It’s been a week since the 2022 New England Forest Rally came to a finish. This year the organization was on point, the teams were ready, and fans came out in droves to watch men and, women wrestle their machines down some of the most challenging stages on the ARA calendar. 

Mike White and Geoff Clark of team RallyHo! Motorsports had a thrilling run. The duo took their eEuroparts.com sponsored SAAB 900 to its limits in an effort to score a podium position in their 2WD class. 

The last time we spoke with White, prior to the event, we went over the latest mods on his 1984 SAAB 900 rally car. You can read the full build update in our previous entry. Going into the first day, the car was working perfectly. Every adjustment that Mike, Geoff, and their team of weekend-warrior engineers made prior to the race has proven to be effective, making the car better suited for this event.

“We didn’t have a single mechanical failure,” White said. “The cooling system worked great. All of the things that we’ve worked on and tweaked worked awesome. Turns out, the only loose screw was the one behind the wheel!” 

Team RallyHo! Motorsports’ SAAB 900 was tackling the stages with conviction during the first day. The newly adjusted suspension has made it more agreeable to the rough gravel terrain that spans most of the New England Forest Rally. 

The Motul RBF660 brake fluid supplied by eEuroparts.com has held its own as well. With plenty of trail braking and left foot brake input from the driver, Motul’s premium brake fluid had its work cut out. However, the RBF660, with its incredibly high boiling point, had zero issues sustaining the heat coming from the 4-pot front calipers. 

“Having the Motul RBF660 in there just kinda allows me to not worry about brakes,” White noted. 

Despite having more suspension travel and sitting higher off the ground, the eEuroparts SAAB 900 handled as predictably as ever. 

“The car didn’t feel any different than last year,” White noted. “It just felt like I wasn’t completely dragging the skidpan all the way through the woods for the entire event, which it has in the past.” 

Unfortunately for team RallyHo! Motorsports, the luck just wasn’t on their side this year. The duo was making good progress through the stages on the second day. Everything looked good until Azicohos, where the team went off the road “…100% due because of driver error,” says White. 

To make things worse, the SAAB 900 which was now stuck, partially dangling over a deep creek and couldn’t return to the road on its own power. 

“15 years ago the spectators would have run over in between cars, we would have lifted it up and out with human power, and put it back on the road. I would have continued 10 cars later,” White said. “When the sweep trucks got there, it took them 10 minutes to get set up and maybe 10 minutes to pull me out. But rally is a little different now and by that time we have eclipsed the maximum late time, and we were out.” 

Per ARA rules, the NEFR officials took White’s time card and without it, the team was officially out of the rally. Even so, White and Clark petitioned to finish the event even if it meant no points. 

And so that’s what they did!

The eEuroparts.com SAAB 900 went back to the service area where team RallyHo! Motorsports service crew patched up the damage and brought the car back to good (enough) working order. 

“We went back to service and patched everything up, and went back out,” White said. “We’ve missed 2 1/2 stages by that point, but we’ve finished the last 4 stages of the rally, and finishing this event is an accomplishment.”

Despite the unfortunate mishap, the team is already recovered and is planning their next challenge. The SAAB 900 is scheduled for a detailed inspection to see if there’s any unseen damage, but so far it doesn’t look like it took much of a hit.

Stay tuned for a more detailed account of this year’s New England Forest Rally from Mike White himself.