Gravity Fed Alex Staidle Elite Moderator Location: Δx = ħ/2Δp Join Date: 08/21/2009 Age: Settling Down Posts: 1,719 Rally Car: Various Heaps |
The reason we dont have a full field is simple economics. Running the entire national series costs not thousands but tens of thousands.
As long as maxxis is not required for a regional entry then im fine with it. Nationals are largely a playground. First Rally: 2010 First RallyX: 2004 (a bunch) Driver (0), Co-Driver (7) Organizer (3), Volunteer (3) Cars Built (2.5), Engines Blown (2) Cages Built (0) # of rotations (3.5) Last Updated, Apr 9, 2023 |
NoCoast Grant Hughes Super Moderator Location: Whitefish, MT Join Date: 01/11/2006 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 6,818 Rally Car: BMW |
I agree with Jeff on certain counts.
People leave rally often because they know that it's a money game. You have to spend your way to winning and that spending gets ludicrous fast. You have zero prospects of sponsorship for the most part. There is no top level where the best drivers go to become professional. Just a top level where people spend more money to pretend to be professional. I've never seen any structured research on why people leave rallying. However after ten years I have seen quite a few people come and go. I can say that almost every one of them that leaves goes into a different competitive sport eventually. Mountain bike racing, road bike racing, cross country skiing/biathlon, marathon/ultras, road racing, midgets, go karts, and sailboats. Most of them leave initially due to marriage/girls, babies, change in work/career/school, or having crashed their rally car. Few just stop rallying because it's too expensive. Typically, they have done a few events, realize it's fun but that they have to spend more money on if they want to be competitive and so they are distracted by the other things in life while the car sits and their plans for that better engine, rebuild, or whatever other next item is in their list can be bought. In the meantime, they find something else they also find fun that they can compete at without worrying about how they will afford it. Matt Smith just listed his XR4ti for sale. He hasn't rallied it in years because he took some time off, started volunteering, started doing some moto race stuff, car sat for years, now he's selling it. It's a common story. Grant Hughes |
Paddy1337 Tim Patrick Godlike Moderator Location: Raleigh, NC Join Date: 01/26/2011 Age: Settling Down Posts: 175 Rally Car: Galant VR-4 |
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mothra Matt Smith Mega Moderator Location: Wilmington NC Join Date: 03/31/2006 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 546 Rally Car: xr4ti |
Glad I could be a statistic. Add getting married and mountain bikes to that list. Matt Smith Racing in glorious black and red My daily life is a Saab story (sold!) |
Doivi Clarkinen Banned Professional Moderator Location: the end of the universe Join Date: 02/12/2006 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 1,432 Rally Car: 1980 Opel Ascona B |
Wow, you're so far off base you don't even know. How am I pointing out how a spec tire is better? You don't know much about road racing, apparently. It most certainly did not level the playing field. When we had the Yokohama deal we did not have the best tires, Michelin was the tire to beat in that class. So we should be happier now, right? No, it's not that simple. The Yokos weren't as good as the Michelins at their peak but they didn't fall off like the Michelins. The Yokos would do the same lap times at the end of a stint as they did 4 laps in, while the Michelins had slowed down at the end of a stint. Which meant we could match lap times with the big boys in the last half of the stint but in qualifying and the first half of the stint we were a couple seconds off. Different tires have different strengths and weaknesses just like different cars do. And no we weren't the only team with a tire deal. Everyone had some sort of deal. Falken had their own race team. Now with the spec tire nobody has a tire deal. Everyone has to pay full price for shit tires. How is that better for competition? It's not. What you don't get about rallying and sports car racing is that the competitors and fans are interested in the cars and the tech more than they are the drivers. In circle track racing where you come from the opposite is true. The car doesn't matter. It's just some tubes with an engine and wheels and some sheet metal billboards pop riveted on the sides. They have no relation to anything and they all look the same. It's all about the cult of personality in NASCAR and promoting the drivers like WWE wrestlers. So who cares if the cars are all on the same tires? "This sticker is dangerous and inconvenient, but I do love fig newtons." And FYI, the Continental series (it's been named different things through the years depending on series sponsorship) has always had a spec tire (because NASCAR) with Continental coming on board back in 2009. |
Doivi Clarkinen Banned Professional Moderator Location: the end of the universe Join Date: 02/12/2006 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 1,432 Rally Car: 1980 Opel Ascona B |
Great, you have to pay full price for the same shit tires as everyone else but at least you don't have to think! |
Doivi Clarkinen Banned Professional Moderator Location: the end of the universe Join Date: 02/12/2006 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 1,432 Rally Car: 1980 Opel Ascona B |
You're misguided if you think the Maxxis spec tire deal has anything to do with promoting an equal playing field. I can assure you the thought never crossed Fogg's mind. It's all about making some cash and helping Ritchie Tam sell some tires because apparently he thinks the only way people will buy them is if they are forced to. Which isn't even true! But you're fantasizing if you think leveling the competition ever entered the conversation when this deal was struck. I'm sure it will be a welcome and helpful program for some people and they will be happy to win a couple bucks or a tire here or there. plus they won't have to think about what tire to use, that can be so taxing. |
rallytaff Pete Morris Professional Moderator Location: Los Angeles Join Date: 12/24/2012 Age: Fossilized Posts: 88 Rally Car: Sold. |
You got me I shouldn't of said all racing. I should of said all successful racing has a spec tire rule.
