RE: Kurt might be doing the right thing...
I just have to share the following observations from my CT experience:
The attitude of the Park Ranger at the spectator point midway through SS3 was unbelievable. Scott the stage captain, did a great job calming the angry masses. As I watched and heard this armed psycho (the ranger, not Scott), I felt as though I could have been watching humans being herded to an untimely end. It was pretty eerie and quite uncomfortable to witness. Look at this photo:
http://www.rallyplanet.com/index.php?&pid=5093
Without Scott's efforts a riot may have ensued, and the Ranger's truck
(barely seen among the crowd in the photo) might have ended up being rolled down the embankment. How would Forestry Man's botanist like that?
Talking about negative environmental impact, maybe Mr. Kinnerson should be more concerned with all the tires, refrigerators, and miscellaneous rubbish I saw a mile before the finish of SS1/5 ???
Only in America can you find such hypocrisy.
I don't blame Kurt for being pissed off. Imagine if he had brought a potential series sponsor out in the forest? And what a nightmare for John and Kendall. Alot of work has gone into events such as CT and Prescott, it would be a shame to loose them. These rallies help to define our diverse national series. We need more, not less events.
What I am dying to know is, and maybe Mr. Barfoot can elaborate on this a bit, just what were the specific "organisational problems' that caused the demise of the Prescott rally? I can't seem to get a clear answer on that. The problems in TN were there for all to see. Remember the article that followed the 2001 edition of CT? A Sierra Club rep was quoted saying something like "We don't know what a rally is, but if we'd have known it was going to happen, we'd have stopped it."
I hope somehow, someway, a compromise can be reached with the Forestry Dept. One would hope that the City of Chatanooga and the State of Tennessee can see the impact of ProRally is a positive one, and will help us negotiate a truce. Heck, even the Cherokee Forest can benefit from the exposure and increase in tourism.
How about a refund of Forest Pass cost if you carry an old
refrigerator out of the stage with you?
Andrew Havas
http://www.andrewhavas.com