By Peter M. De Lorenzo
Detroit. I've written a lot about the future of racing in this column over the years, as in where it needs to go and why, in order to survive. I've also talked about the past and the glory days of the Unlimited Era in racing, before the onslaught of technology swallowed the sport whole and turned into a chess game of restrictions. Somewhere out there lies the future direction of the sport, which is why I'm constantly searching for what's next, and questioning and cajoling the powers that be in racing to do better.
When I assess the state of racing right now, however, it's not all that great.
IndyCar is stuck in a holding pattern of overall package restrictions dictated by cost and speed control, and the fact that there are not enough engine manufacturers participating to make it interesting. F1 is its own exclusive club, operating in a hermetically sealed bubble of stupid money piled on top of stupid money. The club is frighteningly expensive to get into and once you're in, part of your job is to keep the whole shell game going. And as long as manufacturers keep buying into it, it will continue on as more countries get strong-armed into funding the show.
The Tudor United SportsCar Championship is struggling to find its footing, let's face it. "Flipping the switch" on the merger was anything but that, with endless logistical nightmares still playing out deep into its first season of racing. Part of the USCC's existence is dependent on the 24 Hours of Le Mans for legitimacy, another racing entity that operates on an island unto itself. But that connection to Le Mans isn't helping the USCC, especially with the World Endurance Championship running as the "accepted" road racing series, at least according to the Europeans. (The USCC clearly needs more freedom to operate with an eye toward attracting a fan base, rather than appeasing the Europeans. But I digress.) And NASCAR? Well, I've said enough about it. Suffice to say it's a regional series that exists in its own little world too.
The bottom line in all of this is that these racing series all operate in their own little worlds, and never the twain shall meet. Racing will probably continue on this path indefinitely, totally dependent on the whims of interested manufacturers that seem to come and go according to the direction of the marketing winds.
It gets tiring to even contemplate. Yes, there are still incredible individual performances, and the great races still seem to transcend all of the bickering and bullshit that racing has become, but there has to be something more. There has to be something better on the horizon, something a little more raw, a little more unruly and a lot more fun.
Enter Global RallyCross.
No, RallyCross isn't new by any stretch, but thanks to serious money from Red Bull and other sponsors, it's starting to come into focus as a viable, vibrant racing entity that offers a real difference. And the difference? It's raw, yes. Unruly? Definitely. It's also unpredictable and flat-out fun to watch. Anyone who had a chance to see the Red Bull Global RallyCross heat races in Austin, Texas, over the weekend knows what I mean. Short wheelbase cars with lots of horsepower wheeled by edgy, marching-to-a-different-drummer-type drivers makes for a brilliant combination - and great racing.
And the attention - and the money - is starting to get serious for Global RallyCross as well. The manufacturers are in (and more are contemplating jumping in) and serious teams have arrived, and this little micro world in the sport is about to blow-up huge. Look at some of the names participating: Scott Speed, who won driving the factory-backed No. 77 Andretti Autosport Volkswagen Polo. Then there's Nelson Piquet Jr., Ken Block, Travis Pastrana, Rhys Millen and many more names you haven't heard of but who are either capable drivers or up-and-coming future stars. And besides VW, there's Ford, Subaru, Hyundai and Citroen participating. And I expect other manufacturers - and other notable racing teams - to field front-line entries in the series as well.
Global RallyCross needs some tweaking, to be sure, but in my estimation it's the most exciting form of racing going on right now short of MotoGP. More venues are needed here in the US (with more promotion) and the tracks need to be a little longer, but I expect those changes and tweaks will come.
I look forward to more of everything when it comes to Global RallyCross. It's what's next. Right now.
(Global RallyCross Championship)
(Global RallyCross Championship)
(Global RallyCross Championship)
Publisher's Note: As part of our continuing series celebrating the "Glory Days" of racing, we're proud to present another noteworthy image from the Ford Racing Archives. - PMD
(Photos by Dave Friedman, courtesy of the Ford Racing Archives)
Le Mans, France, June 11-12, 1967. "They" - the members of the know-it-all European racing press - said Dan Gurney and A.J. Foyt couldn't do it. Foyt was too undisciplined and unsophisticated, and he didn't understand "proper" road racing, Gurney couldn't carry the effort by himself, the Ford Mk IVs weren't up to the task, etc., and blah-blah-blah. Gurney and Foyt - two of the greatest drivers this country has ever produced - proved the doubters wrong and proceeded to open a can of whup-ass on Ferrari, leading all but the first 90 minutes of the race in their beautiful, brutish, 427 V8-powered No. 1 Ford Mk IV and defeating the second place No. 21 Ferrari 330P4 driven by Michael Parkes and Ludovico Scarfiotti, by almost four laps. To this day, it is one of the greatest moments for America in international racing - an American car, entered by an American team, driven by American drivers had won the most prestigious endurance race in the world. Glory Days indeed.
A pit stop for the winning No. 1 Ford Mk IV at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1967.
With 427 V8 power and Gurney and Foyt behind the wheel, the Ford Mk IV proved to be unstoppable in 1967.
Dan Gurney's spur-of-the-moment spraying of the victor's champagne after winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans initiated a tradition that lives on to this day.
Here's what Gurney said about the famous champagne incident after the Le Mans victory: "I was so stoked that when they handed me the Magnum of MOËT ET CHANDON, I shook the bottle and began spraying at the photographers, drivers, Henry Ford II, Carroll Shelby and their wives. It was a very special moment at the time, I was not aware that I had started a tradition that continues in winner's circles all over the world to this day" - Dan Gurney
Whatever happened to the bottle that started a tradition? From AAR: Among the friends on the podium was distinguished LIFE photographer Flip Schulke, who managed to avoid being sprayed because Dan had pulled him up on stage before he aimed the bottle at those in front. "I took one photo and then ducked" Schulke says. "When it was over, Gurney handed me the bottle and autographed it." Schulke kept it for a decade and another decade and another. All those years it had reposed as a lamp base in his house in Florida. "Then a few years ago, I went back to visit him in Southern California and gave it back" says Schulke. "After all, he is the one who should have it".
Publisher's Note: Like these Ford racing photos? Check out www.fordimages.com. Be forewarned, however, because you won't be able to go there and not order something. - PMD