GRC Charlotte coverage on ESPN 2/3 tonight, May 26, 2012

If it matters, many of the GRC competitors are also competing in ERC, where it's a bit more "dirty". But watching vids of european rallycross at the higher, more professional levels shows that the driving has (de)evolved to be much cleaner than our fond memories of the epic battles of the past. Not sure why that is, whether FIA safety rules have impacted it, or if drivers are just more conscious of making their cars last longer, or whatever.

So I was at the event crewing for Pat Moro and I got a good look at lot of the races and many of the cars. Here are a couple of thoughts / comments.

- Ken Block's Fiesta is different than the others. It is his hybrid function hoon vehicle or whatever he calls it. It is the same car he raced at 100AW. Not sure what the camera showed but he hit the wall pretty hard with the whole right side of the car which must have broken a bunch of stuff and then put him in the temporary barrier when he got on the brakes two turns later.

- This was a temp circuit that was running on the nascar track during a sprint cup weekend so there is no way there was going to be any dirt. The organizers had to add the chicane right before the jump because during practice cars were bottoming out on landing and hurting the track surface which pissed off the nascar guys. Since they are following the nascar circus this year I don't think we will be seeing any dirt.

- I was actually surprised at the number of fans that stuck around. Most people seemed to stay in their assigned seats from the nationwide race so it might have looked pretty sparse on camera but did not seem too bad in person.

- The heat races were uncompetitive for the win but the 2-3 place racing was decent.

- Pastrana's car was pitted right next to us and looked like it was being worked on by a bunch of Scandinavians. Not sure who prepped it. It looks like the tie rod end was single shear and that is what failed in the heat race. The car looked quite fast though. Looked to be all custom suspension including knuckles on the car.

- The fiestas seem to be a step ahead on just about every point of the track but where it really showed was the hair pins. The ability of the fiesta to rotate, maintain speed, and put power down coming out of those was very noticeable.

- Not sure if Subaru's problem is the car or the drivers.

Semi-related thought:

If I owned a big track like that, I would put some number of mounted, hi-res digital cameras at intervals around the top, looking down at the seats. Somewhere between four and twelve. Then you can take a reference picture in the morning (when it's empth) and then take another picture any time during the day. Subtract the two images, look within the defined 'bleacher zone', discount for the known effect of sun, and you could have an instant, near-person perfect, count of the people at any point in time.

The overall total should largely match ticket sales, but the ebb and flow would be very useful for things like this, or planning staffing levels during the day, or planning for future parking and traffic issues.

Ahhh, image processing. Spent some time on that in grad school.

Anders

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Grassroots rally. It's what I think about.

Quote
Anders Green
Semi-related thought:

If I owned a big track like that, I would put some number of mounted, hi-res digital cameras at intervals around the top, looking down at the seats. Somewhere between four and twelve. Then you can take a reference picture in the morning (when it's empth) and then take another picture any time during the day. Subtract the two images, look within the defined 'bleacher zone', discount for the known effect of sun, and you could have an instant, near-person perfect, count of the people at any point in time.

The overall total should largely match ticket sales, but the ebb and flow would be very useful for things like this, or planning staffing levels during the day, or planning for future parking and traffic issues.

Ahhh, image processing. Spent some time on that in grad school.

Anders

OR!
just get some flunky to write----for immediate release!!!------a Cheer-leading Press Release with catchy phrases known to excite the target demographic. Randomly. Just cram into any sentence "extreme!!!...." "success"and , and well you suggest some...immediately.

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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.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/29/2012 11:58AM by john vanlandingham.

I was at the race Saturday and took these photos after the first heat race. One was to the left and the other to the right. I was very surprised at how many people were there. It might not seem like a lot on TV but in person I would say 8 - 10K. This venue is capable of holding more than 100k.

More than were at the last Indy car race I went to (Phoenix).

I thought the race was fun, especially since this was their first real event. I expect this thing to get much bigger.

