Is Rallying in trouble in the US?

I'm new to this amazing sport, started watching Sunday night highlight shows on Speed years ago. But the past couple of years I've taken a more keen interest in the sport. Thank you Youtube and HD Theatre! I've noticed that Rally America has cancelled some events lately, but also car attendence does not look optimistic. Even this forum is getting quiet... I would love to get involved in this sport, but would I be feeding a dying animal?

Is there a way to make rallying affordable to more interested parties?

How are the events NOT getting it done?

Is Ken Block and Travis Pastrana the ONLY answer? (I don't think so)

Does Global RallyCross need to pay some big bucks (short term) in order to attract even more "Big" teams to get this product flying off the ground?

Or are we just S.O.L.??????

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this guy.....
Is Rallying in trouble in the US?

NO.

all it needs are curious people like yourself to get a car (buy or build, I really don't care) and enter some events, and volunteer at a few events, and and maybe crew for a buddy here and there, and get a few buddies to crew for yourself and help get them involved as well.

So hurry up and get that Focus/Fiesta going and get out there! The only one that can help rally is YOU.




PS "welcome to the jungle. we got fun and games...."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/25/2011 02:57PM by Jon Burke.

YES....but so is every other discretionary income passtime. The PNW is boating heaven and you can't give one away now. Prices have dropped by 50% or more in the last 3 years, and sales are even worse.

The good news it should be a great time to get involved. Smaller fields mean better schedules, maybe tighter routes, easier for new people to get the help, attention, guidance they need at first. I was pretty lost at my first several events back in the 80s, sometimes you couldn't even figure out who to ask questions of.

Info on car building, choices, mods, technical question has never been more available or easier. Most people are very willing to share they knowledge. Most of the events are pretty much "canned" , they run well, on time, not many unforseen gotchas...they work. Rules are pretty stable, nothing scarey on the horizon that I'm aware of. Rally costs haven't risen significantly in years.

GRC is its own calamity, really shouldn't affect true rally to any great degree. Like any new enterprise it may take a couple starts to get it right.

As to Travis and Ken, they were pretty much celebrities before rally, not because of rally. A lot of us will miss the excitement they brought but nature abhors a vacuum and someone else will step up. Lots of personalities out there...not everybody is a good frontman. Pinker was a riot ( keeps the censors busy) Moro was pretty fun also, Mathew Johnson another . The trick will be getting the right personality in the spotlight at the right time. We can't do much about that so I don't worry about it.

I think we'll see some serious excitement next year. Subaru opened a can of worms last year with Diggins car. It won't be long before someone picks up the gauntlet and really starts building an Open class car. We'll see some stuff that is exciting for gearheads, whether that translates into anything else is hard to say.

The sale of RA won't make any significant difference, probably some new ideas as to the media aspects. I'm thinking the guys in the trenches won't see any big effect. Anders is always thinking of stuff try and he always listens and encourages ideas and input.

In short (too late) rally will change a bit as all things do with time, but we''l be fine.

I lost two of my closest long time friends this last year, another has just been diagnosed with cancer. Every day is a gift, if you want to do something get going because you never know when life throws that curveball. You can spend a lifetime waiting for tomorrow to get here, build, buy or rent, get on stage. Just think of the stories some day you'll have to tell...a couple old farts on a porch talking about how long the batteries used to last in a Prius, and you'll be able to say "Fuuck, I used to burn up a set of tires in 30 miles, got 5 mpg, scared wimin and childrin for miles and I'm still grinnin"

There must be a couple hundred rally cars with grandfathered logbooks sitting stagnant in garages across the country. Why are we seeing more of these hitting the market so new folks can a get started?

No kidding SeanP, that's what I've been wondering? I can't image ALL these older rally cars had been destroyed on stages... Come out, come out, wherever you are!!! The used market seems to be VERY scarce! In MN, we have some great roads/scenery to take advantage of!

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SeanP
There must be a couple hundred rally cars with grandfathered logbooks sitting stagnant in garages across the country. Why are we seeing more of these hitting the market so new folks can a get started?

Probably because those who own them are still holding on to the dream that they themselves will get back out there one of this days when/if/etc

That and I bet most of them ended up sitting because something went wrong and they just haven't been able to be fixed. No time/money to get em ready to sell, and who wants to buy a rally car that isn't ready to race, that they can't test drive, etc?

Someone want to buy Todd's S1 replica btw?

speaking of which my SCCA log book has three entries left... how do i deal with that?

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Gravity Fed
speaking of which my SCCA log book has three entries left... how do i deal with that?

I had a similar issue. I sent an email to Hurst and he mailed me a RA logbook.

Um, go run three more rallies...............

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Gravity Fed
speaking of which my SCCA log book has three entries left... how do i deal with that?

press on,

---

just a poor, dumb, Michigan navie

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12xalt


Someone want to buy Todd's S1 replica btw?

Yes I do.

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12xalt
Someone want to buy Todd's S1 replica btw?

What's he want for it? That would be a great hill climb car!

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alkun
Yes I do.

Yes you do for serious, or yes you do you wish you could?

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NoCoast
What's he want for it? That would be a great hill climb car!

I'll try to remember to tell him to get in here and answer because I'm not entirely sure.

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12xalt

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alkun
Yes I do.

Yes you do for serious, or yes you do you wish you could?

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NoCoast
What's he want for it? That would be a great hill climb car!

I'll try to remember to tell him to get in here and answer because I'm not entirely sure.

Al has been huffing o the tailpipe of the Turbo Volvo again.
He's usually lucid but I think the motor is running too rich, and that makes him a bit dingy.

---

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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john vanlandingham

Al has been huffing o the tailpipe of the Turbo Volvo again.
He's usually lucid but I think the motor is running too rich, and that makes him a bit dingy.

kinky


pics?

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SeanP
There must be a couple hundred rally cars with grandfathered logbooks sitting stagnant in garages across the country. Why are we seeing more of these hitting the market so new folks can a get started?

Out of those couple hundred rally cars with grandfathered logbooks sitting stagnant, the last time I saw two of them (the GTXs that I helped build and ran with Ross Foster), they were rotting away at his parent's house. One of them should be allowed to rot away because the shell is totally beat and the cage isn't worth saving. The other one has a great cage, but it needs an engine and it has been sitting in a field (a rainy, northwest field) for over seven years, so it needs a lot of work.

Note that, at least as far as the RA rules, cars with pre-2007 log books must meet the 2006 rules (what used to be called the 'Appendix 1' rules), not the rules when the car was logbooked or last run, so these old cars might need roll cage modifications.

alan



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/26/2011 04:03PM by tipo158.