Global Rallycross Championship 2012

[USRallycross]

More good news and what is better (from a US perspective anyway) is that there is still a lot more news to come. Andy is a great addition I think he will spring a few surprises.

Roll on April 15......

[FIRE]

I have made a list (but probably missed some confirmed and possible entries ):

Driver	Team	Car
Tanner Foust	OMSE	Ford Fiesta
Ken Block		Ford Fiesta
Frode Holte	Michael Crawford Motorsports	Volvo C30
TBA	Michael Crawford Motorsports	Volvo C30
Liam Doran	Mtechnologies	Citroen C4
Andy Scott	Scott-Eklund	Saab 93
TBA (Heikkinen?)	Scott-Eklund	Saab 93
?Dave Mirra?	Subaru Rally Team	Subaru Impreza
?Rhys Millen?	Hyundai Rallycross Team	Hyundai Veloster
?Marcos Dodd?	Hyundai Rallycross Team	Hyundai Veloster
?Travis Pastrana?		?Dodge Dart?
?Samuel Hubinette?		?Dodge Dart?
?David Binks?		Ford Fiesta

[tbtstt]

Andy Scott is going to the US as well?! David Higgins for the Subaru team again?

Hope Binks doesn't go for a full GRC season as well, or that would be the last British contender for the ERX out of the picture.

[AlamakiRX]

Originally Posted by tbtstt

Andy Scott is going to the US as well?! David Higgins for the Subaru team again?

Hope Binks doesn't go for a full GRC season as well, or that would be the last British contender for the ERX out of the picture.

Anyone know if Scott will still do ERC in the Focus? I know Procter is doing a full ERC campaign.

Think the Binks info will be released at the Autosport show, but expect the list above to be accurate and he will be missing from BRC, ERC and UK!!!

What with all the above, who will this leave in the BRC Supercar class? and ERC Supercars might be a bit thin on the ground, especially if you add Jernberg and Isachsen into the above!

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by AlamakiRX

Think the Binks info will be released at the Autosport show, but expect the list above to be accurate and he will be missing from BRC, ERC and UK!!!

This would be a massive shame if its the case, as Binks was looking more and more capable with the Mk.7 Fiesta last year and I was really hoping he'd have a proper crack at the BRC and ERC next year.

I'm sure Foust has made mention of running in the ERC in 2012 so I hope if thats the case that the MSE team run Foust and Binks (and Gronholm! ) in Europe. They managed to mix BRC, GRC and ERC last year, so hopefully they can do the same again in 2012.

Originally Posted by AlamakiRX

What with all the above, who will this leave in the BRC Supercar class? and ERC Supercars might be a bit thin on the ground, especially if you add Jernberg and Isachsen into the above!

Yeah, was thinking about this last night. If Scott is going to the US I assume he won't be running in the BRC at all? And if Binks/Best Buy adopt a US-centric plan of action I guess he/MSE might be out too. Damn shame, as the supercar ranks seemed to swell in the BRC last year, so I was hoping for an even better season for them in 2012.

BRC conversation is a bit off topic for this thread, so I've carried on the discussion here:

http://tentenths.com/forum/showthrea...50#post3010550



Has Jernberg made any definate noises for the GRC in 2012? And has there been any more news from the Isachsen camp after the statement a few weeks ago.

[tbtstt]

Excuse the double post, but PJ Abbot now confirmed as the second driver at Michael Crawford Motorsports:

http://www.rallycrossworld.com/2012/...-holte-at-mcm/

At least its not another European name gone!

[chunder]

Precisely! Though to be honest I cant blame anyone for not taking on Doran, he had a truy abysmal year in 2011, wrecking at least 3 cars and then even rolling the CORR car he drove.

Hate to say it but I hoped he would not end up being a crasher and banger, 2010 was so good!

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by chunder

Precisely! Though to be honest I cant blame anyone for not taking on Doran, he had a truy abysmal year in 2011, wrecking at least 3 cars and then even rolling the CORR car he drove.

Yeah, after 2010, 2011 wasn't such a good year for him, was it? I guess in the eyes of Monster though he got a win where it counted most for them.

