There are active efforts to get a WRC level event in the US inside of the next 3-4 years.

I'm not at liberty to say any more, but I wouldn't bet against it happening.

 

I'm more aware of that than you think I am. I think it's going to take more time, but we'll see.

 

All this very much reminds me of a few years ago when they held the soccer World Cup in the US. Leading up to the event was a huge media effort to draw US mainstream viewers into watching professional soccer, and at first they seemed to succeed. Everyone was getting on the soccer bandwagon - until the US team was eliminated very early on. After that, all of a sudden no one gave a **** anymore, despite all of the media coverage of the entire event.

It'll be the same with WRC... if the US drivers can't compete on an international level, people will lose interest quickly. Sad but true...

 

Dude, I watch WRC REGARDLESS of whether subaru is in or not.

I'm just saying that Block is NOT going to make rally huge in teh US.

 

itsnt there a race on UHD or SPeedHD for some WRC event this weekend.

 

The difference is that soccer is BORING. I, and most of the current rally fans in the US, could care less about seeing US drivers do well. The rally format here in the states precludes the drivers here from being competitive on an international level. Until we have events with true, two-pass recces, we will not produce drivers that can hang at that level.

-Brian

 

Every Sunday, replays Monday. They're showing the whole season.

 

and the channel is HDT- "Discovery's HD Theater" they have some pretty cool shows on in addition to the WRC.


But I could smack that Wayne Carini guy..."I chase cars" so what? I know dogs that do too, but they don't get their own show

 

I agree, the current rally fans in the US don't really care if Block or any other US driver is doing well. They will watch either way. But my point was that, if the intention is to draw 'Joe Nascar' into watching - the mainstream motorsport viewers that are not yet familiar with the sport - it's not going to hold their attention for very long if there is no successful involvement of the US drivers.

 

I don't think that the intent is to draw NASCAR fans into watching WRC. People who like watching American made cars drive on a track probably won't to be too keen on watchin' them tiny lil foreign cars play spin around in the woods. There will be a definite uphill battle to gain support for Rally, and by at least having Block as a presence (driving or not), it's still a small step in bring this format to the American peripheral.

I think that both of you are wrong as well. I do think that people would care if he started dominating the domestic scene before moving to a global arena. If Block were able to establish himself as a competent WRC rally driver, then fans in the US would not only care, they would be ecstatic! Even to the point of excessive overzealous patriotic American hubris (Ken Block rally trunk loop magnets anyone? HA!). Do folks have an elitist preconception that only Europeans and the stray Australian can only drive in the WRC?

It would be awesome to have more US rally enthusiasts, but I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for it to happen. Instead, I am going to keep enjoying watching WRC, and if other people jump onto the bandwagon then great!

 

huh?