German “rallystar” competition nets youngster a prize drive
author: Leon Botha
|
|
Leon Botha - RallyStar editor
|
What will we not give to be able to pull off a one company sponsor that will make the South Africa RallyStar® competition come true.
Looking back at the time and money we spent and lost trying to put together something on this scale, the upper and lower lips start to quiver.
OMV an Australian oil company decided to sponsor a competition with a fully sponsored drive in the 2004 Production World Rally Championship as prize.
In South Africa we could not even get petrol at a good price, let alone free for the event! It has also to be said that there were several other handicaps we ran against, but the main issue was the fact that most people locally are unaware of the new trend that points to entertainment value – all we do is laugh at the silly Americans flocking to stadiums to be entertained.
Look at the cricket crowd in Australia and compare it with what you see currently in Cape Town. Look at the local rugby crowds dwindling, look at the huge masses "queuing" to get into Kyalami (ha ha), look at the five officials spectating a major soccer game, and the two parents sitting on the pavilion at Pilditch to spectate the national athletics championship.
Compare this with the growth along the routes of championship and regional rallies where we know how to entertain, and you will realise that at least up to now we have done something right.
We can carry on for hours about the reasons why other sport, including some forms of motorsport have lost their magnetism, but let us rather walk away from that one.
|
|
Spectator fun!
|
What I am saying is that consumers are following “real action” where they can form part and even better share the sensation. Secret is that they need to know about it! I will never forget driving into Delmas one time when a National rally started or went through it, asking a person if he knew where the rally was – the amazed “huh?” I received told it all.
If you don’t tell the public about coming events, if you don’t rave about past events, if you don’t build a story around it, don’t expect them to attend. Look at the crowd gathering at the start of the Total rally yearly, look at the thousands crowding streets on the Sasol. Then on the other hand, we keep on ignoring the fact that the Border Mountain trial is a wonderful but dangerous rally, that draws no spectators. Maybe it has not yet transpired to the organisers and controlling bodies that we are losing the opportunity to give our sponsors much more exposure and build another crowd somewhere else in South Africa. A rally situated where spectators can get to stages near a city or between towns will surely add new faces to the crowd.
Let us therefore in 2004 make it our task to bring more people onto the rally scene, tell the people about events before, and rave about how nice it was afterwards.
Before you think I forgot – may we at RallyStar® take this opportunity to wish you all the best year you have had up to now, and may 2004 lead to an even better 2005 and onwards. May we all get sponsors, no flat wheels, acknowledgement from the press and media, win everything we enter for, and for those of you who do not enter to win – a big thank you!
Have the greatest of great years!
And to end the article – the OMV competition was won by 19-year old German rally hopeful Sebastian Vollak who won a drive in the World Rally Championship.
Vollak will be part of a three-car team of Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V1s and will tackle the 2004 Production World Rally Championship. His team-mates will be experienced Austrian Manfred Stohl and young Finnish hotshoe and former Mistusbishi WRC ace Jani Paasonen.
Vollak beat nine other finalists, including Briton Leon Pesticcio, Australian Mark Thompson and Italian Alessandro Bettega, to win the prize.
So, there you have it…….
|
|
