I really wasn't looking for excitement as I checked my e-mail one morning this past July. This time, excitement found me! Among the messages from the usual suspects and the endless flood of list-mail, I found a message with a very eye-catching subject header: "Volvos racing in Rumford."

It was from Christian Edstrom, a name that was new to me. He had come across my website and he wanted me to know that there was going to be an SCCA Pro Rally in Rumford, Maine practically in my backyard the very next weekend.

Christian, the co-driver for the Valencia Volvo R Sport team, told me he and the team would be there with a "very trick" Volvo racecar. He suggested I stop by if I was looking for something to do over the weekend. If I was really adventurous, they would take me on as an extra person on their service crew. That sounded like my idea of fun! With only three days until the rally, I made plans to weasel out of work so I could join them and do whatever I could to help them.

In the meantime, I went to Christian's website to learn a little more about the team and the car. Valencia Volvo is an independent racing enterprise headquartered in Valencia, California. 1999 was the third year the team has been racing the SCCA Pro Rally series in its present form. They have done quite well, despite a heartbreaking string of mechanical DNFs during the first few races of the 1999 season.

The Valencia Volvo R Sport rally car is a 242. Built with body parts from several different model years, the body is seam welded, lightened and strengthened as much as possible. It has a B230 EVO engine with MoTec engine management, a distributorless ignition system and a Group A 5-speed close-ratio dogbox transmission. With Bilsteins all around and lights from Bosch and Hella, it certainly sounded ready for the torture of Pro Rally.

There are three people on the Valencia Volvo team. Bill Malik, the driver, is originally from Kenya and has raced successfully in Africa, Europe and the Americas. He is also the owner of an independent Volvo shop in Santa Clarita, California. Christian, the co-driver, was born in Sweden and now lives in California. 1999 was his second season as an SCCA Pro Rally national level co-driver. He came in second overall in co-driver points for 1998. Claes Sjostrom, the crew chief, is also a native of Sweden. According to the website, Claes has built both Swedish and European championship rally cars as well as touring cars. He has built the Valencia Volvo into an SCCA Pro Rally winner.

Friday, July 30, the first day of the rally, was hot as a header pipe. As I drove through Rumford towards the Madison Hotel a couple of miles west of town, I began to see a few brightly colored rally cars heading into town and pulling out into traffic. I was hoping to be able to find the Valencia Volvo team without too much trouble.

Sure enough, at a quick-stop shop a little west of town, there they were. The car was just like in the pictures, only large as life and even more beautiful than I had imagined it. With its bright primary colors splashed over gleaming white paint, the rally tires on the sharp looking Compomotive wheels and the Euro nose, it was absolutely stunning.

I greeted Christian, and he introduced me to the rest of the team. After Claes stocked the cooler in the service truck with ice and provisions, I followed them back to the Madison. The place was buzzing with activity. All the cars gathered here after scrutineering (tech inspection) to await the 2 p.m. Parc Expose.

There were more than 80 cars in all, including a number of cars entered in the SCCA Club Rally that was to be held on Saturday. There were quite a few marques, mostly European and Asian, all numbered and emblazoned with the names of their sponsors. I parked my car where it would be out of the way and seized the chance to go around and check out some of the other cars.

Rally cars differ from other types of racecars in a number of ways. They must be able to take an incredible amount of abuse being driven at high speeds over one and two lane gravel roads. They need skid plates to protect vital components and rally computers so the co-driver can accurately read the route book. This is critical at 100 mph on unfamiliar twisty gravel roads.

Because the stages are generally held in the back country, the racecars must be driven on public roads in between the stages. This requires that the cars be registered and legal to drive on public highways. The drivers must obey all traffic laws and can be given point penalties for speeding on transits.

Ours was the only Volvo in the National Pro Rally, but it was not the only Volvo there. There was a nice-looking 1970 142S from West Virginia, owned and built by Nick Polemeni. He had entered it in the Club Rally. They were parked nearby, so I hopped over there to meet the other Volvo folks, first thing.

Nick's father Ron greeted me. He explained that this was Nick's project, built in Ron's shop in Capon Bridge, West Virginia. The car looked good, almost stock at first glance, with what appeared to be Midnight Blue paint. Nick had put a later model nose on it for better airflow and he said he had repaired a good bit of rust.

The car had 155K miles on it and the motor was a bone stock B20 with SU carbs. He was running 15" 10-spoke Volvo alloy rims and both front wheels had sensors for the Terratrip 303 Plus computer. Nick explained to me that this was in case one sensor went out and for separate calibrations on account of wheel slippage. It was all pretty impressive and I just loved seeing a car put together entirely by young people (Nick and his co-driver had not yet reached their 20th year).

Nick's co-driver was Bryan Saville, and this was their first race. Unfortunately, things didn't go well for them. They rolled it when they went off the road early in Saturday's race and the car was totaled. That hasn't stopped Nick, though. In a recent conversation, he told me he was building a new car. It is a 1971 142E and he hopes to have it ready to go for next season.

We made ready for the first stage shortly before the Parc Expose, where the cars are parked in an area downtown for a public viewing. I rode in the service truck, a comfortable new Ford with full crew cab. All the available space under the cap was filled with everything we could conceivably need to care for the car.

