New Normal? 36 Bottles of Champagne for a ~50 team event.

I've noticed a trend of late.
Podiums for every class. (~6)
Driver and Co-Driver (*2)
1st - 3rd (*3)

At High Desert Trails we only do a champagne spray for the Power Stage winners.
If you're the fastest 2WD/4WD team down a 16 mile stage in the dark after rallying 100+ miles - IMO you've earned it. Those who have sprayed that champagne are in a small club.

I'm sure there will be opinions on "the generation", but are we watering down these accomplishments with $6 Champagne? Do I just need to budget $250 more so that 3rd out of 4 can be acknowledged?

What other motorsports do this?
What's your take?

I like the surplus of cheap champagne flowing around afterwards.

It's up to the organizers. If you've got a 60-car field with a bunch of cars in each class, you're going to look pretty stingy if you just bring out four champagne bottles. If you've got a 15-car field, it's fine to keep it to just the top guys. Regardless of the size of the event, it's also OK to not even have a champagne spray unless you really need to.

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Self-righteous douche canoe

RMR just went through an event where we budgeted 24 bottles for 4 podia. Overall and 2wd overall for both National and Regional points events. We didn't do a Prod4 podium, even though we had 8 in that class, and some good battles for positions. (They organized their own to celebrate a great battle... 38 seconds between 1st and 3rd in class after ~2hrs of stage time. A 2.5RS pushing past a WRX for second in class on the final - downhill - stage)

A couple hundred dollars in a $36K budget isn't a huge point, but pennies do add up. I'm always more concerned with the time it takes more than the cost.

I do know that one time an event budget was REALLY tight, so we replaced the champaign with beer... and the guy who won his first event overall is still pissed about not getting champaign.

I think you need to understand WHY the podia are done before saying if there are too many. They don't cost a lot, they do take up time, but arguably are more fun and more important than cheap trophies at the end of the day. They are also an opportunity for the volunteers to share in the celebration and to see a 'final' show of the fruits of their labour... and that shouldn't be undervalued.

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First Rally attended (2000), First Rally competed in (2001)
Cars Built (1), Engines Built (0) Cages Built (0)
Driver (8), Co-Driver (47), Drivers (19)
Clerk (29), Steward (1), Official (17), Volunteer (5)
WRC Spectator (1), WRC Photographer (6), WRC Observer (4)
Rallies attended (120) Countries attended rallies in (11)
Last Updated, May30, 2022

Generally the volunteers are still out on the stages when sprays are done.

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Self-righteous douche canoe

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hoche
Generally the volunteers are still out on the stages when sprays are done.

You forgot to qualify that with 'from what I've seen'

While there certainly are some volunteers still out in the woods, I think we generally do see the bulk back in time for the podia. If not volunteers, then competitors - as I know some of the 'back of the pack' teams have commented about missing out on other people's celebrations when podia are held before the last car checks in.

My only point was that the reason for doing champaign sprays will vary from event to event, and may have outside influences that push what is done (National ruleset, TV Production company, etc.)

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First Rally attended (2000), First Rally competed in (2001)
Cars Built (1), Engines Built (0) Cages Built (0)
Driver (8), Co-Driver (47), Drivers (19)
Clerk (29), Steward (1), Official (17), Volunteer (5)
WRC Spectator (1), WRC Photographer (6), WRC Observer (4)
Rallies attended (120) Countries attended rallies in (11)
Last Updated, May30, 2022

Hmm... Interesting points so far.

It does seem to be a "gray area" where at a ~12 team rally "champagne for everyone" seems cheesy as hell, but at a 50+ team 2+ day rally - I would feel like a doof only doing "1st overall" :p

As most of you know I campaign for everyone. The NASA Rally Sport Social Media is class (and team) agnostic, and I have been on the receiving end of a 2 day rally that didn't even bother with class trophies, and a champagne spray where I thought: "Why am I up here?". As Michel pointed out - It IS up to the organizers, and just wanted to be clear that this was not a future NRS policy discussion.

Trophy - or in this case "celebration" for everyone makes me cringe more than physical awards. Often MORE people will get trophies than champagne, so if champagne is already @36 - we're handing trophies to 50+ people. I like to reserve the champagne for "something special" a real accomplishment. Can I switch it around and do 50 sprays - but only give out the "trophy" to 10 people?

Sideline - The other factor is some rallies have "cheap" trophies, and some put some work into them. I try to be the latter. We spend a lot more time and effort on those than a last minute Walmart champagne run.

- Kris

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Not Trolling

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hoche
Generally the volunteers are still out on the stages when sprays are done.

You forgot to qualify that with 'from what I've seen'

Oh, for Pete's sake...

Yes, Keith, in the I-lost-track-of-how-many-but-it-was-north-of-a-hundred-last-I-tried-to-tally-it count of rallies I've participated in across the US and Canada, from what I've seen generally the volunteers are still out on the stages when the sprays are done.

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Self-righteous douche canoe

Screw Champagne, at Kananaskis last year due to an over sight (I forgot) we used soda!!

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Yes, it's a Ranger.
Xr4Ti, it is rwd and was made in Germany.

At one event - I think it was 100AW but I can't remember - the spray was done with carbonated fruit juice. It sprayed just like champagne but by the time I towed back home and unpacked my suit (three days later) it was stiff and crispy.

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Self-righteous douche canoe

Quote
hoche
At one event - I think it was 100AW but I can't remember - the spray was done with carbonated fruit juice. It sprayed just like champagne but by the time I towed back home and unpacked my suit (three days later) it was stiff and crispy.

Yeah, when they did the spray in Salem(?), it was a dry county, so couldn't use real champagne. At least, that's what I was told. Seems like they were always done and gone before us lowly regional 2wd teams reached the finish line.

Here's an idea that might save some money... instead of champagne spray and awards, print stickers to custom label the champagne bottles. If the bottles had the event logo/name, date, and position, that should make a fine trophy.

Spray it then keep the empty. Go eat your burger.

(maybe more relevant of an idea for regionals than nationals with 'special' or themed awards per tradition)

I've never seen a bottle of champagne at a Lemons race...and STPR is an Alcohol Free event.

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Andrew Steere
Lyndeborough, NH
KB1PJY

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Flying_Finn
Here's an idea that might save some money... instead of champagne spray and awards, print stickers to custom label the champagne bottles. If the bottles had the event logo/name, date, and position, that should make a fine trophy.

Spray it then keep the empty. Go eat your burger.

(maybe more relevant of an idea for regionals than nationals with 'special' or themed awards per tradition)

See? I don't care what everbody says, you're pretty smrat..For a finn..

I still have a bottle from the fancy schmantzy vineyards at Sancerre where i did (sorta) an International 500 race waaaaaaaaay back in 1977


That was in the background. Smart idea..

The whole 'shake and spray" is long long over done, as done as the whole random "instant random super slow motion" every 30 second on videos.

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

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fiasco
I've never seen a bottle of champagne at a Lemons race...and STPR is an Alcohol Free event.

Glad I never had to deal with that level of paternalism..

seriously...you know me Andrew, I hardly finsih 2 beers and you're saying "alky-free EVENT"..so what happens in the parking lot after?? Event over so it's OK? Do they patrol the bars?

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.