Organizing Arizona Rallyistas!

On January 27, 2009 · 9 Comments

This all started back at the Prescott Rally in 2007. I ran into Scott Sykes (aka: STiMULi on most Subaru forums) alongside a hot stage during the rally. Between rally cars flying past, catching air over a cattle guard, we got to talking about how it would be nice if we could get some people together to maybe organize into something like we’ve seen in SoCal. 

One thing lead to another and, next thing I knew, I was showing up late for a meeting with strangers at a pizza joint down in Tucson (miss your exit on the I-10 in Tucson and you’re royally screwed) to discuss the idea of the SCCA sponsoring a regional rallycross (aka rallyx) series in Arizona. This is where I met Dave Hymers.

Since that night, Dave and I have met up a number of times to see if we can’t pull an Arizona rallyx series out of thin air. The owners of potential venues have flat out ignored us and we just can’t drum up a community of regulars large enough to make going legit within our grasp financially, so after more than a year of trying something new-from-scratch, we’ve decided we’re going to try something already proven – DirtyImpreza.com style “Dirty Meets.”

The DI DMs are a proven success. We’re hoping that, by showing others in Arizona that there are people getting out there and getting sideways on dirt, we might see more of them turn their backs on the staging lanes (and maybe the tarmac, in general) to come play with us out in the desert.

Our first RAZ (RallyArizona) meet is back at Mama’s Pizza in Tucson on Saturday the 7th of February. Dave and I will be there around noon and will be discussing where we aim to get a little rallyx practice in ASAP. If it sounds like something you’d like to check out, please drop me a line and get full details. If you’re still on the fence, subscribe to the RSS, here, so you don’t miss it when we post up pictures and videos of the first RAZ Dirty Meet.

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  • http://www.rallynotes.com Christine

    Brian,
    You guys should definitely check out NASA RallySport for sanctioning your rallycrosses. They're a lot easier to work with than SCCA and understand the grassroots efforts of rally and rallycross. I think they're less expensive than the SCCA, too, and when it comes to getting something organized $$$ is always a big factor. I know that some of the guys that organize Glen Helen events here in SoCal have had good success with them.
    Christine

  • http://dr1665.com DR1665

    Thanks for stopping by, Christine! Always appreciated.

    Last year, when we looked into NASA sanctioning, we found out that it's almost $600 per event. When you figure we might be *lucky* to have ten cars show up, that's pretty much $60 per car before we even get into paying for the location and whatnot. Don't get me wrong: NASA is where I think we should be, since NASA sanctions rallyx AND stage rally, but we're not going to have any grassroots over here in the desert if we don't get out there and plant some seeds first.

    If we can get closer to 20 people interested in the idea through pictures, videos, and “practice” sessions out in the boonies, then we have a better chance of finding a solid venue and member base for a legitimate series.

  • http://www.rallynotes.com Christine

    Believe me, I know how much of a PITA it is to organize an event. ;) Especially the costs, with sanctioning and insurance being the majority. That's why our break-even point is about 15 car entries, and the entry fee is so much. But certainly look at what other people are charging for rallycrosses. The norm is now $50 even with the NASA/CRS discount AND pre-registering. So if you can get 10 cars to show up, that would certainly be on the way to covering your sanctioning costs.

    Another idea is (once you get together with everyone for feasibility with locations and such) is ask to be part of the CRS Championship calendar. With the new rules, only 75% of events are counted, and it's no longer location-based. So you could certainly get some die-hard rallycrossers that are CRS members out to your events that you wouldn't normally expect to come out. After all, Jon O. usually comes down from Utah for other CRS stuff, and there have been events all the way out near Las Vegas that were part of the championship in the past. If people were willing to go to Las Vegas from SoCal, or even SoCal to NorCal, what's the difference in SoCal to AZ? The trip is relatively the same amount of travel to the Phoenix area.

    Ok – so that's my rambling thoughts for whatever they are worth. I am really rooting for you guys to get something off the ground. Just keep in mind that most of the other organizers out there are usually more than willing to give a helping hand or advice if you need it.

    We really miss you guys and are bummed you can't make it to HDT. Perhaps next year!

  • http://dr1665.com DR1665

    Eventually, we kinda hope there will be enough of of a following in Arizona that we can, from time to time, caravan a group over to SoCal et al to really mix it up in CRS events. Likewise, it would be outstanding to have people coming from out of state. The thought of a CRS rallyx series spanning three states with competitors running an event in each state would be pretty darn cool, imo.

    We're not going to be running actual rallyx races, but we should have no trouble getting people together to get more proficient at different aspects of rallyx driving – S-curves, Scandinavian Flicks, etc – all the while getting enough cool pictures and video to hopefully attract more enthusiasts. If we can get a group of 15-20 “regulars” committed quick enough, maybe we could go “legit” by summer?

    Wish we could make it out to HDT too. I expect to hear good things about High Desert Trails in the days after the event. Sure, people have been out there before and they've run the same course in the process, but its your organization skills that I think will set this event apart. (I've been using your movement plans for over three years, Christine. I can only imagine you scheduling an entire rally!)

  • http://rallynotes.com Christine

    Thanks for the props, Brian!

    The only thing that has me worried about your idea is giving rally a bad name – if some horrible accident happens who gets sued? If you are creating a disturbance, and the police have to get involved – bad bad times for rally. :(

    I'm sure you will do everything the best way you can for now. But just keep in mind that everyone needs to be an ambassador for the sport. That's why service crews can get their team DNF'd if they do something stupid.

    Anyway, good luck with your meet this weekend! I hope a lot of people get together!

  • http://dr1665.com DR1665

    I totally understand where you're coming from Christine!

    We're not going to do anything the dirtbike/ATV crowd isn't already doing all over the state. (Short of drinking and driving, that is.)

    The thing to remember is, we're not talking rally or even rallyx at this point. We're just looking to get a group of enthusiasts together to help grow a legitimate sport in the state of Arizona.

  • http://rallynotes.com Christine

    Thanks for the props, Brian!

    The only thing that has me worried about your idea is giving rally a bad name – if some horrible accident happens who gets sued? If you are creating a disturbance, and the police have to get involved – bad bad times for rally. :(

    I'm sure you will do everything the best way you can for now. But just keep in mind that everyone needs to be an ambassador for the sport. That's why service crews can get their team DNF'd if they do something stupid.

    Anyway, good luck with your meet this weekend! I hope a lot of people get together!

  • http://dr1665.com Brian Driggs

    I totally understand where you're coming from Christine!

    We're not going to do anything the dirtbike/ATV crowd isn't already doing all over the state. (Short of drinking and driving, that is.)

    The thing to remember is, we're not talking rally or even rallyx at this point. We're just looking to get a group of enthusiasts together to help grow a legitimate sport in the state of Arizona.

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