Rallycross Hype Nearly Freezes

This is the Statt Mann Baby.  Time to Scatt a little bit.

For more than a decade I was a complete fan of the sport rallycross.  I loved the short races, the high horsepower cars, the pavement and dirt tracks and the drivers who could navigate all of it.

Early on, though, I noticed that promoters here in America were selling the sizzle and not the steak.  Action stars like Travis Pastrana, Ken Block, and Tanner Foust were the draw.

But as those stars dimmed, the sport dimmed with it.  Now the TV is gone, the heat around the hype is gone and efforts to promote the sport in America are more difficult.

There was a big blow this week when the World Rallycross Championship decided to take away the points from its event at Circuit of the America’s in Texas. The event is still on the calendar but it’s unlikely the European stars will return without a points incentive.

Sad.  Selling stars works as long as the stars stay important.  When they don’t, what do you have left?  Just something to do.  There’s a lot of that in motorsports these days.

Peace.