from www.rally-live.com/en/

A new American Rally Championship
Featuring FIA calendar listings [19/11/04 - 00:38]
:D
American rally fans can continue to celebrate the fastest growing form of motorsport with the debut of the 2005 United States Rally Championship series.

Four premier and established rally events will comprise the series made possible through the cooperative partnership of the United States Auto Club (USAC) and the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). The four FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) Calendar listed events will form a highly anticipated championship series that will represent and sanction both international level competition along with regional and sportsman levels.

The United States Rally Championship kicks off its 2005 season beginning with the Cherokee Trails International Rally in Cleveland, Tennessee in early March. The series races across the country to the Subaru Rim of the World International Rally in Lancaster California in May, returning to the east coast in September with the International Rally New York in Monticello, New York. The championship points will then be determined at the series finale in December at the Ramada Express International Rally in Laughlin, Nevada.

All events in the series will have FIA Calendar listing, allowing entries from international teams within North America along with other teams from European and Asian countries. USAC will sanction the International level competitors in the United States Championship Series.

NASA will place its emphasis on the sportsman competitor through its NASA Rally Sport program. The regional rally event calendar is divided into Rally Sport East, with the NASA Rally Sport Eastern States Rally Championship, and Rally Sport West with events in the California Rally Series and the Western States Rally Championship. Each regional Rally Sport series includes two of the United States Rally Championship events in its calendar.

“The United States Rally Championship represents a true evolution of American rallying,” says Ray Hocker, Board Member of the United States Rally Championship. “With a focus on both grassroots and FIA international level competitors, the USRC is the only premier rally organization in America with strong, proven events and an even stronger vision for growth through our partners at USAC and NASA.”

"The United States Rally Championship brings together what were formerly very separate, diverse elements,” comments John Lindsay, Chief Regional Director of the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). “I think this unique combination of levels is one of the great strengths of this series. The four Championship events are the best of America's stage rallies, and its four-event format also makes this a very affordable series for the grassroots competitor. What a thrill for the NASA Rally Sport regional competitors to personally meet and compete with the finest competitors in America, and the International teams as well."

"There is nothing like the excitement and thrill that comes from being part an international level rally with the involvement of top-notch drivers and navigators," states Johnny Capels of the United States Auto Club (USAC). "With Rally Mexico now on the World Rally Championship calendar, there is a new awareness of America's rally events. For the same reason the four event series is feasible for the grassroots teams, the same can be said for the International teams. With four events, there is a unique opportunity for further involvement in the United States Rally Championship. USAC is proud to be part of this new development in the motorsport of rallying."

The 2005 United States Rally Championship calendar:


March 6-7 Cherokee Trails International Rally, based in Cleveland, Tennessee


May 5-6 Subaru Rim of the World International Rally, in Lancaster, California


Sept 30-Oct 1 International Rally New York, based in Monticello, New York


December 1-4 Ramada Express International Rally, based in Laughlin, Nevada

Each United States Rally Championship event is able to bring rally action directly to the spectators, television crews, and other members of the press. The Subaru Rim of the World International Rally presented by Autosport Engineering includes daily stadium competition on their Super Special stage at the Lancaster Fairgrounds, while the Ramada Express International Rally has a Sunday SuperStage finale in the Laughlin Special Events Arena. Both rallies design a challenging dual-action dirt course with side-by-side rally stage competition, fully open to the public. International Rally New York and Cherokee Trails International Rally include fully-monitored spectator viewing areas within their event stages. Several of the events offer spectator-area bus service.

Press release

What are the odds of C.T. actually happening? Has it not been cancelled two years running due to lack of interest?


Why would RIM not join the real US national series, run by Rally America?



peter

What are the odds of C.T. actually happening? Has it not been cancelled two years running due to lack of interest?


IIRC it was not lack of interest that cancelled it the past two years, instead it was a disagreement between the organizers and the SCCA that led the organizers to look for another sanctioning body....

I thought it was a Nasa sanctioned event. I believe I saw serveral posts from the organizers on SS trying to get a minimum field. I heard there was not enought enteries to cover the costs.

I understand the event, and roads were very good the last time the event ran.

CT was run in 2004 successfully...

http://www.cherokeetrailsrally.com/

Ah, it was 03 I was thinking of.


Ok I remember now.

What are the odds of C.T. actually happening? Has it not been cancelled two years running due to lack of interest?


Why would RIM not join the real US national series, run by Rally America?



peter

Peter,

that is because the United States Rally Championship
is no less real (and may be more real) than the other series.

Ivan Orisek

The schedule RA has, is made up of the events that have historically been the national series, not that gives them the right to be only national series.

I appologize about the "real" comment, I was wrong in saying that. I guess what I mean is it appears they (RA)have a great schedule of events, and the financial horsepower to promote, and support a national series. Adding another series will delute the fields at all events.

Peter

The schedule RA has, is made up of the events that have historically been the national series, not that gives them the right to be only national series.

I appologize about the "real" comment, I was wrong in saying that. I guess what I mean is it appears they (RA)have a great schedule of events, and the financial horsepower to promote, and support a national series. Adding another series will delute the fields at all events.

Peter


I do not see why RA should abandon their series just to satisfy your
desire for a single series. Then again, we have had consistently this year
at our two events - Rally New York in April and Rally New York USA this month - more entries than all but one of your events "that have historically been the national series".

