For those of you who are unaware: Rally is cancelled. The
sport that was growing fast in the last 2 years has slumped over and died
on it’s own small food supply.
Mitsubishi has pulled out. Subaru is about to. All the top sponsors have walked. No Speed Channel coverage. We’re back to basics.
“I’m going to tell you something that you’re not going to like. Probably
the world ain’t going to like it, but I’ll tell it to you just how it is.”
Here are the fundamental problems with the system:
Issues:
1. The SCCA.
They want the juicy apple, without caring for the tree, protecting it from
frost, or nurturing it for 3 years before it fruits. (I could go on for
about an hour on the SCCA – but I’ll leave this happy fruit analogy
instead.) It costs my circle track friends $100 a year to get a
licence, and $50 a WEEKEND to race. Why are there $75
rallycrosses?? Insurance? Safety? Or is someone taking too big of a bite out
of our apple?
2. Rally has NO
feeder series in this country. There is only a slim chance that the next
winner of the SCCA ProRally will be from the US. If no 20 year olds learn
to rally this year – what’s going to happen in 2013? Take a mass produced sub-sub-compact,
limit the displacement to 1600cc’s FWD sealed motor (sound familiar?), go racing this year
for $10K.
3. We all think that
closing a road, and setting up some timing equipment is some monumental
task that can’t be done without a government permit, cash bribes, and a
legal understanding of the red tape we’d have to go through. We are
generation X – we are lazy, and ignorant.
4. The marketing plan is poor. This is also under SCCA’s
control – but I don’t directly blame them. When was the last time
you saw a commercial for the Formula V series? The SCCA
is “good” at organizing, and officiating events. They are “bad” at marketing and
communications.
Solutions:
1. We need an organization that will market and sell rallies.
We need YOU, and your friends, and their friends to sit down and start talking.
“Hey… Why can’t we do a rally here?” You don’t have to re-invent the wheel.
Rally America –
Has done tons with timing and scoring. They are creating a market with
realtime results. American Rally Sport Group – Runs the Ramada Express
in AZ. Not only do they know what they are doing, they got
USAC to officiate
the event.
target=”_blank”>Newfoundland International Motorsports LTD. – Has done
an awesome tarmac rally for the last 2 years known as Targa Newfoundland.
They market, insure, and officiate the event! They learned what they know
from a company called Octagon Marketing
– Who do all sorts of international events. This group would handle: public relations, sponsorship,
marketing, media coverage, volunteers, and the treasury. Doing all the pre
and post rally “leg work”. Being available at town
meetings before and after the event.
2. We need an organization that will officiate rallies.
An organization that will grow the sport. Create a fair and balanced set
of rules for classes. Why is my rule book 150+ pages long? Do we
need a 20 minute dissertaion on how an ORANGE tow hook should function?
Super Late Model is looking better and better with their
15 rules.
Handle the following: Start a feeder series,
insurance, workers, timing and scoring, spectator control,
safety, scrutineering, and road usage.
3. We need a way to pay for it.
Okay – Say your group starts a non-profit limited partnership to run a rally in NH.
We’ll call this; HappyRally™. You now own the rights to – HappyRally™, and you can proceed to sell it to sponsors as you formulate a marketing plan. Your logo goes on the website, the T-Shirts,
the hats, the banners. You don’t have to pay for them, as you will
licence a (preferably) local vendor to sell HappyRally™ Brand products. You are getting money from THREE sources:
[A] The sponsors who realize the potential event coverage. You are after all taking a town
of 3,000 people, and bringing in about 2,000 more. Plus potential TV and
news coverage.
[B] Spectators will have to pay $5 a stage and sign a waiver, in
order to get a wrist band (read: happy laywers), that will let them get bussed
into 3 or 4 possible spectator areas.
(1 or 2 of these areas will have a realtime score board, and local
vendors selling food, and drink)
[C] Team entry fees. $200 – $300 for the Club guys. $600 – $700
for the Pro’s.
Problems That Fix Themselves:
1. Sim Rally
The town figures out how much it will cost to re-grade the roads when your done with them.
I’m sure a fair settlement can be reached. Small business call up the Mayor, and let him / her know
how much profit they made selling regalia, and food services. Now the road work snow removal
budget looks a lot healthier then it did last year, and they can afford to keep Bill, the part
time guy, on for the season. Everybody likes Bill. WMUR runs a weekend piece on Townsville. Home
of HappyRally™, and a lot of people are looking forward to next year. I’m sure not everyone is happy,
but you did your best by compensating homeowners with special rally day parking, transportation,
and free passes for the family to catch other stages. Including the one they can watch from the front
porch.
2. Self police.
Now you have lots of information, and communication. Spectators are now 100 times more informed then they ever were.
Maps are a little more “comprehensive“.
People know where they should go, and what to do when they get there. Now instead of having 100 “yahoo’s” following
around 1 guy who knows where to go. You have 100 people yelling at the 1 yahoo going up the wrong way on a stage road.