Dear CRS members,

THANK YOU. I am honored to be selected as the CRS Director for the remainder of 2021. I look forward to seeing you at an event when it is safe to do so.

THE CRS SEASON. The realities of the pandemic have forced the CRS to merge the 2020 and 2021 seasons into a single championship. In truth, 2020 is going to be a rare "18-month year" now hiding under the "2021" label on the calendar. Fortunately there is a reassuring light ahead of us. Already rallies are happening around the country including in our own CRS world. Check out http://www.californiarallyseries.com/ for details.

UPCOMING RALLY SCHOOL. In the meantime, the CRS is preparing for our upcoming rally school. Our first school was held back in 1997, and for a short while we had two or three a year, so we have lots of experience helping people get involved in our sport.

VIRTUAL THIS YEAR. However, unlike in years past, this year's school will be a purely virtual event. We are working really hard to provide you with a wealth of knowledge. Whether you are a newcomer interested strictly in rallycross or stage rally, or you're an experienced competitor, or one of our many wonderful volunteers or organizers, I believe you will find the material to be of value to you.

CHEAPER FOR YOU! The added advantage of a virtual learning environment is that we are able to dramatically cut your costs of attending the school--not only the entry fee but also travel expenses and time.

EXPERIENCED INSTRUCTORS FOR ALL LEVELS. Our virtual training session will be taught by a variety of talented and experienced rally folks, eager and willing to share their expertise. Even if you have stage rally or rallycross experience, we believe that you will take home some useful information to improve your performance at your next competitive event.

INVITE OTHERS. Please encourage others to participate, to share our passion for the sport. Let's make this year's school--driven to Zoom by the trauma of the pandemic--a positive experience and bring in new participants and new friends.

IT'S ALL THANKS TO YOU. The CRS has been successful for over 45 years because of you, the membership. We have a tradition from the very founding of the organization of helping one another, oflending our support to the events. Support is not just competing, but volunteering and organizing a well. If any of you wish to lend a hand, reach out to me or to your local organizers. Together, we can make the best of events possible for everyone.

IN CLOSING. Thank you for your vote of confidence, for allowing me to intrude into your inbox, and most importantly, for your support of the California Rally Series. I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Rally on!

John Dillon
CRS Director

The California Rally Series is dedicated to helping new drivers and co-drivers get into this fantastic sport. Since 1997, the CRS has run a local rally school in Southern California where we combine classroom sessions with in-car training over the course of a weekend. Like many events during the pandemic, for 2021 we’re bringing our school online. While we’re disappointed to have to miss the in-person training, we’re excited to offer a program that will be accessible to more people for a lower cost than our usual training. We have reformatted our content to appeal to people who might be curious about how to get in to rally or rallycross, as well as experienced drivers and co-drivers who want to pick up some tips on how to improve their performance.

This year’s school will consist of six sessions held on consecutive Tuesdays evenings beginning March 2nd using Zoom as a virtual classroom. Classes will begin at 6pm Pacific Time and last for two to two and a half hours. Each session will feature two or three separate presentations, with plenty of time in between for question and answer sessions where students can interact with our experienced instructors.

Students may register at any time during the six week period, although it is recommended to start before the first session to get the most out of the learning experience. Instructors include regional and national level championship drivers and co-drivers.

Topics include:

• How to get started in stage rally and rallycross
• Basic and advanced rally driving techniques
• How to prepare a car for stage rally (including what to look for when buying a prepared rally car)
• Understanding controls and timing
• Rally navigation from tulips to stage notes
• Recce and writing your own notes
• Advanced co-driving
• Rally team management

ONLINE ENTRY AVAILABLE HERE
Cost is $30 for CRS Members and $60 for non-members (which includes CRS membership, a $30 value for the 2020-21 season)

We look forward to returning to our usual in-person (and in-car) training in 2022.

Preliminary Schedule of Events