I’ll cut to the chase: RUBBISH! Seriously, take a look at the preview video below.
This isn’t rally so much as it is a touring car race with some predefined offs. There are a couple of spots where the car is sent off wide into the dirt, only to rejoin the circuit in short order. The vast majority of the racing is done on the standard tarmac circuit. I had very high hopes for the new rallycross exhibition races the RallyCar Series (formally Rally America) had planned for this late summer and fall, but if this circuit is any indication, it will fall well short of my expectations of close, door-to-door, racing with dirt and gravel flying everywhere. The “Super Rally” event at this year’s X-Games was a good event, even if the layout had some safety issues. The racing action was good, and the surface was appropriate for a rally car. What ever happened to real cars, real roads, real racing? I’m not going to completely discard these upcoming events based on just one video of one lap, but I have to say that I am very disappointed in the direction the events appear to be heading.
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What a horrible way to review an event from just a video. At least get outside and go to it if you want your review to be taken seriously. All I saw from every face at the event was smiles.
Ed, I would love to have been at NJMP to see the event, and I’m sure it would have been a lot of fun. Keep in mind, though, that my scorn wasn’t directed at the event itself, but the circuit. I would love to be able to see video of the event with cars circulating in anger, and if I could perhaps my perception would be different.. It still seems more touring car and less rally, to me though.
I would also have loved to attend the event. This is outside the comfort zone of all the stage rallyists on the Rally America docket, which would have mad for some highly entertaining racing. I wonder if they will use the same circuit layout for the other demonstrations this year at NMJP.
While it did use quite a bit of tarmac, that does seem to be the norm on the european events as well. Maybe future rally cross events could be held at places like Bark River where it would be a complete lap on dirt….. but then again, I don’t think any of the cars would survive.
I have to say I am not as down about the course layout, especially since this was the first of its kind event here in the states. I will say that I am glad they are doing non-points events this year in preparation for going full blast next year though.