The seasons are changing in the world of motorsport as well. Michael Schumacher’s dominance as we knew it has ended. Just when we thought Lewis Hamilton would succeed him, he was outshined by another German, Sebastian Vettel, who looks poised to reign supreme. Will the same happen in rally? Has a worthy pretender to Sebastien Loeb’s throne been found not in Mikko  Hirvonen or Jari-Matti Latvala, but in Sebastien Ogier? Has Ogier actually been cloned in a French lab by rally-loving geneticists who, in their rush to inject talent into the sport, accidentally gave him the same name as his forebear? Are these people behind Sebestian Vettel as well? If you name your child Sebastien, will he poop his diapers faster than the other babies?

My point is, as much as I hate change, the march of time eventually robs our heroes of their prime, and the next generation must arise. Sure, we’re still far from rally’s heyday back in the 80′s and 90′s. But as much as I hate to see Sebastien Loeb lose, we are witnessing the ascendancy of the next World Rally Champion. And we have the fortuitous opportunity to compare the old and the new, apples to apples. We’ll know, that future day when Ogier is winning rally after rally, that he is as good, or perhaps even better than, the former greats. We’ll know that rally still has masterful talent behind the wheel. We don’t have to worry that rally is losing its glory.

Loeb’s former rival, the ever-entertaining Marcus Gronholm, put himself out to pasture in 2007, at the height of his game. I understand he got a bit bored in that pasture, but in a rather remarkable turn of events, he found a way to cure his boredom and come to California! Marcus has been dabbling in rallycross for a while, but he is now driving a Ford Fiesta in the “Global” Rally Championship. This is its first year, created in response to the interest generated by the X Games’ rallycross event, and it takes place in the western US. There were only three rounds this year, of which Marcus contested two, but even if there were 15, he’d smoke the other guys every time! And I’d imagine he’ll do the same at the X Games in July. There’s just no competition…but it’s always a pleasure to see good driving for the sake of good driving.

Photo Credit: GRC/Jan Tore Brustad

Photo Credit: GRC/Jan Tore Brustad

So if you’re in LA in July, make sure to snag some tickets to the two rally events this year! Rally cars in the streets of Downtown LA? Sweet.

PS: If there are any rally-loving American geneticists reading this–would you mind going to the X Games and cloning Marcus Gronholm? America needs a WRC champion!

PSS: If/When the NBA lockout happens next year–I know what to do with the empty Staples Center!

I remember the very first running of the rally event in 2006. It seemed that the only spectators in the Home Depot Center were curious looky-loos drawn by the sound of engines. Even in 2007, I was able to hang around the service area long enough to eavesdrop on a drivers’ debrief, while everyone else was watching the skateboarders.

Gone are those days. Travis Pastrana reigns supreme over a nation of adrenaline junkies. Ken Block rules the neighboring kingdom of You Tube, with a notable diplomatic visit to Top Gear. The crowd in the Coliseum today? Tens of thousands! I would have been annoyed with all the crowds if I wasn’t utterly amazed by how rallying has exploded.

Not only are the fans out in numbers–they’re dedicated. Ken Block shirts, 199 tattoos, Subaru Rally Team USA hats–these aren’t just looky-loos anymore. The guy behind me was even up to date on Rally Finland (which I’m waiting to see on HD Theater next weekend, so don’t give away who won!).

(Side note: If you’re here and you’re like, “whattheFinlandwhosywhatsit?”  Boy, are you in luck! Head on over to my “What is World Rally?” page and catch up on one of the most amazing motorsports ever conceived. You can thank me later.)

Because you can find a recap of the exact proceedings elsewhere, I won’t get into it. Anyway, it was really hard making sense of all the action from the stands. All I know for sure is that Tanner Foust won two, very well-deserved gold medals. Cars jumped, and people liked it. Three cars jumped at once, and people loved it. A car rolled, and people screamed. Then all mayhem ensued–donuts, jumps, running over foam barriers–and the crowd went wild!

However, despite all the good news, the rallying was marred by poor organization. From the confusion over the course, to the rallycross final that ended one lap early, the organizers need to impose the same decorum that the FIA bestows on the World Rally Championship. In fact, they should call up Marcus Grönholm (he’s not busy, right?), lure him over with a crate of ketchup, ask him to consult on the rulebook, and then push him into a car and order him to drive! Perfect plan.

I’m also frustrated at the lack of professionalism by the drivers. Even without co-drivers, they should have been able to find their way around one stage. An itty-bitty one, at that. There’s no panacea to this problem, but as the fan base expands, so does our talent pool. So if you’ve got any talent at all, get off your bum and get in a car! That’s how all the best rally drivers got started. Even Seb Loeb used to slum it up in a Citroen Saxo.