Excuse me, but your command of the English language leaves a lot to be desired. In both those sentences, you used the word 'of' when it should be 'have'. Get it right next time! |
Reamer Jeff Reamer Senior Moderator Location: Marlette, Michigan Join Date: 08/14/2010 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 489 Rally Car: Subaru |
Just a dumb Nascar read neck who cant spell giving my thoughts on how i see things. No biggy we dont have to agree on things. I will just continue to run the events i enjoy. Keep making my race program better and have a good time with family and friends. Im not competitive at this point any way so guess I should of kept the mouth shut.
First rally 2013 Rally car type AWD subaru Total rallies as driver 6 Total rally cars built 2 Total rally cars caged 3 Total rally cars repaired from offs 4 Total years racing exp other then rally 19 yrs Like 31motorsports on FB! Check out 31motor sales on ebay for used Subaru parts |
DG_Rally Dave Grenwis Junior Moderator Location: Minneapolis, MN Join Date: 08/16/2012 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 125 Rally Car: '92 VW Golf |
Jeff, you are one of 2(?) people on this thread that is actively racing his car in this series and is in some way affected by this change. It's a discussion forum and you're speaking your mind, nothing wrong with that.
Since when does anyone give a shit about spelling on here? Dave Grenwis - DG Rally - www.dgrally.com |
NoCoast Grant Hughes Super Moderator Location: Whitefish, MT Join Date: 01/11/2006 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 6,818 Rally Car: BMW |
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rallytaff Pete Morris Professional Moderator Location: Los Angeles Join Date: 12/24/2012 Age: Fossilized Posts: 88 Rally Car: Sold. |
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RALLYRS Mike Ball Infallible Moderator Location: Simi Valley,Ca. Join Date: 07/15/2011 Age: Ancient Posts: 466 Rally Car: Nope...I wish...RWD 2 Door Jeep XJ 4.0 5-spd Dirt-o-cross car(we have no grass!)2.3 ZX3 rallyx car(sold) |
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john vanlandingham John Vanlandingham Godlike Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
Probably perfectly acceptable---Cheng Shin makes a huge variety of tires from wheelchairs to giant mining truck tires and everything in between...and they jave made everything from appallingly bad--in my direct experience---to "pretty damn good", --just fine for local level club guys (naturally I am speaking of their moto-cross tires).. Not the best by any means. But formerly--a long time ago---they had a PRICE ADVANTAGE of more than 40-50% And it was my choice to use them or not. Shows how foggy their understanding of how racing --in an OPEN class is and how contemptuous they trat everybody when they publish utter bullshit like "Maxxis International is recognized around the world as a leader in the manufacturing and distribution of competition tires for professionals and enthusiasts..." a "leader"? Puleeeeze. 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. |
Reamer Jeff Reamer Senior Moderator Location: Marlette, Michigan Join Date: 08/14/2010 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 489 Rally Car: Subaru |
Not saying im ignorant. Just accepting the the stereo type that a Nascar fan is dumb and doesnt know any thing. Yeah my spelling sucks. When i was a kid in English class i was day dreaming about racing. its all ive done for over 25 years. Ive been down this road before. Im not going to get into a pissing match because some one disagrees. My opionion is that a spec tire is good for rally. others dont think so. Im going to kindly disagree just from my past 25 years of racing in a very competitive sport that is fast high horse power with simple rules and a spec tire. I personally feel the sport of rally could use a class with the diehard racer in mind. Were not rich but we love racing and do what it takes to get out and do it as often as i can afford.
I have no clue what RA intentions are of the tire deal. i just know that spec tires help with competition. To say a team has better lap times late in a race in the oval track world is because of lack of HP not tires. so usually big team go out blistering fast hooking up 1000 hp then the low HP guy starts beating them late due to tire wear. But i dont know shit about racing. First rally 2013 Rally car type AWD subaru Total rallies as driver 6 Total rally cars built 2 Total rally cars caged 3 Total rally cars repaired from offs 4 Total years racing exp other then rally 19 yrs Like 31motorsports on FB! Check out 31motor sales on ebay for used Subaru parts |