Rally America U.S. Rallycross

[NaBUru38]

Rally America announced that they will run the U.S. Rallycross again like in 2010. It will start at New Jersey Motorsports Park on May 19. But it's not just cars: they will add supermoto to the package. They mention that joker laps is "a small detour normally over a jump".

[USRallycross]

The RA Series announcement is awesome and focused on the Clubman racer without all the thrills (and expense) of the GRC. NJMP was a great track when we ran it in 2010. I think the jump mentioned is more akin to a rally jump where you launch but there is land underneath.

I am hoping that this series will be popular and appeal to those who want to be in the sport and start to be build a foundation.

I hope to make it out to compete in one of these events.


Mark

[chasing cars]

I know rallycross at the top end is virtually a professional sport now but the grassroots level is just as important and its good to see the US recognizing this. Certainly in the UK when rallycross has gone through a bit of a lull its the clubman thats kept the sport alive.

Big sponsors can and do change plans at the flick of a switch and leave professional drivers and teams high and dry but usually the clubman will keep going on his small budget and love for the sport. As Mark says its important there is a proper foundation built in the US as has happened in european countries because thats the way I believe the sport could really take off and have a long life rather than the way the GRC has taken.

[Hickey]

I can only imagine the travelling costs headache in the States though. People over here complain about the costs of going up to Knockhill or across to Pembrey, whereas a one-track championship in the States must rule out 95% of the country in terms of travelling costs?

Having said that, fuel is about £1 per gallon in the States isn't it, so I guess you guys can travel further for less!

[mountainstar]

Originally Posted by Hickey

I can only imagine the travelling costs headache in the States though. People over here complain about the costs of going up to Knockhill or across to Pembrey, whereas a one-track championship in the States must rule out 95% of the country in terms of travelling costs?

Having said that, fuel is about £1 per gallon in the States isn't it, so I guess you guys can travel further for less!

Well that is one big issue with Rally America and one that probably will never be overcome. Some of the rallies are 3000 miles away from some people. Most of the rally community is concentrated on the Pacific Coast or Northeast USA. So if you want to do a rally out west or one back east, you've got one hell of a tow, several days of driving and a lot of money out in fuel. Almost 97% of Rally America is amateurs that fund it out of their own pocket.

To give you some idea how much distance is involved, it is like traveling from the UK to Kazakhstan for a rally.

However us Americans have a relatively efficient interstate highway system and it is very easy to get around or cross the USA.

People from the UK just have a different mindset. I remember the first time I went to the UK people looked at a car journey of 100 miles as being a major deal, involving long rest stops and so on. Us Americans don't think it's a big deal if we have to drive 700 miles in one day. For people in the UK they think of their local sphere of influence and reach of being 20-30 miles around home, while us think of multiple states and hundreds of miles around.

The RA rallycross is going to appeal to some that the GRC totally leaves out. Also the RA community is pretty tight so some that might come from out west will coordinate travel and towing and so on.