[Ray Hocker]

We are pleased to announce a new home for the rally. Starting this year we will be based at the new Antelope Valley Fairgrounds in Lancaster, CA, just 15 miles north of our traditional starting location. This new venue includes a 30,000 square foot air-conditioned vendor?s exhibit hall and a side-by-side Super Special stage with grandstand seating to accommodate 7,500 spectators. All service stops will be centralized at the fairgrounds in a lighted blacktop area 50% larger than last year?s.

For spectators, the fairgrounds admission fee will include 4 Super Specials, vendor fair, car show, pit access, music and other entertainment.

For vendors and manufacturers interested in participating, check out our [link:www.rimoftheworldrally.com/VendorInvite_Frameset.htm|Vendor Fair Information] and [link:www.rimoftheworldrally.com/SponsorOptions.htm|Event Sponsorship opportunities.]

For participants, the new host hotel is the nearby [link:www.rimoftheworldrally.com/lodging.htm|Park Plaza in Lancaster, CA.]
Park Plaza Hotel
44916 N. 10th Street West (between Lancaster Blvd. and Ave. I)
Lancaster, CA 93534
(661) 948-0961 or
(800) 814-7000
$78 plus tax for a double
Ask for the "Rim of the World Rally rate."
Sales: Cecilia Secka

http://www.rimoftheworldrally.com/images/AV_Fairgrounds_540.jpg
The huge paved service area and exhibit hall at the AV Fairgrounds

http://www.rimoftheworldrally.com/images/ExhibitHall_Inside.jpg
The rally's 30,000 sq.ft. vendor and exhibit hall

http://rallyusa.com/grandstands.jpg
The 7,500 seat grand stands overlooking the side-by-side super special stage area

Ray Hocker
Chairman, Rim of the World Rally

 

[SagSert]

Very groovy.

Looking forward, heck if they sell beer and hot dogs even the roundy rounder watchers would show up :9 :9 .

Cheers

M.Samli

 

[Chris Powell]

Wow Ray! You guys don't do anything small, do you! Nice work, keep it up. It's people like you that will keep rally alive and growing in the US.

[hr]

CP​

[hr]

 

[TeamSLAMDotCom]

Join Lancer, Evo and Rally enthusiasts for two days of fun @ The Rim!

[link:forums.evolutionm.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13853|Here's the original thread for CAL SLAM STAGE II @ The Rim 2003]

http://www.calslam.com/forums/uploads/post-5-1069865344.gif
[link:www.calslam.com/forums/index.php?act=ST&f=5&t=4657|Click here to join, plan and represent on TS Forums...]

California Statewide Lancer Association Meet
[link:teamslam.com|A Team SLAM Production]

http://www.calslam.com/forums/uploads/post-124-1063407968.jpg

 

[platypus]

This is fantastic!! Thanks a ton Ray, Paula, Mike, and everyone else that made this happen!

 

[Sergeant_V]

Excellent! I can hardly wait.

 

[sube151]

Wow! Looks really cool. This will be my 3rd year attending RIM, and my first year competing in it. I'm always impressed with the turn out of RIM. Should be excellent this year.

Hopefully is not raining.

 

[ricochet]

Excellent, see you there!



Ryan Douthit, Publisher
Driving Sports Magazine
http://www.drivingsports.com

 

[hilmera]

Aaaaaooooooooh! Cool!

Please, no one say anything specific about jinxing the weather!

Oops. Sorry folks.

andy
--
Viva la ProleRalliat!

 

[starion887]

Simply awesome, Ray!

 

[323]

Fantastic!!!
4 super stages, finally somebody in the SCCA Pro rally gets it.
I can't wait .
Ray great, great ,great job.

Stephan

 

[Ben]

>Fantastic!!!
>4 super stages, finally somebody in the SCCA Pro rally gets
>it.
>I can't wait .
>Ray great, great ,great job.
>
>Stephan

It's not a question of people "getting it." I'm sure all sorts of people in SCCA ProRally want to have super stages, and every evaluation of the state of the sport that I've seen mentions that. It's a question of finding a suitable venue, finding the budget to develop it, and finding a suitable number of people to staff it.