This series is not set up for or catering to amateur racers. The majority of the teams competing have big crews, good equipment, and obviously budgets to match.

These are easy to justify when you get television coverage and the opportunity to leverage your investment in the teams with support advertising.

Like all motor sports, this is not for everyone. I thought the cars were quick, the racing appropriate for the first event and the potential for entertaining racing is huge.

Thanks
Brad

other photo

Does look like there's a lot more people there than what looked like on tv.

I wonder how many of those people were there due to the Nationwide show and how many paid to soley see the GRC show. Could they stay after the NASCAR for free? Did they pay extra to hang around? Did they have to leave and re-enter for the GRC? One needs to know why those people were there for starters. Crowd looked pretty thin later on after dark on television anyway.

That little bit of entertainment will wear thin fast if they don't step up the show. 6 lap heats were stupid because it was 6 laps of a lead car on television and ..well,,um..not much else. Probably the same for the audience but they had the option of watching the slow cars race for last.

It may get better.

Quote
Brad M


This series is not set up for or catering to amateur racers. The majority of the teams competing have big crews, good equipment, and obviously budgets to match.

These are easy to justify when you get television coverage and the opportunity to leverage your investment in the teams with support advertising.

That the point. Massive expenditures of "stuff' massive availability of dollars, and a totally amatuerish little squiggly foofy thing with a phony ramp.
The contrast is too screamingly blatant.
All the huge dough on the cars, crew, the TV and a slap-dash the dog-ate-my-homework "circuit"..

And as i say, contrasted with the racing action put on by a club elsewhere.

Its the same problem as forever "promotion" of a supposed 'spectacle' by "promoters' versus the product of passionate individuals organised in a club..

One is an embarrassment, the other exciting.
One you have a bunch of excuses for, and we say "meh" or "like, whatever", the other we say "Gawddamn mang I wanna do THAT!"

All the efforts and none to find a venue to do the real thing.

---

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.

Quote
czwalga
Does look like there's a lot more people there than what looked like on tv.

But that ain't 2000 people.OK it was more than 60 anyway..
They were probably just letting the traffic die down....

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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.

^^^^^^
wot he sayd.

Gonna sit in traffic waiting to get out or sit in the stands. AND a lot of those people camp there for the weekend anyway. So who knows for sure.

Were you guys watching the same broadcast? I watched the first four laps or so probably before I got bored and put the reggae back on but there was a ton of spectators. I'd be willing to say almost zero were there just for GRC. It's like going back to 1988 to watch Gravedigger and seeing some dude doing big jumps and tricks on a motorcycle. Except instead of things like Crusty Demons and a sport that for $1k you could get a bike and go ride at local moto track. Rallycross has gymkhana and totally unattainable for people to go do.
Novelty.

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Grant Hughes

Kids are so flighty today. Grant your a wimp.
I made it at least 5 or so laps before I fast forwarded...

mostly out of sheer stupefaction at how mind-numbingly horrible it was..

Again..

Whoever cooks up this shit and the hEx-gamez should be shot.

---

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.

I fast forwarded a lot also. But one thing I noticed was Bucky Lasic, As far as I know he just started learning to drive this year. Are there no coefficients to be earned to race in this class, or is it a "I have shit loads of skater fame and cash money and bought my way in to a top level car" type deal? Will he do that with stage rally? Reminds me of Mirra.

Quote
ChrisKobi
I fast forwarded a lot also. But one thing I noticed was Bucky Lasic, As far as I know he just started learning to drive this year. Are there no coefficients to be earned to race in this class, or is it a "I have shit loads of skater fame and cash money and bought my way in to a top level car" type deal? Will he do that with stage rally? Reminds me of Mirra.

THat has become the model attractive to the sort of "people" who think crap like this is "attractive to the target demographic" (which is an ADDHE kid in conservative Orange County, CA. who is 14).

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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.