X games RALLY? Was it?

[WRXedUSA]

All I was trying to say is that we may get a situation in the USA where people don't want to go to forest in the middle of nowhere etc.....instead opting for the easier to attend, more action packed SSS style of rallying. I honestly wouldn't be suprised if this does nothing for the amount of specy's out on the real stages. Didn't mean to offend anyone, i just don't believe its the best way to sell rallying as a sport.

Again, i don't mean to offend anyone but even though Rallying is an extreme sport, it doesn't have the ''yeh man, rad dude'' image of the X-Games, which is mostly for stonners on Skateboards and BMX's.

Your comments are very superficial.

It's clear that you don't understand the growth and current position of rallying in the US and what influences it.

And by all accounts, from everyone that participated, the drivers, the organizers, ESPN, R-A and the fans packed in the stands, this was a success, and a big moment for the sport in the USA.

[Doon]

Rally got into the X Games because of computer gaming. They saw the appeal of it to the X Game crowd. No, it is not a European mentality but it is not a European market they are trying to win over.

I thought it got in so Pastrana could win another medal or something along those lines?

[Doon]

And by all accounts, from everyone that participated, the drivers, the organizers, ESPN, R-A and the fans packed in the stands, this was a success, and a big moment for the sport in the USA.

Packed stadium? You mean the people that hadn't left after the Skateboard vert final?

[jonas_mcrae]

oh Doon terrible coments now, why didnt you just name the thread

"I hate Rally being in the Xgames, I hate america, and I hate travis pastrana and by the way next wrc season I want all events to be held in Europe"???

[Doon]

oh Doon terrible coments now, why didnt you just name the thread

"I hate Rally being in the Xgames, I hate america, and I hate travis pastrana and by the way next wrc season I want all events to be held in Europe"???

Actually jonas, I quite like Pastrana.... well i respect his enthusiasm! I think he is good for the sport in the US, but honestly I thought Rallying was introduced into the X-Games largely because of him?

With the exceptions of Safari, NZ and Argentina, maybe Japan, the best events are in Europe.....so cork it!

[jonas_mcrae]

well theres no way round you is it?
just hope American rally proves you wrong in the next few years...

[L5->R5/CR]

I thought it got in so Pastrana could win another medal or something along those lines?

hakes head:

Actually jonas, I quite like Pastrana.... well i respect his enthusiasm! I think he is good for the sport in the US, but honestly I thought Rallying was introduced into the X-Games largely because of him?

Because of him, his X Games credability, his profile, his sponsors, and many hundreds if not thousands of countless hours put in by Rally America.

Pastrana is the X Games in terms of name recognition and perceived X Games credability. It was not an event to increase his medal count (his contract extension after 2006 basically severely limited his ability to compete in X Games doing 2 events in 2007 instead of 4...)

Packed stadium? You mean the people that hadn't left after the Skateboard vert final?

That stadium seats like 30,000 people.

AFIK is that the stadium sold out for the day. The beauty and the curse of X Games tickets is that the HDC is treated like a free pass campus, one ticket gets you in and then you go where you like. Considering the skateboard vert finals absorbed a lot of the potential tickets the crowd was nothing to shake a stick out (we get tops 7,500 spectators at a large US national anyway). Besides the 10-15,000 people that were there screamed their heads off and loved every minute of it. This on top of the 4.5+ million Americans that watched it live on TV (TV audience is what counts anyway).

Oh yeah. Rally Car got national press on countless news broadcasts and radio shows, something that no other event short of a disastrous roll has been able to do (2005 Pastrana Colorado Cog Rally at over 100 MPH to be precise).

[Doon]

Oh yeah. Rally Car got national press on countless news broadcasts and radio shows, something that no other event short of a disastrous roll has been able to do (2005 Pastrana Colorado Cog Rally at over 100 MPH to be precise).

That's good going and I'm pleased to hear that. More than we get here in the UK. Maybe we need rallying in the olympics to raise the profile of the sport!

[cannyboy]

Funny thing is the US rally championship is doing a lot better than the UK one at the minute!
Perhaps it's time for a UK X games?

[amberie]

Here's my two cents:
I'm an American convert to rally. I'm actually the complete opposite of that stereotype of an X Games fan; I'm a woman, I've never been stoned, and I've never said the word "rad" in my life. All I had to pique my interest was the ISC-produced review shows on Speed. It took me a while to really understand what rallying is, because we American's don't have anything like this here. I remember being quite surprised to learn what a time control was.

So how do you sell what is in effect not only a new sport, but a new concept? Americans haven't bought into rugby, cricket, or even Crystal Pepsi. David Beckham is trying to sell soccer/football, and it's an uphill battle even when millions of children play soccer after school. There's no marketing firm to produce ads or PR events. So all we have are grassroots supporters, video games and now, the X Games.

I see the X Games as more of a TV ad than the whole show. And admit it--as unrally-like as it was, it was a ton of fun.

However, when your only mainstream proponent of rally is an extreme sports competition, you're going to get rallying branded as an extreme sport. We couldn't prevent that. Also, the X Games organizers probably didn't see a point in holding gravel stages without spectators, and that would only damage the cars. It'd be great if American rallying could be the same as the WRC, but it's simply not possible in this early stage.

As livewireshock said, we have to let it grow. You can't dig up the daisies to see if the roots are growing.

I do wonder, though--what will happen to Rally America when Travis Pastrana starts his full PWRC campaign?