I am ecstatic to see that Ray and the Rim of the World group will be able to pull it off this year, and I hope to be there to enjoy it.

I would love to do that in Oregon, but we don't have the luxury of using the same roads every year. We have to scratch and claw every year to find forest stages, and it is just not a priority item to do a super special. Although having said that, we are engaged in some preliminary discussions about possibly doing an interesting stage...

Ben

 

[Denise McMahon]

Ben is correct....it is very hard for the organizer(s) all over USA and in Canada to be able to do something like this...not to mention even for Rim. But you do not know yet what the other ProRallys/rallys are doing yet..they have not made announcement...they may have something bigger and better. There are rallys out there where the roads are awesome, beautiful scenery and great facilites. Each rally as I think is unique venue to the sport.

We were talking about this new facility a year ago, but it was not fully finished. Also, not every ProRally venue may have a option to be able to do these types of things due to location, location, location. Even if they could try to move their venue and/or do something new or add to the rally; they maybe coming up against forestry service, BLM, residents of the area, etc. These are things the public or competitors do not know because they are not there seeing what these people are doing or up against. All you see is the day of the event(s) and how great and successful it was or failed for some odd reason either due to weather conditions, lack of volunteers, and the list can go on.

I know that all of these organizers due their darnest to put on the best rally they can with what they have to use. It is not easy and it takes dedication from supportive people who come back every year to help...which I mean the organization committee, sponsors, and the day of the event volunteers. So kudos and good luck and have some fun out there this coming 2004 season to all organizers, organizing committees, those precious day of the event volunteers!

Now I have to get to work right after the holidays and find volunteers for Rim. Anyone game to help out on working the day of the event? E-mail me and e-mail as well to all other rallys in your location to help out and/or ideas...they need your support to make any of these rallys to be successful.

Thanks for reading my two cents worth.

Denise McMahon
[email protected]

 

[gplsek]

That looks great. It mentions that all service stops will be centralized in the fairgrounds. Does that mean some new stages closer to the fairgrounds? Or just longer transits on friday evening?

thanks
-george

 

[Ray Hocker]

George,

There will be a bit more transit than previous years but that goes hand and hand with the request from competitors for single central service areas and building events around venues.

Unfortunately we haven't figured out how to get the best of both worlds yet!

The four super special stages will be "real" stages that will provide an excellent show while rewarding good drivers that deliver fast times. We feel it is critical that the super specials be meaningful to the competitors and are something more than just a show for the spectator. Hopefully these four stages, only a short walk from the service area will makeup for a small increase in transit mileage.

Ray Hocker
Chairman, Rim of the World Rally

 

[MDBodnar]

Ray:

Did the competitors ask for single service or the manufacture (was manufacturers...)?

Not a real issue -- just want to understand if your CERs really reflected and overwhelming preference for single service areas.

Sorry to pick nits -- Rim has some great advantages and we are all glad to see the "show" in addition to a great event.

Good Luck in all your endevours.

Mike

 

[randyzimmer]

RE: single service

I would like to go on record as prefering single service areas.
I almost never have a crew and finding someone to transport my stuff from place to place is an imposition on others and I know it.
Having a single home makes it easier for non-locals.
When I had my "problem" at RIM '01, one of the impossible tasks I had was finding an official to consult. A single service usually has all the offices and departments defined for the whole event and are easy to find in a hurry.
rz

 

[jblewis]

As I understand it, the Pro Rally Partners wanted a single service area per day.

It's part of the Partner Bonus Program, too.

JBLewis

 

[MDBodnar]

That was the root of my question.

And as an orgainizer and competitor I understand the hassle of logistics from both sides.

I would imagine most competitors would vote for single service areas, it keeps things simple.

The reality of most events is that they could run a better sequence of stages or less transit if they can move the service crews.

So if the majority of competitors really made a strong case for single service areas then we have a real need and a real demand.

In this case I think it is a manufacturers/TV thing, not a bad reason but I think its important to understand what needs you are trying to satisfy -- its the why behind the what that often gets forgotten.

Luckily Sno*Drift has no such problems: one service area per day for the forseeable future...

Mike