Monster Energy Ford Team

[JAM]

It seems hard to some heads understand the value of Block's program on WRC...

tsss tsss tsss

[Sulland]

In 2010 the US is coming into F1 with USF1 and to Rally with the Monster Team.
Should do something to get those two on the US sports map, but they have their own world series to worry about, so it might take some time to get to the level where the Standard Joe start to notice it !!

[bluuford]

But the point is that Rally isn't ever news for the major media in the US until Ken Block

Can you see his marketing skills. He just told that he does more rallies than 1 and he will do Mexico. Sooner or later he adds another press release where he says which rallies he will do more. And even if he plans to add Chris to his team, be sure that there will be separate story for that as well :-) Guy knows what he does:-)

[Tomi]

There has been a lot of interest in Kimi doing rallying. There was lots of discussions about Kimi doing rally Finland in F1 and F1 forums for example. According to some of the fans there was also a lot of Kimi fans who went to rally Finland.
There is currently a lot of discussions going on about Kimi's participation in WRC in F1 circles and F1 forums, which wasn't the case before Kimi started to show an interest in rallying. Most of Kimi's fans comes from places like China, India, or the Philippines for example, and a lot of those fans have expressed that they will definitely follow Kimi in rally. The problem is just that it is a bit difficult for most of us, at this stage to join in the discussions especially in the off season, because we dont know much about rallying. I think people still needs to get used to the idea. But there is definitely some interest.
Kimi going to WRC was the 2nd and 3rd most read articles of autosport in 2009:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80707


As for Block, he also has a very large fan base. Many of his loyal fans will defintily want to see him in action so they will follow him WRC, and the USA have a very large market, which will also be benefical to the sponsors. The advatage of Block's fans is that they at least already know something about rallying.

Once the season gets under way and there is a bit more action, I think there will generally be a lot of interest.

Yes propably true, but i was refering about how Kimis rally stuff was announced in the media here, around 1000 lakes quite much and after it was clear that he wont drive F1 this year, more again, but no more than about other rallydrivers, if they are in same situation. With media I mean main Newspapers and TV.
About Block it was also same like for all all drivers who sign contract, normal news here, but offcourse big in US, because he is the first in long time.

[wotaguy]

also in U.S. there,s many forms of motorsport cart/indy/nascar etc rallying has to compete with all those.

[WRCMAD Sean]

it should be interesting

[ShiftingGears]

Can you explaine why it is sad that if someone who is not interested in rally dont know who Loeb is?

It means that sponsors and manufacturers are much less likely to invest in rallying.

[Simmi]

It means that sponsors and manufacturers are much less likely to invest in rallying.

Exactly!

If you imagine some sponsorship guys go upstairs to their boss who writes the cheques. We have a chance to get on board with a new WRC rally team (VW/Mini etc). Now theoretically they could be running a team of Loeb and Gronholm and if this guy who writes the cheques hasn't heard of either then he assumes maybe his customers wont either. Then they might hire a market research team that would tell them pretty much the same thing. Bottom line the deal doesn't get made.

[Tomi]

I dont think so, neither Loeb or Grönholm has no problem to get sponsor money, but thats because what they have done them self.

[Simmi]

I dont think so, neither Loeb or Grönholm has no problem to get sponsor money, but thats because what they have done them self.

The drivers were merely examples. And I'm not talking about personal sponsors from their own countries. To be fair Loeb has garnered the Playstation backing. But in this case new large companies that are new to rallying. Fresh investment from overseas. Big multinational companies. Blue chip dream sponsors that rallying has to aspire to attract.

Not a bit of backing from Karjala.