There were 12 stages in the rally. The first was a transit stage, where the cars all travel on public roads to the starting point for the next gravel stage. It was really exciting to watch the cars as they slid into the first corner of the first stage.

I stood with Claes and his friend George Plsek, sweltering as the cars roared by in a cloud of dust. Just up the road, fans shook cowbells as the cars flew over a wooden bridge barely wider than the wheel tracks and quickly disappeared into the woods. We watched until Claes said we had best get moving. We had to get to the next service before the car did, no matter what.

The first service went well. Our car was in and out on time, but George's team's Audi Quattro suffered a head gasket problem and was out of the running. It's clear that with the kind of abuse rally cars take, only the tough ones make it to finish. I was pleased to see a 240 out there showing the world what a good old Volvo can do.

It was also becoming increasingly clear that David (Hueppchen, that is, a former rally driver himself) had been right. He told me not to go with the service crew if I wanted to see much of the race. He said that services could be held in places as mundane as a K-mart parking lot. I was, of course, undeterred. I went as crew gladly, hoping to learn more about rallying and happy to be part of the team.

As it happens, I did spend a lot of time riding with Claes. Fortunately, this was a Maine rally and all the services were held in pleasant, unpaved areas. Our rides were scenic and the cool of the truck's air conditioner was a real advantage in the muggy July heat. The roads we traveled were familiar to me, though it had been ages since I had been over some of them.

Being a spectator at a rally can be challenging, too. There is no grandstand and you have to find a place where you can safely see the cars as they speed past often many miles out in the woods. You then have to move on to the next stage.

There is little or no crowd control and spectators need to be responsible for their own safety, choosing safe places to watch the race. Often stages have been held up because of concerns about spectators and safety. I was astounded to see people taking ridiculous chances crossing the road as a rally car approached.

We spent a good while hiking into the woods to see a night stage that was canceled due to the choking dust. The drivers couldn't see, even with a one-minute wait between them. Rallying is dangerous enough when you can see where you're going, so they transited out of the woods and headed for home.

Saturday's first stage started at 9:30 with a transit to the Lake Parmachenee area for two morning stages. Lunch was in Oquossoc, with a little time for the team to rest. Happily, our services were all routine: Fuel, fresh tires and plenty of ice water for Bill and Christian. It was more than a little warm for race suits and Nomex underwear.

After lunch, George came around in a rented car and took us out to see the cars run the stages. It took a long time to get out there and the dust was unbelievably thick. This little adventure too was cut short so we could get back to the service area before our car got there. It was disappointing, because all we ever saw was miles of dusty gravel roads.

Back at the service area, we made ready for the car to arrive. Some teams had tarmac tires for the last transit and the in-town stage. Claes chose some of the worn rally tires that were best for the pavement. When Bill and Christian pulled in, we greeted them with more cold drinks and went over the car to make sure everything was still in order.

The windows were cleaned and I dusted the cockpit out a bit so that the car would look sharp when it was parked in town for public viewing. Once most of the mud was off and tires were changed, it was time to head for Rumford and the final in-town stage. This stage is run around the Mead paper mill and is surprisingly challenging for the drivers. The spectators loved it as the cars came roaring around the final corners and across the finish line right downtown.

After the final stage, we stood by the car and were visited by a number of fans that were delighted to see the Volvo up close. Some of the spectators expressed their amazement at seeing a 240 as a rally car. It's not what people expect from a Volvo, but this is not your average Volvo, either. In fact, this one is pretty special.

The day ended with an awards dinner put on at a local hall. Bill and Christian had done very well in the Mane Forest Rally, the largest SCCA Pro Rally ever. They took 1st place in Group 2 and 6th place overall. Not too shabby!

When the evening was drawing to a close, I had one last request. I needed a lift back to the Madison to get my GT so I could head for home. Now that the race was done, I wanted Bill to give me a ride back in the rally car. Of course, he was happy to oblige. I climbed into Christian's seat and we hit the road.

I was entranced by the incredible sound of the EVO motor and the dogbox tranny. Everything about this car was so very different from my street 242 GT. It seemed like they were only distant cousins. Back at the hotel, we stood around the car and visited with some of the other rally folks.

We talked of cars and of future rallies Ojibwe was only two weeks away. Somebody said they expected me to have my own car for next year's Maine Forest Rally. Now, there's an adventurous idea! I still think I need a shop to build it in before I make plans to be rallying on my own. And a crew, and maybe a driver Well, maybe a driver.

I was exhausted from the weekend, with all the dust and heat, so I declined the invitation to party on at the Madison with some of the good people I met at the rally. I got in my car to head for home, glad that I live where I can practice my back road driving skills every day of the year.

As I drove my own 240 home on my own gravel road, my mind wandered back over all I'd seen. I had had a fabulous time! It was hard not to dream of someday driving a rally car. I rounded the first turn on the stage I drive every day and over the little wooden bridge with no rails, and I realized that the rally bug had bitten me. Life in the Maine forest will never be the same for me.

See you guys next year!

More about the Valencia Volvo R-Sport