This past weekend was an absolute blast as the Induction Noise Racing Team took on our very first Rallycross event, and wow what an experience! Massive shoutout to Gerard from Rallycross Killarney in partnership with Junaid from Raceweb for putting together the perfect event that gave two of our Induction Noise fleet cars a proper stage to shine.
We brought out two of our crowd favorites:
- The budget-built Toyota Supra, back for its first event since Simola, now running at full power.
- The Rally Monster RAV4, fitted with a Celica GT-Four drivetrain, and as mad as ever.
Supra vs RAV4 – Tarmac Face-Off
The Supra was entered into the Tarmac Attack, which runs exclusively on asphalt, since that DIY side pipe I fabbed up with zero welding talent hangs a bit too low for dirt and well it’s not made for dirt at all! Meanwhile, Andre, not reading the entry rules properly, managed to enter the RAV4 in both Tarmac and Rallycross, meaning we’d have a Supra vs RAV showdown, followed by the RAV doing double duty in the dirt.
We kicked off with a quick time attack, which didn’t quite go as planned. You see, the new brake setup I installed on the Supra hadn’t seen much testing Simola was all about momentum, not tight braking zones. On Killarney’s short track, the usual Turn 3 is followed by a sharp right into Turn 1. I carried too much speed and locked up hard lesson learned!
Andre, on the other hand, was initially like a deer in headlights but once he found the start line, he was flying. The RAV was wearing sticky Bridgestone semi-slicks, and thanks to a solid service beforehand, he was absolutely going for it.
Heat 1 – The Showdown Begins
The first heat kicked off and surprise! the Supra and RAV were lined up next to each other. Time to settle the score between the two Yamaha-powered beasts.
3, 2, 1… wait, is that light still red? Too late Andre freight-trained past all of us. I took the outside line and decided to ease into Heat 1. Andre, meanwhile, took the Rallycross dirt line (oops) and ended up falling to the back.
By Lap 2, I started finding my rhythm but taking it easy since it was the first heat of the day until I saw the RAV crawling up my rear bumper. Game on. I threw everything I had into defending: late braking, tight lines, blocking the inside. But on the final lap, the RAV’s brute power shone through and Andre overtook me on the main straight.
Result: 2nd for the RAV, 3rd for the Supra. Heat 1: Complete.
Rallycross Mayhem – RAV4 Goes Full Send
Andre was up next for his first Rallycross race, and the commentators joked they hoped he had the right GPS this time. He delivered a cracking performance aside from nearly getting rear-ended by Steve Humble, who was blinded by the custom high-level brake light we slapped on the night before (since the stock RAV lights weren’t working).
Despite that close call, Andre was hanging the rear out and having an absolute jol in the dirt.
Heat 2 – The Comeback (Almost)
Heat 2 of the Tarmac Attack arrived, and this time I was not letting Andre have it easy. Hard launch, aggressive lines I was keeping him at bay while chasing down an E46 BMW ahead.
But again, the RAV’s torque advantage was undeniable. I was holding on to third place, but disaster struck on the final lap.
The Supra went into limp mode. I hadn’t noticed the oil pressure drop at the time, but the car was overheating and spewing coolant in the pits. After removing the thermostat and re-bleeding the system, we saw smoke around the turbos thankfully just a heat-wrapped line cooking a bit too much.
I gave it a rev… and my heart sank. Knock knock. Possibly a bearing. Possibly oil slosh. Possibly just too much heat. My guess? That unprotected line next to the turbos cooked the oil too much. So now, next on the list for the Supra: intercooler, oil cooler, serious heat management, and fingers crossed the engine’s okay.
The Bonnet Incident – RAV4’s Viral Moment
Meanwhile, Andre forgot one tiny detail: the bonnet pins. Mid-race, the RAV’s bonnet flung up and smashed the windshield. (Yes, we have the GoPro footage it’s coming!) But Andre, being Andre, just kept going with the bonnet fully up! Even crazier: no one flagged him. Absolute chaos.
Later, we noticed oil under the RAV and assumed the worst. Turns out, we had overfilled the oil due to a misread dipstick while the car was on jack stands. Pro tip: never assume. As they say “assume” makes an ass out of u and me.
Draining oil on this RAV is no joke either, thanks to the massive underbody skid plate. Live and learn.
ROWE Goodies, High Spirits & Looking Ahead
Despite the mechanical hiccups, we ended the day by handing out ROWE Oil goodies to the crowd, sharing the love for the championship-winning oil we use on all our cars. Remember: if you don’t use it like us, you might just win something!
This was easily one of the most fun events we’ve attended up there with Rally Sprint and 24 Hours of Lemons—and we’ll absolutely be back for the next Raceweb Rallycross event. Expect to see Induction Noise there, with more cars, more chaos, and more ROWE-fueled madness.
Coming Soon: Watch All the Action on Our YouTube Channel
Make sure you’re subscribed to Induction Noise on YouTube to catch the full weekend’s action, onboard GoPros, bonnet smash chaos, and that unfortunate limp mode heartbreak. And if you want to support the team, check out our official ROWE Oils store the only oil we trust in our race cars.