Rally Racing in US

[JoshCalkins]

Hey all,

Just read an article in the NY Times about how some racers are trying to get rally racing going in the US. I've been a fan for a couple years, but I know that not many people know about it in the States. Nascar is dominant, but I think rally provides a good option for those who want to see cars do something other than go in a circle for five hours. This group is trying to get rally popular through ESPN's X-Games, which should help.

Also, I've got a question for the Canadians out there: is rally racing popular where you're from, or does it have the same reputation (or lack thereof) as in the states?

[RadioRon]

In Canada, and the rest of the world as far as I know, it isn't called Rally Racing, but rather just Rally. Whatever its called, it is a popular club activity in Canada. Here's a link to the local club, in which my nephew is active:

http://www.rallybc.com/

I recall watching the Canadian championship on TV last year, so it does bubble up to being visible to the general public but certainly is not generally well known like NHL hockey or anything like that.

Then there is the Targa Newfoundland, which is also a rally. It is a standalone feature event well known to the car community and gets television coverage in Canada.

Or, are you asking specifically about Rally Cross which is a specialized form of head to head circuit rallying?

[Shocka]

Ya i wouldnt go and assume because we dont have any wrc races in canada, or the us for that matter that we are completely ignorant of it. Theres been rallying here (canada) on a small scale for nearly as long as in the uk/europe. We have snow rallies on the east coast, and alberta has some summer action going that ive seen first hand. Nascar is dominant in the states yes, but theres alot of options out there. Theres also a great many club races, nascar is a joke. A great many north americans know this.

[JoshCalkins]

RadioRon: In that short response, I can see that rally (not "rally racing," I'm learning) has a deeper penetration in Canada than in the States. The only time that I've seen rally on TV here was the X-games, although I only have basic cable, so there may be channels that carry it that I don't see.

Shocka: I don't mean to say that the people of either country are completely ignorant of it, and perhaps asking the question on a forum devoted to cars skews the results. Ask the average person in the US what Nascar is, and you'll probably get a correct response, ask about rally, and you'll probably get a blank stare.

[RadioRon]

Originally Posted by JoshCalkins RadioRon: In that short response, I can see that rally (not "rally racing," I'm learning) has a deeper penetration in Canada than in the States. The only time that I've seen rally on TV here was the X-games, although I only have basic cable, so there may be channels that carry it that I don't see.

Perhaps car rallying is something that springs from the grassroots in the snowiest countries. After all, the popularity in Europe historically comes from the northern countries like Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and may well have spread from there. Saab and Volvo were both dominant forces in rallying back in the 60s.

This might help explain the greater popularity here in the Great White North. Another factor is that we are somewhat starved for professional motorsport in general when compared to the US with NASCAR and other series available there. This is the result of less dense population. In this case, grassroots motorsports series, through clubs, tend to fill the vacuum. If you look around at where the real action is here on the west coast, it is safe to say that drag racing certainly draws more competitors than other types of racing. Rallying is probably in fourth place behind drag racing, road racing, and ministocks (oval).

There is certainly no denying the huge popularity of NASCAR. Even so, in the US you have many professional or serious amateur series that barely spill over the border, including Indy-cars, American Lemans, SCCA, Vintage (various), Formula Mazda (Star Mazda), Spec E30, Spec Miata, Formula 2000, USRA, NHRA, and all the other spec series for sedans and open wheel. I am a bit jealous of your wealth of racing series.

[Blackice]

Originally Posted by RadioRon In Canada, and the rest of the world as far as I know, it isn't called Rally Racing, but rather just Rally. Whatever its called, it is a popular club activity in Canada. Here's a link to the local club, in which my nephew is active: http://www.rallybc.com/ I recall watching the Canadian championship on TV last year, so it does bubble up to being visible to the general public but certainly is not generally well known like NHL hockey or anything like that. Then there is the Targa Newfoundland, which is also a rally. It is a standalone feature event well known to the car community and gets television coverage in Canada. Or, are you asking specifically about Rally Cross which is a specialized form of head to head circuit rallying?

Hey thanks for the link to rallybc. What a great site

I would love to do some rally, and to do the Targa Newfoundland would be a rush. I saw some coverage of it on TV last night...... A few cars ended up in the front yards, or in some cases the house. But the whole thing looks just incredible. The roads, the friends that you would meet, and make

As I write this I am watching the WRC coverage on the Speed Chanel. It was only 30 secs long

[RadioRon]

I was seriously thinking of doing the Targa Newfoundland sometime but recent circumstances have made me put that off for a while. Maybe in a couple of years.

[motoyen]

I think part of the challenge that WRC would face in trying to grow in the US is the American mentality towards competition. I realize I'm generalizing but from what I've seen Americans favor brute force over technical skill, think gladiator mentality. Look at the sports that receive the most coverage in the US, MLB, NBA, NFL, NASCAR, etc. they are all predominately arena sports with 2 teams going at it and may the strongest team win.

Now take rallying where the challenge isn't so much mano et mano but more driver against the clock. Europeans seem to appreciate the skills and tension exhibited by the driver as he races the clock rather than one man competing against another.

Soccer is a good example of the cultural differences between American and European sports. A soccer match can end in a 0-0 draw and the Europeans will say that it was a great game while the Americans will complain that there was no winner.