If he is going to remain in the US for 2012 though I hope he takes some PR lessons...


EDIT: Just the other day I said "I bet an RS200 would look good in Monster colours", now I have my answer:

[chasing cars]

The ERC will definately have a few names missing this year but I think a few new ones will replace them and hopefully it wont seem too weakened. Not sure the same can be said of the BRC and it would seem that all the hooha that surrounded the involvement of Monster and Best Buy has backfired.

A question I have is how much interest is there in the US, and I mean from Joe public? Plenty of Americans post on ten tenths but there seems to be a distinct lack of interest in this thread or any rallycross thread except of course from the very English Mark Williams! No doubt the promoters and sponsors will hand out free tickets to get bums on seats but how many would call themselves fans or have heard of Holte or let alone Scott or Binks?

I may be wrong but I doubt this Global thing will take off like some hope for so I guess we will have to put up with it for maybe a year or two then hopefully those drivers will return to their roots.

[chasing cars]

Originally Posted by tbtstt

EDIT: Just the other day I said "I bet an RS200 would look good in Monster colours", now I have my answer:

Doesnt do anything for the car or me but still lets hope Liam does'nt add it to his list of "trashed" cars!

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by chasing cars

A question I have is how much interest is there in the US, and I mean from Joe public? Plenty of Americans post on ten tenths but there seems to be a distinct lack of interest in this thread or any rallycross thread except of course from the very English Mark Williams!

I can't speak for all Americans, but I post on a handful of US rally and specialist car forums and there seems to be a lot of interest there: though also a lot of concern that rallycross will eclipse the (already limited) stage rallying and autocross (which they call rallycross!) out there.

I still think the interest of modern and media savvy sponsors in rallycross is a good thing, and yes its true that the loss of drivers from one series in favour of another is definately bad news. In a way I do hope that the exodus of drivers from the ERC sets of alarm bells somewhere and the promoters of the European Championship consider ways of bring more modern sponsors in (easier said than doen in the current financial climate though).

If the GRC does what they say and they use the US as a springboard to become a "Global" series (thus truly deserving the title and hopefully bringing more attention to national rallycross series) I would hope that it will looked upon more favourably by the "old guard" of rallycross.

Originally Posted by chasing cars

Doesnt do anything for the car or me but still lets hope Liam does'nt add it to his list of "trashed" cars!

Agreed! Incidentally (and massively off topic), is the ex-Dieter Knuttel car a genuine RS200?

[rx-guru]

The ex-Dieter Knüttel hillclimb RS200 has two pics in the book 'Ford RS200: The Story So Far' by Justin Smith, but no chassis no mentioned with the pics…

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by rx-guru

The ex-Dieter Knüttel hillclimb RS200 has two pics in the book 'Ford RS200: The Story So Far' by Justin Smith, but no chassis no mentioned with the pics…

Cheers, just wondered if it was a genuine car or not.

Found a couple of odd comments (using Google) that indicate the car was worked on by Julian Godfrey prior to or whilst it was in the hands of Knuttel? Don't know if that helps or not?

[JSRacing]

Originally Posted by tbtstt

Cheers, just wondered if it was a genuine car or not.

Found a couple of odd comments (using Google) that indicate the car was worked on by Julian Godfrey prior to or whilst it was in the hands of Knuttel? Don't know if that helps or not?

As far as im aware, back in the late 90's, the car was looked after by Graham Hathaway Racing, as i saw it in his workshop quite alot. When speaking to him about it, it was a pukka RS200 (think it may of even been 1 of his previously). He was a bit of a RS200 collector back then.

[USRallycross]

A few things to catch up on.

- Jernberg sold his car to Hedstrom I thought and I think he has retired from racing and is focusing on building. Sure Guru can correct me if I am wrong

- Binks' plans won't be announced at the Autosport Show

- Americans don't really know much about rallycross.....yet! At X Games over 4 million people watched it on TV and with Pastrana coming back you bring a massive fan base. Same with Block.