Ivan Orisek

Looking at the schedule, only one event is even in the same month - RNY is 2 weeks away from RA's event.
rz

I do not see why RA should abandon their series just to satisfy your
desire for a single series. Then again, we have had consistently this year
at our two events - Rally New York in April and Rally New York USA this month - more entries than all but one of your events "that have historically been the national series".

Ivan Orisek


Ah, I see exactly where you are coming from, nice work. You could be president with that tongue.


Peter

Will there be TV coverage? IF that happens I could see alot of people running this championship - Four events is alot cheaper then running 9

The schedule RA has, is made up of the events that have historically been the national series, not that gives them the right to be only national series.

I appologize about the "real" comment, I was wrong in saying that. I guess what I mean is it appears they (RA)have a great schedule of events, and the financial horsepower to promote, and support a national series. Adding another series will delute the fields at all events.

Peter

I am not sure that RA has been able to secure insurance yet.

Wild West didn't make RA's schedule due to date conflicts, Rim didn't make RA's schedule due to some disagreement over exceptions that Rim organizers asked for (apparently no different to past years with SCCA though).

So...... if WW wound up on the NASA series, that would be interesting. They've been FIA listed in the past, that would make 5 FIA events on the NASA/USAC/USRC.

I too am disappointed that Ray Hocker and Doug Havir couldn't join forces to make one big series, on the other hand, at least there will be a bunch of rallies there to enter.

[QUOTE=Glenn Wallace]I am not sure that RA has been able to secure insurance yet.

Let's see what happens.

Wild West didn't make RA's schedule due to date conflicts, Rim didn't make RA's schedule due to some disagreement over exceptions that Rim organizers asked for (apparently no different to past years with SCCA though).

So...... if WW wound up on the NASA series, that would be interesting. They've been FIA listed in the past, that would make 5 FIA events on the NASA/USAC/USRC.


Obviously we have two groups that each intend to produce a superior product. I guess we'll have to see who promises what, and who delivers the goods.

I'm gonna go watch LSPR.....


Peter

I do not see why RA should abandon their series just to satisfy your
desire for a single series.
Ivan Orisek

Ivan, nice work!! you really need to send a resume to FOX news.





Then again, we have had consistently this year
at our two events - Rally New York in April and Rally New York USA this month - more entries than all but one of your events "that have historically been the national series".

Ivan Orisek






Can't argue with that, getting the SCCA out of the way, and the rise of NASA in the NE has coincided with the growth of the NE scene. Quite a few competitive NE teams, at both events you mention they had a bitchin turn out of fast cars. Can't wait to see all those guys at Ramada and RIM.

:banana:

Thats the first step towards a WRC in the US.


-Mark
MAPmotors.com

Ivan, nice work!! you really need to send a resume to FOX news. That's harsh dude! Why are you accusing him of spewing blatantly unsubstantiated partisan propaganda and calling it "news?" ;)

I'm not so sure that we need a 5th "championship" in North America. 1) North American Rally Championship - a combination of CARS and US events; 2) CARS in Canada; 3) Rally America series; 4) NASA rally; then this would make a 5th. Quite a few of these have overlapping events already, and some of the events they list overlap for other national series already. Giving yet another trophy for them won't really change all that much - it may be only 4 events, but they are very spread out. They could conceivably end up with a series winner who only competed in 2 of the 4 events, which won't be all that impressive. Can you imagine someone telling you they placed in the top 10 nationally, then admitting that they did that by doing well at ONE event? I'd have to laugh at that (imaginary) guy for trying to tell me he placed nationally.

Mark - The first step for WRC coming to the USA will have more to do with a critical mass of fans in the US than any events will at this point.

Alex

blawww hhahha :banana:

Having more than one championshp just kind of dilutes the meaning of the word championship. Such is life when you have two organizing bodies in the same sport. There isn't much of a field to dilute anyways, most of the competitors run regionally or they run because they know the events. NASA has an established base in the east and west now, with no real presence in the Midwest. Rally America is very strong in the Midwest, it's too bad the organizers couldn't come together to build one series.

I think one of the big hurdles between RA and Rim was the scoring at Rim being down in hundredths of a minute where the timing equipment RA uses is done in regular time. RA wanted everyone in the series to use their timing equipment exclusively, I'm not sure what the big deal was for Rim using the other scoring method.

The only thing I don't like is the alarmist tone by some of the NASA folks when someone mentions something maybe a little anti-NASA. You need to be a little less antagonistic.

I don't agree that anything is being diluted. I think the USRC is a good thing. More rallies is more rallies, plain and simple. Championship X or championship Y is just accounting and awards for those who like that sort of thing. I can easily see some championship series that covers both NASA and RA events - all it takes is someone to keep track of the scores. As long as both sanctioning bodies are doing a good job with the events, what does it really matter which one sanctions any given event?

And in passing, yes we want all events in our series to use the same timing for consistency, but it wasn't an insurmountable issue by any means. Rim and RA did not depart negotiations as enemies in any way. It's just a different approach to the same overall objectives between the two groups. There are multiple right answers and it's definitely not a case of one of us being right and the other being wrong.

Cheers,
-Doug

I think one of the big hurdles between RA and Rim was the scoring at Rim being down in hundredths of a minute where the timing equipment RA uses is done in regular time.

Not that it really has anything to do with this, but I really do that I wish that Rim would go to seconds for timing. One of the best events in the US, and my personal favorite.

But the 100s scoring is dumb, dumb, dumb.

If every event could standardize on seconds scoring, and 10 seconds per minute late, it'd be a major advance for US rallying.

- Christian