Oooo! The next "this will save rally" is almost here!
Posted by Anders Green
Banned Elite Moderator Location: Calgary, AB Join Date: 03/27/2009 Age: Ancient Posts: 1,798 Rally Car: (ex)86 RX-7(built), (ex)2.5RS (bought) |
Don,
Reecers is the guy you decide to jump on for bastardizing the language? Shirley you could have found an easier target... Internet fora, by their nature, tend towards casual conversation and encourage use of idiomatic language and slang. First Rally: 2001 Driver (7), Co-Driver (44) Drivers (16) Clerk (10), Official (7), Volunteer (4) Cars Built (1), Engines Built (0) Cages Built (0) Last Updated, January 4, 2015 
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Jens Super Moderator Join Date: 01/25/2006 Posts: 544 |
Reece Senior Moderator Location: Oklahoma City Join Date: 03/07/2013 Age: Settling Down Posts: 161 Rally Car: 1991 Ej20g'd Legacy |
Banned Elite Moderator Location: Calgary, AB Join Date: 03/27/2009 Age: Ancient Posts: 1,798 Rally Car: (ex)86 RX-7(built), (ex)2.5RS (bought) |
Reecers,
That isn't rally when compared to what you would have seen 30 to 40 years ago. (Although if you even go back 10 or 20 years you'll see changes in the sport) WRC events have become much shorter, relied on repeating 'loops' that return to a central service area. Often 3-4 relatively short stages per day, run twice each. That is a far cry from the days of significantly long stages with free service. (There were stages long enough that teams would fuel at some point DURING the stage) What is odd is the same people calling for longer stages, longer events and a return to the 'good ol' days' are usually also the ones saying the sport has become too expensive. The reality is not all changes are for the better, but changes will happen over time. Even with the 'sprint' nature of events today one of the biggest complaints I hear from new teams is the time and effort it takes to participate. First Rally: 2001 Driver (7), Co-Driver (44) Drivers (16) Clerk (10), Official (7), Volunteer (4) Cars Built (1), Engines Built (0) Cages Built (0) Last Updated, January 4, 2015
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Reece Senior Moderator Location: Oklahoma City Join Date: 03/07/2013 Age: Settling Down Posts: 161 Rally Car: 1991 Ej20g'd Legacy |
John Vanlandingham Senior Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
 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. |
Scott Creech Super Moderator Location: Jane, MO Join Date: 12/02/2012 Age: Possibly Wise Posts: 415 Rally Car: Audi 90 Quattro (WIP) |
John Vanlandingham Senior Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
John Vanlandingham Senior Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
Banned Elite Moderator Location: Calgary, AB Join Date: 03/27/2009 Age: Ancient Posts: 1,798 Rally Car: (ex)86 RX-7(built), (ex)2.5RS (bought) |
It would be easy to sit back and assume it was pressure from the 'promoters' and purely for marketing reasons, but I'll admit that I don't know enough to venture a guess. Additionally, the 'why' doesn't particularly matter. Pointing fingers and laying blame isn't productive and certainly doesn't do anything to make things better. (And no, I'm not saying 'ignore the past') Many of the 'cost savings' measures end up not saving costs for the people who neither want, nor need, to save money. The fact that top teams still spend money doesn't mean that the teams that wanted to save costs couldn't or didn't. In general, I think the push to 'save people money' at events is misplaced. I don't condone wrecklessly driving up costs, but we're hitting $700 entry fees for some of our regionals here (for Cochrane this weekend, with under 90km of stage) and are getting near record entry levels.7 of 23 entries are 2wd, 10 of 23 are open 4wd. One RWD car. Frankly, centralized service makes a huge difference to the ability of grassroots teams to compete. Even when I first started, our national events had moving service parks so if you didn't have a service crew or couldn't find someone to move your stuff for you, you were fucked. (The rally community being what it is, generally you could find someone) When it comes to actually hosting events, I know the push to run fewer stages comes from the number of volunteers available. (Two years running we cancelled a stage at big white because of staffing.) Finding long stages - or more of them - is one thing... finding the people to manage them is another. Sit back and blame the 'promoters' and 'marketing types' all you want. It won't make anything better and certainly won't change where the sport is at today. First Rally: 2001 Driver (7), Co-Driver (44) Drivers (16) Clerk (10), Official (7), Volunteer (4) Cars Built (1), Engines Built (0) Cages Built (0) Last Updated, January 4, 2015
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John Vanlandingham Senior Moderator Location: Ford Asylum, Sleezattle, WA Join Date: 12/20/2005 Age: Fossilized Posts: 14,152 Rally Car: Saab 96 V4 |
Naturally you go right for what you think you have susssed. 
Look you aren't a very analytical person, that's clear...What in the world haver you ever done that requires careful analysis and extreme accuracy? Nothing. You don't work on things that call for critical thinking or analysis so the idea of examining why something went wrong or changed direction ---for whatever combination of reasons---must in your mind be solely about Pointing fingers and laying blame since you open and close with it.. Hint: analysis of most things is to avoid making the same error or series of errors that may cumulatively lead one away from the desired end.. Blame is for idiots. losers. The push was from those who wanted to change the sport into something "TV friendly".. In this case from an insider, Dave Richards , a megalomaniac with no limits to his ego who had seen the hundreds of millions made by the reptilian Ecclestone who managed to get F1 media rights..and he set out to do the same: make millions. The sport be damned. Even the changes of the cars from Series production 4 place cars min 5000 units to qualify for Group A---which meant eventually normal humans might own a 3rd or 4th hand great car, to World Rally Cars -----was driven by same people and same motivations... So now rather than 200 entries in say 1995 Rally GB, you might have 39....3 1/2 paid seats, the rest "bought"... So we can analyze this and be watchful of the TENDENCIES of people who are not drivers, codrivers, or builders who use "media" as their "reasoning".... Because we've seen time and again how that comes up short and really doesn't even help the event organisers much. Just those who "pay for the media". 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. |
Banned Junior Moderator Location: Red Deer, Alberta Join Date: 09/13/2011 Posts: 717 Rally Car: 2002 Subaru WRX STi |
At least someone has brought it up... it is embarrasing to watch our fellow rally brethern take hairpins.
Having done a couple road races and watched quite a few, I completely see why people who road race would never want to rally. Andrew Avery once had time to go HOME to fix his car and bring it back before the next race. It's much more suited to the lifestyle people live nowadays. |
Reece Senior Moderator Location: Oklahoma City Join Date: 03/07/2013 Age: Settling Down Posts: 161 Rally Car: 1991 Ej20g'd Legacy |
Eric Wages Godlike Moderator Location: Goose Creek, SC Join Date: 12/09/2008 Age: Midlife Crisis Posts: 280 Rally Car: 2002 WRX |
randy zimmer Professional Moderator Location: Buffalo, NY Join Date: 03/12/2006 Age: Fossilized Posts: 196 Rally Car: rallycross 13B Miata |
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