USA BLOG: RallyCross Stars Hit The States

Another top blog post from Road Magazine's first lady, Ashley Van Dyke: "Big weekend ahead at Charlotte Motor Speedway as the longest race of the year for the NASCAR Sprint Cup series takes place – the Coca Cola 600. Oh and there’s a Global RallyCross event…wait... what? If you’ve been to X Games or a Global RallyCross competition, then you'll have seen the sideways show and are most likely to be very interested in watching the ace sport and identifying with various names and brands. If you've never been or even heard of it... you need to. These race cars sound like hardcore sex, screaming with a “turbo sigh” exhale of sensational bliss. It’s got the cool factor all you marketers want to hit with your millennial target jargon. You can’t buy being this cool. Aspirational marketing and appealing to specific markets is not a new concept. This is only one aspect of having a sought after product by today’s youth – just look at Ken and his DC Shoes brand. But, like any other motorsport series that exists out here, it all boils down to car count. In order to sell tickets to a race, attract sponsors and secure steady growth, the core ingredient is a packed grid of talent and amazing cars. There is a big need for manufactures to be involved on various levels, but independent teams need to be able to battle against the factory and give them a run for their money. A good balance between the two is healthy and exciting to watch play out on the race track. Wheel-to-wheel racing is always more exciting in a setting where the fans have good views, and RallyCross certainly has that, not to mention now attracting BIG names: Travis Pastrana, Marcus Gronholm and Tanner Foust are all lining up this weekend... super skilled drivers and motorsport champions, in phenomenally fast, big bhp rally cars, on tarmac and gravel. Perfect! Global RallyCross attracts an impressive entry list of characters and the racing action itself is nail biting to say the least. Passing and door banging happen every lap and these guys drive with a load of steam and aggression, not like they do all composed on the WRC special stages. You can feel the adrenalin and energy behind the drivers. It’s addictive stuff. I love it...! And so should you! Get involved in one of the best forms of modern motorsport, which is usually viral in 60-seconds of a race finishing: Feed the content machine, Global RallyCross!" Thanks to Ashley and to Al Merion for the ace snap... have fun guys!