|
Noah Third
Title: Driver
Occupation: Metallurgical Engineer, PCC Structurals, Portland, Oregon
Home: Portland, Oregon
Interests: Cycling, hiking, mountaineering, kayaking, skiing.
Race Philosophy: Go fast. Win.
Jason Lane
 Title: Co-driver
Occupation: Electrician, Ainsworth, Inc.
Home: Burnaby, British Columbia
Interests: Cycling, hiking, camping, snowboarding, water-skiing
Race Philosophy: Go fast. Don't crash. Have fun
HISTORICAL NOTES:
From humble beginnings to the almost equally humble present.
Noah came into rallysport having successfully competed in cycling, on road, off-road and in cyclo-cross events. Attending university put a serious crimp in the time available for training, but when he discovered a sports car club on campus, a whole new world of competition opened.
He and Jason met when both were students working part-time at a local sporting goods store, Carleton Recreation Sports Equipment. Jason was also a cyclist and was interested in speed sports as well as outdoor recreational activities.
“Are you good at math?” Noah asked one day.
“No, not really,” Jason answered.
“Okay…. do you get sick reading in a car?”
“No.”
“Alright. You'll do. You want to co-drive?”
There was more talking after that, but, basically, Third-Lane Motorsports was on the start line.
In December, l993 Jason and Noah entered their first rally, a 400 mile asphalt TSD (Time/Speed/Distance) event that ran through BC's Fraser Valley. A month later they entered a second TSD, the Thunderbird Rally, a 500 mile winter rally in the BC Interior, from Merritt to Kamloops and back. The team took First Place in the Novice category. That was it, they were hooked but their goal was to compete in performance events and for that they would need a specially prepared racecar.
In 1995 they bought a daffodil yellow 1975 VW Rabbit shell complete with roll cage, from a rallist in Eugene, Oregon. They towed the car from Eugene to Vancouver behind the Third family's station wagon and deposited it in a garage lent to them by their employer. The electrical apprentice and the engineering student taught themselves many skills over the next year as the VW Rabbit was prepared for racing.
In April, l996, the team entered their first performance event, a rally sprint on Vancouver Island. Noah rolled the car, however, they managed to right the car and finish the event to place 4th. A rather precarious beginning, but over the next 3 years, Third-Lane Motorsports went on to compete in performance events throughout Washington and Oregon. In 1998 Noah was the First Place Driver in the US National ClubRally Championships, Jason was the Second Place Co-Driver. In l999, the team finished in First Place in the SCCA's NORAC ClubRally Championship, but were unable to compete in the national run-off event in Minnesota-the little yellow Rabbit had had enough.
A new car would take longer to build, they were now an international team with Jason residing in Burnaby, British Columbia and Noah living in Portland, Oregon. Undaunted by the commute, in late l999 Jason and Noah bought a VW from a wrecker's field, stripped it down to the metal and once more began to build a rally car. The spring of 2002 saw the Third-Lane team return to competition again driving a daffodil yellow Volkswagen, but this time a l988 Golf.
The first event for the Golf, the Oregon Trail Rally in April, 2002 saw the team have to withdraw at the end of the first day with a serious oil leak. Unfortunately a similar fate befell them in the second event, the Dryad Quest in June. Third time lucky, Noah and Jason drove to a First Place finish at the Mountain Trails Rally in Merritt, British Columbia in October, 2002.
On the road again-the team plans to attend 13 events in 2004 (schedule). We'll keep you posted.
If you would like to know more about the rest of the team click here for details
|
