly as a new co-driver and I got more time getting accustomed to the new car, it was a rally of learning for both of us."
Nakamoto made vast improvement reading the notes over the pair's first rally as a team and was a force causing the car to go faster and faster. At the next rally she expects to make good use of the Ridgecrest rally school she will attend in late February to take on other co-driver duties. As a side note: Johnson, not used to having a pink jacket and toilet paper in the rally car, found quickly that the opposite sex can be just as capable and passionate about going fast as the usual male contingent. Nakamoto added "This was a test event to see if Matthew and I could work together inside the car. I kept hearing from other people that things were going to be really fast but I didn't notice it. I just stayed focused on learning and getting my notes timed right and we got our job done this weekend."
With an estimated value of over $5K of borrowed equipment Johnson/Nakamoto were making the best of what they had. Using borrowed wheels and tires, helmet, intercom, camera equipment, car transport trailer, race fuel, watch, turbo restrictor, and without using a rally computer they are very fortunate to be supported by several close friends. After planning to compete on a set of borrowed tires with a large sidewall cut Johnson reconsidered (after recalling Nakamoto's jack usage on the practice tire change) and inquired about another set of used tires from a friend.
NOW, for what you've all been waiting for, here is the good stuff. Here are the companies and people who sponsored the CarolinaRS team to make this rally happen, interestingly enough all of them come from Sacramento, California. The premium level sponsor for this event was ICON Restaurant and Lounge in Sacramento, they have a super happening environment in which to consume a few cocktails and have some really tasty food! The associate sponsors are: Tim Goldthwaite at OK Tire (916)331-2751, why would you trust your tires to anyone else? Tim is your man. Robynn Paxton of Robynn Paxton Realty, specializing in the _entire_ Sacramento area, www.robynnpaxton.com/ Robynn Paxton has a realty solution for you! Manny Escobedo of Escobedo Electric (916)869-0061 also serving the entire Sacramento area, Manny will see to it the job is done right and to your satisfaction!
Next event: The next rally has not yet been scheduled, however the Ridgecrest Rally School in Southern California is the next stop for Nakamoto. Interestingly enough, Nakamoto must leave the rally school early in time to get to Beverly Hills to do hair for the Academy Awards! The team are planning a rally inspired party in Durham for early April, details will be forthcoming.