Monster World Rally Team

[rallyswift75]

Monster World Rally Team
Ken Block will be driving in the WRC with his new team. How well do you guys think he will do?

[LTSmash]

This is bittersweet in my view.

I don't like Ken or his followers; he seems to generate a poser/energy drinking/d-bag following. Plus, I don't think he will do well seeing as many of the Rally America drivers are just over glorified drifters who think that more wheel spin is the appropriate way to take a corner.

However, I do hope that it sparks more interest in the US for WRC racing; then again his presence may simply demote the WRC to the level of the X-Games in the eyes of many ignorant American's.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

Ken Block is not just drifting though, he's a master of car control and if he can get the US excited about Cornering, I'm all for it.

[csl177]

+1 LTSmash. I'd like to think WRC can develop a strong following in the USA, but if this team is expected to generate excitment for the sport it'll fail. Since SPEED dropped coverage in favor of lame content like PINKS and Wrecked, what else should we expect?

WRC is the most exciting and demanding motorsport there is. Flash personalities like Block can't make it "better".

[henk4]

Ken Block is not just drifting though, he's a master of car control and if he can get the US excited about Cornering, I'm all for it.

perhaps by carefully studying Loeb, he can learn a thing or two.

[Ferrer]

WRC is the most exciting and demanding motorsport there is. Flash personalities like Block can't make it "better".

It was is far more accurate.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

perhaps by carefully studying Loeb, he can learn a thing or two.

Perhaps, but when you've got hardened fans like Ferrer thinking the format is old hat, unexciting and not worth the time of day, you tend to branch out into markets which either don't know better or will get genuinely excited.

See also: F1 in the Middle East.

[Ferrer]

Perhaps, but when you've got hardened fans like Ferrer thinking the format is old hat, unexciting and not worth the time of day, you tend to branch out into markets which either don't know better or will get genuinely excited.

See also: F1 in the Middle East.

I think that in anycase rallying has suffered far more than any other motorsport.

I mean, if you crash or your car breaks down you can restart the next day. That doesn't make any sense at all. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

It's a spectator sport and it's run over a period of days. It makes sense as to why they allow such things (You're allowed to repair a car before a big race if it crashes in Qualifying, for instance)

The problem isn't so much the format of the sport as the attention spans of those watching, which is becoming increasingly limited.

[Dino Scuderia]

It's difficult to have a long attention span as a rally spectator when you see the cars for about three seconds as they whiz by.

I watched the 2009 season on HD TV and saw more than spectators did in person....and it gets old...the driving is spectacular but the racing against the clock is not as exciting as cars racing each other IMO.

I've been to two rally's...it was fun because it was different...but not something I would be arsed with year after year like I do attending the Petit LeMans annually.

As for Block's big new adventure..it will not make one smidge of difference in WRC awareness in the US. There is a niche crowd that follows WRC as much as they can but that's it.

[RacingManiac]

This is bittersweet in my view.

I don't like Ken or his followers; he seems to generate a poser/energy drinking/d-bag following. Plus, I don't think he will do well seeing as many of the Rally America drivers are just over glorified drifters who think that more wheel spin is the appropriate way to take a corner.

However, I do hope that it sparks more interest in the US for WRC racing; then again his presence may simply demote the WRC to the level of the X-Games in the eyes of many ignorant American's.

ha, very first reply pretty much sums it up...Block and Travis Pastrana are both of the same type. No doubt both are skilled drivers, but because their background they do attract a different crowd. Which is probably why they are popular with the marketers but does little for me. I do think it will bring more attention to the sport though, since we've all saw the effect of those little video Block made and how big of a hit it was on Youtube. Maybe enough that they'll bring a WRC round to US....

[Ferrer]

It's a spectator sport and it's run over a period of days. It makes sense as to why they allow such things (You're allowed to repair a car before a big race if it crashes in Qualifying, for instance)

The problem isn't so much the format of the sport as the attention spans of those watching, which is becoming increasingly limited.

