Yesterday it was an annual event, today it's gone.
Rally America officials informed Lake Superior Performance Rally organizers that the 2010 event would not be on its national schedule. It will be run as a regional event sanctioned by the Rally America organization.
It's all about money and not much revenue can be generated with this type of road rally. Rallies like LSPR are money-losing proposition, since there is no way to charge admission, and the organization has lost money five consecutive years. The RA rallycross events will take place on a closed-loop one-mile course at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, N.J., and feature cars racing against each other in heats, instead of against the clock like they do in events like LSPR.
Rally America hopes to bring together champions from the four regional series together at LSPR 2010 in a sort of 'race of champions' format. The event, which has roots dating back to the 'Press On Regardless' rally in the 1940s, should still draw a good field because of its history and its ties to the community and Michigan Tech.
So.. having said that.. We'll have something next year but it will be more like watching the minor leagues instead of the pros.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Everything is all about money anymore. I'm sorry your community is losing a special event.
Sue
Why do we continually sacrifice tradition for a dollar. POR has taken place for 60 years. Putting a rally on a closed circuit track is ridiculous. It takes away the raw elements of racing on open roads, a tradition that has been in our blood since the car was invented.
As a fellow marketing person I fully understand that reasoning for this change, but from the perspective of someone that loves the sport I am disappointed that they have cut races just to "put on a show". That's not what this sport is all about.
I hope that Press on Regardless will continue independently and keep the tradition of rally racing alive.
Kudos to the volunteers that helped organize this year's event. It's a big job, with countless hours, but we greatly appreciated their efforts to make this event a success. Even though we had to travel over 6 hours to get there our family had a wonderful time.
Post a Comment