- The announcement coming from GRC shortly will answers your questions re bums on seats, media coverage and so on

- Yes, America could blow it. But I have stated before there a lot of favorable winds behind this. ESPN is committed to production and prime time slots; manufacturers are committed because it introduces compact cars as cool; sponsors like it because it reaches a new audience which is hard to market to; teams like it because they get paid; and of course it is all part of a bigger show

Rally America is also going to runa four-round Clubman focused rallycross championship at New Jersey Motorsport Park. This is going to compliment GRC perfectly and will allow regular people (like me) to compete without having to buy expensive cars and there won't be any jumps. I liked the course at NJMP so hope this is a success.


Mark

[MESHGA]

Originally Posted by USRallycross

A few things to catch up o


teams like it because they get paid


Mark

Money means alot to some people more than their sport it seams....

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by JSRacing

As far as im aware, back in the late 90's, the car was looked after by Graham Hathaway Racing, as i saw it in his workshop quite alot. When speaking to him about it, it was a pukka RS200 (think it may of even been 1 of his previously).

Cheers for the info! Interesting to read, so the Knuttel car may be a genuine RS200 after all?

Originally Posted by USRallycross

Jernberg sold his car to Hedstrom I thought and I think he has retired from racing and is focusing on building.

I'd read the comments with regards to his car sale, but hadn't seen anything else since. Jernberg had some good results in the GRC last year but didn't really seem to get much attention (not in the GRC/X-Games coverage that I saw anyway). Shame if he decides to call it a day, but hopefully he'll still be "in" the sport as a builder.

Originally Posted by USRallycross

Binks' plans won't be announced at the Autosport Show

Any hints in the meantime. Can we expect to see another Mk.7 Fez on the BRC grid next year...

Originally Posted by USRallycross

Rally America is also going to runa four-round Clubman focused rallycross championship at New Jersey Motorsport Park. This is going to compliment GRC perfectly and will allow regular people (like me) to compete without having to buy expensive cars and there won't be any jumps. I liked the course at NJMP so hope this is a success.

This sounds like a great move if this is the case. Good to have a series geared towards the privateers where they won't be worried about getting chewed up by the works cars.

[rx-guru]

Mark is right, Michael Jernberg has sold his Mk2 Fabia to Peter Hedström who is set for a full 2012 and 2013 ERC programme with it.
Michael himself was already tired of being a Rallycross competitor for quite some time. But he remains in the scene as a car builder (ie KMS Scirocco).
And Belgian Jochen Coox has also sold his Mk1 Fabia (aka 'Helga 1', formerly owned by double Euro champ Lars Larsson) to Hedström.

[AndyS]

I think the GRC is great if it promotes the sport of rallycross, but there is a danger that its going to damage other series. There does appear to be a fashion for sidelining Europe in motorsport at the moment, particularly in the case of the FIA championships. A lot of this is is for economic reasons, but I think it is a slightly dangerous stratergy as the fan bases for a lot of motor sport series are largely European. Europe's economy will recover and be a force again but its going to take a good few years and it won't be as strong as in the past.

The GRC is slightly different and not sidelining Europe directly, but I'd really for once like to see people working together rather than against one another. I'm not suggesting the GRC is working against people but there is a danger the GRC and ERC will start fighting one another. We see it so often in motor sport at all levels and ultimatley it weakens the sport. I'm thinking IRL/Champ Car, BRC/ROC and what seems to be happening with the new WEC and ALMS.

Maybe we'll see everybody working together and we'll have drivers from North America doing a more appropriatley named American Series plus the GRC/X Games and European drivers doing ERC plus the GRC/X Games. Time will tell and I shall try and remain optimistic. From a purely selfish point of view ESPN is too niche in the UK, any chance of some highlights? Motors TV maybe?

[tbtstt]

Originally Posted by AndyS

The GRC is slightly different and not sidelining Europe directly, but I'd really for once like to see people working together rather than against one another. I'm not suggesting the GRC is working against people but there is a danger the GRC and ERC will start fighting one another.

Exactly. Although there are only a handful of drivers who could probably do it, just basic communication between the two Championships would ensure major race weekends don't clash which, in my opinion, would be a good start. Instead the clash of meetings means that drivers are being forced to choose between one Championship or the other.

