WRC in USA or Canada

[MJW]

If North America were to host a round of the WRC is the mid term future which event would be the best likely candidate? Admittedly I though of this when watching Sno Drift updates from teh master of marketing Ken Block

[mikkov]

Many of the American rallies have crazy fast stages (and I mean crazy) and most are based in really small towns. For example Sno Drift is based in Atlanta, Michigan population <1000.

Olympus Rally is at least based in sizable city Olympia population 47000 (capital of Washington) and it has been part of the WRC before. Can't really comment on the stages and overall organisation if the would be able to handle WRC.

[Prisoner Monkeys]

If the towns that host the current rounds of the championship are too small, then perhaps the best way forward would be to create an entirely new event. Looking at satellite photos and maps of parts of the country, I think Denver might be a good place to start. Not only does it have a population of over 600,000 people, but it is hard up against the Rocky Mountains, so good roads should be easy to find. (Example (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5801166).)

Failing that, it may be worth considering Los Angeles as a potential venue. There are a lot of good-looking roads around Malibu, and in the Angeles and San Bernadino National Forests. (Example (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5801168).)

Similarly, San Francisco might work as a good base depending on how far teams are willing to travel to stages - the Yosemite National Park is about 250km away (alternatively, Modesto is 130km away), and there are plenty of good roads in between the two (Example (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5801171)).

The final location that I could find on short notice is Rapid City in South Dakota. At 67,000 people, it's bigger than Olympia, but it's also in a fairly isolated corner of a fairly isolated state, and might be difficult to access. It is, however, up against the Black Hills, which offer a multitiude of potential roads to use. And there is always the possibility of running the power stage past Mount Rushmore. (Example (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5801175).)

Of course, you should note that these designs are based on five minutes with the Google Maps Pedometer and represent what I think would be interesting roads to have a rally on. Whether or not they are practical or feasible locations for events is open to interpretation.

[Hartusvuori]

In this context it's good to link to this recent interview with John Buffum.

John Buffum World Rally Championship Driver: The Stuff of Legend - Road & Track (http://www.roadandtrack.com/racing/john-buffum-world-rally-championship-driver-the-stuff-of-legend)

It starts with a line that gives perfect perspective on things: "More Americans have walked on the moon than have scored points in the World Rally Championship."

This is interesting subject.

[big_sw2000]

If the towns that host the current rounds of the championship are too small, then perhaps the best way forward would be to create an entirely new event. Looking at satellite photos and maps of parts of the country, I think Denver might be a good place to start. Not only does it have a population of over 600,000 people, but it is hard up against the Rocky Mountains, so good roads should be easy to find. (Example (http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5801166).)

.

Sounds awsome. They could then use Pikes Peak.

Steve

[Franky]

Sounds awsome. They could then use Pikes Peak.

Steve

There was quite a long argument about it last year between Janvanvurpa and Prisoner Monkeys. Tho I can't recall the thread name.

[Prisoner Monkeys]

Yes, I remember that. He seemed to think that because the WRC didn't attract crowds twenty-five years ago, it won't attract crowds today, and he based this argument on the attendance of local and regional rally events in another corner of the country.

[TyPat107]

Sounds awsome. They could then use Pikes Peak.

Steve
Pikes peak has been fully paved, is 2 hours drive from Denver and I doubt they would close the road for anything other than the hill limb itself.
I do have to agree with Prisoner though about the possibility of good spectating. Pikes peak has had record attendance the last two years.

as far as having a rally in Colorado, steamboat would be a far better candidate. As a rally has run there for years, the organizing would be a little easier, it's a resort town so there are other attractions and lodging should be easy, and the roads are fun.

Or bring the rally here to Wyoming. I live in a town of 65,000 and from my house I can be on a gravel road in any direction within 10minutes and some better roads within 30. Not to mention our weather is as changeable as Monte Carlo year round. Case in point first day I went testing in my car was in mid-50*F and within a half hour I was in about 2inches of snow.

[Gregor-y]

Denver would be terrible. It's too far inland and while there are a lot of nice roads they aren't really close to one another. I love the place and I love driving around the mountains but there's nothing that's really going to work. There was an event at Steamboat Springs and that town or one of the other ski resorts may be big enough to handle a summer event, but finding and getting permission to use roads in the area would be tough. I drove out to Steamboat Springs for the 2006 rally and it was more lumpy hills and greasy mud than any kind of proper gravel stage, let alone rallying along mountainsides.

Sno*Drift was nice, although Ken Block was pretty much a non-issue, having electrical issues on the second stage. He had a competitive time on stage 1 but when he re-started the second day he was as much as 30 seconds slower than the leaders on the two stages I was timing. The real fight was between L'Estage and David Higgins, with the Canadian managing to have the lead at the end.

[Prisoner Monkeys]

Denver would be terrible. It's too far inland
What's the problem with it being inland? So long as the city is accessible to both teams and spectators, it should not be a problem.


and while there are a lot of nice roads they aren't really close to one another. I love the place and I love driving around the mountains but there's nothing that's really going to work.
Have you looked at maps of the region? There are roads everywhere. If you can't make a rally out of that, you can't make a rally anywhere.


I drove out to Steamboat Springs for the 2006 rally and it was more lumpy hills and greasy mud than any kind of proper gravel stage, let alone rallying along mountainsides.
First of all, Steamboat Springs is 180km from Denver. Secondly, the mountains in the area aren't nearly as mountainous as those closer to Denver. And thirdly, if the surface is greasy mud and bumpy hills, that just gives the event a bit of character. If I want to see a rally like the Rally of Finland, then I will go to Rally of Finland. What I don't want to do is go to an event that is trying to imitate another rally. I would prefer it if rallies had their own individual character. If that means the roads are made of slippery mud over rough bedrock, then that's a good thing.