The problem in my opinion is that back in the late 90's and early noughties the people in charge of the sport tried making rallying a spectator-friendly sport. The thing is though, rallying will never be a spectator friendly motorsport. Following track racing is easy, you go to the race track, usually park your car in a dedicated space you give your ticket to someone, sit down and watch the cars race and overtake themselves. I've gone to at least 4 or 5 GPs at Montmelo and they are easy to follow. You could even call them comfortable. Furthermore (especially) F1 glamorous.

On the other hand, rallying is a pain in the ass to watch. If you go and watch your local rally (as we've done several times) it's easy because at least you know the roads. But if you're in a foreign country you've got to be armed with a map and understand it and read it correctly to get to the stage. Then there's the matter of getting up very early because if the stage start at 9 in the morning you've got to get there at least two hours before it starts to get a good place. Then you can't usually park your car easily, sometimes you leave where you can on the side of the road or wherever you can. Furthermore you've got walk several kilometres in order to find a good corner or a spectacular sector and you won't be comfy, you'll probably sit on a rock or on the grass or maybe you'll have to stand up to see the cars go by well. And finally you've got snow up to your knees or you are covered in mud rallying isn't glamorous at all.

What rallying is, is a sport for diehards. (Proper) Rallying will never be a spectator friendly motorsport. But in my opinion that's exactly part of its appeal. It's the ultimate test for man and machine and the spectators too. It's not easy and you go there because you like it. Having to wait in the middle of a forest at -10ºC for hours requires a dedicated person not someone who is midly interested in racing vehicles. And that's why today rallying is languishing. The diehards have abandoned it and Joe Average isn't interested because despite all of the changes that have diluted its character you still have to make compromises to go an watch it.

So in the end everybody loses.

[IBrake4Rainbows]

In reality rallying proper (sitting in the freezing cold for 6+hours to watch a car swing by at breakneck speed) died with the loss of Group B, and the excitement and crowds that went along with that.

Rallying as a grass roots event works brilliantly as you can generally find both willing participants and a small group of dedicated spectators who were genuinely interested in the event in the first place.

In the end though racing against the clock is often only to the enjoyment of a small group of fact checkers and engineers who live for 1/10ths of seconds. there is no real battle for the lead per se, and as such cars just sort of go by, in no order of importance or skill.

Is it an issue with the Dilution of character? well, no. The new facilities put in place are to the benefit of the die hards who have simply become a bit snobby about the whole thing complaining about how it isn't as good as it used to be. regardless of the truth of that statement if you aren't willing to give it a go now then you aren't a proper diehard at all.

It's just not a sport suited to the general, unwashed public in terms of anything but a TV audience.

[ThirdShift]

This is bittersweet in my view.

I don't like Ken or his followers; he seems to generate a poser/energy drinking/d-bag following. Plus, I don't think he will do well seeing as many of the Rally America drivers are just over glorified drifters who think that more wheel spin is the appropriate way to take a corner.

However, I do hope that it sparks more interest in the US for WRC racing; then again his presence may simply demote the WRC to the level of the X-Games in the eyes of many ignorant American's.

Hmm gotta agree with you, the infamous drift video was not entirely his driving (I wont name the drivers used but some weren't even Caucasian if you catch my drift) and there has be quite a backlash within the motorsport fraternity against Mr Block as to the common man, Block is the best driver in the world. I really dont fancy his chances. When you look at what the likes of Loeb, Hirvonen, Petter even Kimi do week in week out on the stages, its a whole different level. I think from a marketing and exposure point of view Block would be better off running in the new Fiesta in Super2000. I dont doubt he is able to rally but to enter the top level is going to be a big ask and whilst the Yanks might Idolise him, here in Europe hes probably going to come across as "all the gear, no idea"

[RacingManiac]

I don't think he "faked" the video(maybe done in combined, multiple takes though). The fact is you can see how much practice was done since all the tire marks are there for you to see. The level of car control is not easy, but not so high that you need to be a Michael Schumacher to do it. In fact I'd venture to say any race car drivers worth their salt can probably do what was done, given the same amount of practice and rehearsal. He is not a "fake" rally car driver afterall, or else Ford wouldn't agree to let him use their car in WRC next season. Fact is even in WRC outside of the factory rides and Kimi and Petter Solberg, its a whole lot of "nobody". So what's another driver going to do? In this case at least he can bring some more attention to the sport that is dying for more attention to be relavent again....