Dean Campbell
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Posts: 36
Toronto
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I've said this before to anyone who will listen... RX should be the entry level to the sport. Promoting it as a venue for fully prepped cars or trailer queens reduces the perception that RX is accessible in a daily driver. It's a big reason I continue to compete in my daily driver. I joked a few years ago that I wanted to get turbo "kill" stickers made to stick on my car for every turbo car I beat.. I'm starting to think I should get trailer stickers.
In fact, I am not entirely opposed to trailered cars. I think having logbooked cars is pretty cool for anyone who hasn't had the chance to see one up close. My biggest beef is having cars that show up totally stripped out, looking like a giant pile of crap. It looks terrible, and the pace drivers push these cars, while impressive, verges on unsafe... I could point to one event where the same car rolled twice, with no roll-over protection. At least if a rallycar rolls, it has a cage and proper seats and harnesses. At the minimum, cars should be licensed for the road, to help control the number of total shitboxes that show up.
Anyhow, I'll end my rant and respond more directly Donnie.
What you are looking for (and what I'm looking for) is the return of rallysprint. My understanding of the matter is that rallysprint used to be the stepping stone between RX and stage rally. The rules used to reflect that, allowing regular road going cars, provided after two events some form of roll protection (including bolt in options) be installed in the car. Rallysprints were to be run on roads that kept the average speed below that of stage rallies, and included a need for a navigator.
Then, in one Canadian region, things got out of hand, and instead of enforcing the rules, the powers that be decided to change to a requirement for a fully logbooked rally car. Anyone in my position, with a daily driver, and a desire for more seat time, but no cash for a fully prepped car, got left out in the cold.
The closest we have to rallysprints now are test days, which go unscored and do not actually require a navigator. Since you still have to use a fully logbooked car, it still prevents folks like me from growing within the sport. I'd really like to see the rules changed back, and enforced, to provide a much needed stepping stone between RX and stage rally. I think given the number of people who would benefit is quite large. Off the top I can count at least five drivers who I've seen come and go through rallycross, who aren't doing much of anything right now, but would probably be all over rallysprint. I'm sure there are way more.
I know suitable roads exist, and I know of one person that has volunteered to organize a rallysprint, but without a rule change, what's the point?
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