Global
Rallycross in Europe: DNF
by Martijn Kösters
What should have been round two of the Global Rallycross Championship ended in a major farce as rain made the track service undriveable. Question on everyone's minds (drivers, fans, organizers): how could this happen to a major and professional sporting event. Because let's be honest, the X Games aren't a primary school sports day.
Both Global Rallycross / X Games tracks in Foz de Iguacu and Barcelona have been under a lot of criticism. In Brazil it was a poor lay-out, dust and a gripless track surface which hampered the experience for drivers and viewers. The narrow and straight-forward layout did not promote overtaking, and even if drivers were planning too, huge amounts of dust and a lack of grip made sure that they couldn't see or feel where they would end up.
With little competitive running in Barcelona, it's difficult to say how the action would have ended up. But taking a look at the track lay-out, it seems like similar design mistakes have been made. Although partly explained by the minimum around of room in the Estadio Olympic, designers definitely shouldn't have opted for a large infield section because of that. Tight and narrow hairpins wouldn't have promoted any overtaking action.
Then there was the major issue, something which wouldn't come to mind of everyone's mind. The facility was excellent, especially from an audience point of view, no doubt that the off track facilities were up to scratch. Yet the surface and particularly the ability of it to disperse water, well.
Let me explain this thoroughly before anyone rushes to conclusions, clay is a tricky surface, for many reasons. Unlike sand or gravel, it is very dense in structure, so it does not let through much or any water. That's why there was so much standing water on track this Sunday, and I doubt much could have been done to make the water drain, although banking would have been part of the solution.
Second is that clay, and especially wet clay is one of the least grippy surfaces you'll find in nature. If you have ever seen a tractor stuck in a field you can understand why racing was out of the question once it rained in Barcelona. Wet clay is miserable stuff to walk, cycle or drive on. Its very density and stickiness makes that when you spin the wheels on it it doesn't fly up in a rooster tail like you see on sand or gravel, but wraps itself around the spinning wheel. This downward spiral of grip makes it worse and worse.
Back to Barcelona and to what the organizers could have done. Another track surface would have been an easy fix but given the fact that the Stadium also served as the Motocross venue that is easier set than done, as you can't have bikers flying through the air when crashing into tarmac is a possibility. Yet, running Rallycross after the motorcyclists was an unwise decision. The Rallycross event had been postponed by two hours in order to let the track modifications take place. Because Rallycross started two hours later, the rain had started to fall down. I am by no means a Motocross expert but the bikes were better equipped to mud and rain than the cars. Someone in the X Games organizers could and should have seen the weather coming.
Another point is made by the cars not being ready for wet, muddy clay. This was the cause that sparked most outrage along Rallycross fans. For the simple reason that drivers were equipped with Tarmac-spec Rallycross tyres, with a much slicker and shallower thread. Although these tyres would have been perfectly suitable for the GRC events at NASCAR speedways they proved tricky enough in the Brazilian dust, let alone the wet mud in Spain. It seems awfully similar to what happened at the F1 United States Grand Prix, where a majority of the cars running on Michelin tyres found out they were not built for the oval conditions in Indianapolis.
To me, however, the saddest point of all is that the fine Global Rallycross Championship once again got squashed in between other extreme sports, in Foz de Iguacu TV-viewers had to sit through a lot of skating before a brief Rallycross segment came along. In Barcelona, the GRC had to wait for Motocross to finish their act and the track to be reconfigured. By the time GRC took to the stage, the proverbial janitor was out mopping the floor (quite literally). Does Rallycross want to be a part of the extreme sports ensemble when it means it is moved to the back of the stage and to adapt to motocross surroundings? Or should Rallycross move back to being a dessert after a NASCAR event, where fans of four-wheeled motorsports can stick around for some more action. It's the NASCAR-GRC combination that I envied and I wished would exist here in Europe.
As long as Rallycross can't stand on it's own legs, it should still try to stand out from other sports, rather than blend in with others at the cost of its own characteristics, don't you think?
