Ojibwe Forests Rally 2010

[MATCHBX]

Tell that to Ken Block since he has yet to finish an Ojibwe for the last 2-3 years. He's totalled 2 cars out in the last 2 events. I can't help but chuckle a little inside when we come upon his car all twisted up on the side of the stage road (at least after we have made sure he and Alex are ok). I still have parts of his car in my CR-V.

Money will only carry you so far, you need talent to finish it out.

[Tachyon]

Originally Posted by MATCHBX

Tell that to Ken Block since he has yet to finish an Ojibwe for the last 2-3 years. He's totalled 2 cars out in the last 2 events. I can't help but chuckle a little inside when we come upon his car all twisted up on the side of the stage road (at least after we have made sure he and Alex are ok). I still have parts of his car in my CR-V.

Money will only carry you so far, you need talent to finish it out.

This. I always get a kick out of Duplessis, Greenhouse and even Eixenberger whipping the tar out of much more financed teams, time and time again, in old, low powered econo boxes. But then again, experience does have a financial price tag...

The problem is rally is very cost prohibitive. To just attend a regional co-efficient 2 our team would be looking at a minimum of $2000 for entry fees, tires, fuel for support vehicles, crew (lodging, meals, transportation) parts and maintenance, etc... And I guarantee you, we operate on a lower budget than a lot of regional teams. Not having that level of disposable income each and every month, we have to pick and choose which rallies we are going to enter. (sorry Carl, we chose to skip OFR in favor of doing NT3, and LSPR)

Because there is really no economic structure to support any but the very top drivers here in the States, most of the competitors finance themselves mostly out of pocket. At a hobbyist level, that's fine, you're after the experience and not so much the points. But if RA wants to attract more serious drivers and a greater fan base to grow the sport upon, they have to cater to the 90% to gain some traction. Sports thrive on competition. To create a better competitive base, the sport needs to be more accessible to a greater number of people.