Back to the X Games: the rallycross event was a huge success. In fact, with the super special stage being such an underwhelming mess, it might be a good idea to make a full transition and drop the traditional rally format. As much as I love rallying, the very nature of a three-day time trial is not spectacular enough to entrench itself into American sports culture. Rallycross, however, has amazing potential. NASCAR on dirt? It’s something we can relate to. One can tune in for the first time and know what’s going on. That’s how the future looks, in my humble opinion. And until Ken Block wins a WRC event, that’s the way it will be.

Is it perfect? No. (I want real-time splits on every stage, dangit!)

Is it really nice when I want me some portable Rally Radio? Oh, yes.

So go download it. It’s free! If it were a free pretzel, you would’ve done it already.

It’s been so long, I forgot my own URL. I had to try my password twice.

So what made me wanna post again?

KIMI RAIKKONEN IS COMING TO THE WRC!

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/80616

Kimi and Ferrari made as much sense as a marriage between Lt. Saavik and Roberto Benigni. Down-to-business Citroen and Kimi? Much better. Maybe this marriage can last…

Meanwhile, enjoy your Christmas and your US television coverage of the WRC on HDNet! Fa la la la la, la la la la.

I’m trying to ease back in and get updates going, but I’ve got a lot of catching up to do and precious little time to do it. After all, I’ve had to deal with a huge earthquake centered a few miles from my house that caused havoc and mayhem! OK…well, maybe the worst thing that happened was my Pirelli air horn falling over.

Anyway, before I rush off for a conference call, here’s a random link to a case study of weirdness in Finland. No, it has nothing to do with Rally Finland. But if Finns are crazy enough to drive rally cars, then they’re crazy enough to do THIS.

Update: holy cow! They got ahold of our national anthem! You’d better watch it now, because I don’t know how long I can keep this video up, out of good conscience…

I wasn’t really motivated to post anything after Mexico and Argentina, because there was so little to chew on. What can I analyze when Sebastien Loeb easily wins another rally over three other drivers? There were some interesting bits though. There have been plenty of swappage in the leaderboards this year and in the championship standings. But I chalk it up to the high attrition rates and scant entry lists of the rock-strewn, long-haul rallies.

My quick rundown of the drivers looks like this:
Seb Loeb: Lady Luck is done with the honeymoon phase and is treating him like any other driver. He wins AND loses. But he’s mostly winning.
Mikko Hirvonen: He’s getting out of a funk–the kind of funk you get into when someone steals your thunder. That someone being…
Jari-Matti Latvala: He’s young, he’s exciting, he’s sometimes faster than Loeb. But he’s a good boy and listens to his Ford bosses, cuz he’s in this for a career and not a quick thrill. Can we say “rallying’s Lewis Hamilton?”
Chris Atkinson: His brain is wired to be a champion. He may have scored three podiums in a row, but he’s not exactly happy. He’s only happy if he’s winning. Atko also reminds me of Lewis Hamilton in that sense: genial personality, but kind of a drag when he’s not atop the podium.
Dani Sordo: He’d be more exciting if he weren’t so boring. Match that driving ability with a more fun personality, and he’d break through to the level of Latvala.
Gigi Galli: Sardinia, please give him the lucky break that he deserves. Have mercy on your own kin!
Petter Solberg: Running out of excuses why he’s not faster than Atko. At least he’s complaining less and seeing the silver lining on a very black cloud that looks like his car. But I’d love it if the new Impreza were good and he won a rally this year.
Henning Solberg: Where’s the exuberant Henning that we all fell in love with two years ago? I hope he’s not fading away. Maybe he can regain that infectious energy and speed in time to compete against Petter in his new Impreza. That’d make for great stories in the Norwegian press.
Matthew Wilson: He’s still here. Driving. Finishing well when everyone else retires. Same ol’, same ol’.
Special mention: Sebastien Ogier. The J-WRC is usually a group of young pretenders to the throne, hoping to step up to greater things. Ogier doesn’t hope. He will.

Lastly, it was fascinating to see tactics play out on day two of Rally Jordan (which was a great rally, by the way, newcomer or not). Poor Dani Sordo was left to sweep the road when the Ford boys dropped time on the last kilometer of the last stage. Mikko reached a new level of cheeky when he declared, “my foot slipped off the throttle.” I laughed so hard!

PS: Rally Radio is as great as ever, but where are the live split times? Whoever took them away, you stole the wind in my rally sail. It was so much more fun with split times to digest.

Yes! I made it. Sardinia doesn’t start for another hour. Whew!

So right now, I’m listening to Rally Jordan coverage and hoping to post something juicy in the near future.

Alrighty…back to work. Meh.

Let’s just hope it doesn’t stay around for the Acropolis Rally. What a mess the planet’s in…