The Global Rallycross Championship continues June 29th, at X Games Munich
by Martijn Kösters
What should have been round two of the Global Rallycross Championship ended in a major farce as rain made the track service undriveable. Question on everyone's minds (drivers, fans, organizers): how could this happen to a major and professional sporting event. Because let's be honest, the X Games aren't a primary school sports day.
Both Global Rallycross / X Games tracks in Foz de Iguacu and Barcelona have been under a lot of criticism. In Brazil it was a poor lay-out, dust and a gripless track surface which hampered the experience for drivers and viewers. The narrow and straight-forward layout did not promote overtaking, and even if drivers were planning too, huge amounts of dust and a lack of grip made sure that they couldn't see or feel where they would end up.
With little competitive running in Barcelona, it's difficult to say how the action would have ended up. But taking a look at the track lay-out, it seems like similar design mistakes have been made. Although partly explained by the minimum around of room in the Estadio Olympic, designers definitely shouldn't have opted for a large infield section because of that. Tight and narrow hairpins wouldn't have promoted any overtaking action.
Then there was the major issue, something which wouldn't come to mind of everyone's mind. The facility was excellent, especially from an audience point of view, no doubt that the off track facilities were up to scratch. Yet the surface and particularly the ability of it to disperse water, well.
Let me explain this thoroughly before anyone rushes to conclusions, clay is a tricky surface, for many reasons. Unlike sand or gravel, it is very dense in structure, so it does not let through much or any water. That's why there was so much standing water on track this Sunday, and I doubt much could have been done to make the water drain, although banking would have been part of the solution.
Second is that clay, and especially wet clay is one of the least grippy surfaces you'll find in nature. If you have ever seen a tractor stuck in a field you can understand why racing was out of the question once it rained in Barcelona. Wet clay is miserable stuff to walk, cycle or drive on. Its very density and stickiness makes that when you spin the wheels on it it doesn't fly up in a rooster tail like you see on sand or gravel, but wraps itself around the spinning wheel. This downward spiral of grip makes it worse and worse.
Back to Barcelona and to what the organizers could have done. Another track surface would have been an easy fix but given the fact that the Stadium also served as the Motocross venue that is easier set than done, as you can't have bikers flying through the air when crashing into tarmac is a possibility. Yet, running Rallycross after the motorcyclists was an unwise decision. The Rallycross event had been postponed by two hours in order to let the track modifications take place. Because Rallycross started two hours later, the rain had started to fall down. I am by no means a Motocross expert but the bikes were better equipped to mud and rain than the cars. Someone in the X Games organizers could and should have seen the weather coming.
Another point is made by the cars not being ready for wet, muddy clay. This was the cause that sparked most outrage along Rallycross fans. For the simple reason that drivers were equipped with Tarmac-spec Rallycross tyres, with a much slicker and shallower thread. Although these tyres would have been perfectly suitable for the GRC events at NASCAR speedways they proved tricky enough in the Brazilian dust, let alone the wet mud in Spain. It seems awfully similar to what happened at the F1 United States Grand Prix, where a majority of the cars running on Michelin tyres found out they were not built for the oval conditions in Indianapolis.
To me, however, the saddest point of all is that the fine Global Rallycross Championship once again got squashed in between other extreme sports, in Foz de Iguacu TV-viewers had to sit through a lot of skating before a brief Rallycross segment came along. In Barcelona, the GRC had to wait for Motocross to finish their act and the track to be reconfigured. By the time GRC took to the stage, the proverbial janitor was out mopping the floor (quite literally). Does Rallycross want to be a part of the extreme sports ensemble when it means it is moved to the back of the stage and to adapt to motocross surroundings? Or should Rallycross move back to being a dessert after a NASCAR event, where fans of four-wheeled motorsports can stick around for some more action. It's the NASCAR-GRC combination that I envied and I wished would exist here in Europe.
As long as Rallycross can't stand on it's own legs, it should still try to stand out from other sports, rather than blend in with others at the cost of its own characteristics, don't you think?
The Global Rallycross Championship continues June 29th, at X Games Munich
