Super Special Stages ?

[pino]

Let's talk about them in a separate thread, so what's your opinion about them ? You like them ? are they good for rallying, and for rallyfans ? Have you spectated any ? Have you enjoyed ? Should they stay or go ?

Discuss

[L5->R5/CR]

Having a silly stadium thing close to the rall HQ was fine.

Having to transit a couple hundred K on Thursday and Sunday night was OK.

Having to travel HOURS for 2.2km for a pocket fest is just plain stupid.

[Corny]

GO! They have nothing to do with rallysport

[gloomyDAY]

Go! I caught the SSS in Leon, Gto. The running was impressive but pointless.

[amberie]

Stay, if they're done right.

[Tomi]

I think 1 sss/event would be ok, because it's easy for teams and drivers to bring their sponsors and sponsors guests to there, bur now the amount of sss are too many, and taking the sss many 100 km away from the competition area is plain stupid.

[Livewireshock]

They do add an extra pizazz when done properly. When it was introduced at the Rally Australia it was beside the service park. To hold it 750km away was just a disaster waiting to happen.

They are necessary to bring the rally action closer to the people but more importantly it brings it closer to the corporate dollar backing the sport.

Staying only out in the forests & rural areas, the sponsors have a harder time showing off the event to their clients & guests.

It should be looked at as just another facet of rallying life. Alot of drivers love them & like the atmosphere at some.

[Maui J.]

IMO they should stay, but of course in the town or city hosting the rally.
As said above it does bring the crowds in, which is good for the sponsors, car companies, tyre companies and so on. Which of course is good for the sport. Remembering as far as the works teams are concerned this is a marketing tool for their cars, it's this or a painted sign on the edge of a football field or a TV ad. I know what I would rather have.

Side by side racing does give a real instant competitive feel to a sport that relies on stopwatches for its results.
I don't mind one or two SSS per event, just as long as the real rally stays out in the forests/farm roads/back roads etc.

This Argentinian cock-up will hopefully prevent other organisers from trying to do a similar thing. As I said in another thread... Keep It Simple.

[AlfaWRC]

WRASS - World Rally Against Super Stages!

I don't see the point the super stages bring the action closer to the people. There are less and less people at all the Super Stage from year to year. And the people you meet there you often also meet out there on the Stages in the forests. That's my experience from Rallyes throughout the world....

Furthermore they are seldom shown in the TV....

I am absolutely against them!

[Priorat]

I don't like them. I've never been to one and never will be.
What I like most is to see rally cars driven fast across beautiful landscapes around the world.
I don't even like spectator areas which are plenty of signs of forbidden and permitted points. They destroy the scenary around the car.