Originally Posted by AndyS

Maybe we'll see everybody working together and we'll have drivers from North America doing a more appropriatley named American Series plus the GRC/X Games and European drivers doing ERC plus the GRC/X Games. Time will tell and I shall try and remain optimistic.

That, to me, would be the perfect outcome, where those drivers who can afford to pick and choose can dabble in both championships without sacrificing a serious campaign in another one. If the Global Rallycross does become a "World" rallycross series, then perhaps the Rally America run events can form the basis of a national American championship, so there will be feeder series from both continents.

Originally Posted by AndyS

From a purely selfish point of view ESPN is too niche in the UK, any chance of some highlights? Motors TV maybe?

Yeah, this. If the GRC wants the support of the rallycross fans in Europe then give us access to some decent highlight programmes, not You Tube snippets (which I admit are great for publicity, but not if you want to sit down and enjoy a race) or forcing us to trawl the internet to find coverage.

I'll be interested to see what the media plans are for the GRC though. The ERC (I don't think) is helping itself when it has no official website as such and seemingly very little promotion.

[QuarterRik]

Originally Posted by USRallycross

teams like it because they get paid; and of course it is all part of a bigger show

This is what this is all about ultimately. MONEY !!!!!

Only regret that responsible people in europe have not put so much effort all those years to make rallycross such a spectator sport. On the contrary.

Actually, this is not a Global rallycross, but American rallycross promoted by European drivers.
A Global (World) Championship, would be a championship where riders from all over the world, should run races on all continents.

Something like the WRC,WTCC,LeMans series will not only competed in Asia as well!!

Nice for the teams that they finally make money, along with the entire entourage around rallycross.
Yet it is sad for the European rallycross loyal fans who will actually be left in the cold with the strange feeling that their pilots no longer want to drive before them.

Finally, I like to see the possitive side to it.
As it stands in Europe next year will be driven to a place behind the Hansen-Citroens.(maybe later they still follow)

Amateur teams can drive themselves more in the spotlight.
Perhaps a return to a bit more home-made material instead of super expensive factory equipment.
Hopefully, the level of drivers wil be close ,so we can at least have surprising exciting and spectacular races.

[chasing cars]

I also believe for the GRC to gain support in the UK then it needs to be on a tv channel that gets more than a handful of viewers. If some of the best British drivers are going to race in the US then at least let us have the chance to see them. Nearly all overseas sports that espn cover are sold to other tv companies over here for them to show.

Looking at the dates only Hungary clashes with a round of the GRC but unfortunately the 2 flagship events, Sweden and the Xgames are on the same weekend.

If no more european drivers defect then the impact will be minimal, infact none of the drivers that have gone have competed in the ERC for more than 2 or 3 years. Hopefully no more will go but if they do I hope the 1 or 2 people here who support and promote the American series remember that the majority here are at the very least sceptical of the whole thing and think twice before telling us how great it is that another driver has signed up.

[rx-guru]

Holy crap, so far the one and only ERC regular (for just a very few years) to be CONFIRMED not to race in the 2012 ERC is Frode Holte.
Michael Jernberg was tired of being a competitor anyway and was due to quit after his Å*koda deal was done. However, he just did another year in the USA before retirement.
So what the heck is the HUGE problem for some of you seers? A deserted ERC?

[chunder]

Well so far Edd we have no Doran, not sure about Scott, Holte is not conformed nor are a few others.

Isachsen is looking at America, as are a few others, so yes, it seems some of us are worried the ERC is suddenly the poor relation over the jumpy, XCgames fan sport

[rallyloverke]

Originally Posted by chunder

Isachsen is looking at America, as are a few others, so yes, it seems some of us are worried the ERC is suddenly the poor relation over the jumpy, XCgames fan sport

About that "jumpy". That is one of the major things i don't like about the American way of Rallycross. Are we watching stunt-driving with a field of destroyed cars after some heats or Rallycross ... ?

And i hope, instead of working against each other, the organisers help each other and make rallycross even more popular. If it stays "little" and the money is gone, we have no more drivers.

But also : no need to panic so far i guess : the season has yet to start and i expect some nice fields in Europe too :-)