Robin Hood Rally, not Rally, not safe

GRM has been a big supporter of rally so I wanted to make sure everyone was aware of this incident. Did anyone see the near massacre at the "Robin Hood Rally"?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKOkchJJ_Yk

Corvette nearly took out a dozen plus people. This series is the most unsafe event I've seen since the Toddler Lawn Dart and Three Wheeler Championships!!

There are almost no safety rules, no cages, no licensing, no fire extinguishers, basically if you have $5k and a fast car you can enter. This is breeding a climate of the ultimate in unsafe conditions. Over on SpecialStage there is a big discussion about it, with virtually everyone agreeing that it is unsafe and risks the good name that rally racing has built up. To that end, we have started a Facebook group to get Robin Hood Rally to remove 'rally' from their name.

Intercity Lines, their transportation sponsor, has already pulled out of their sponsorship agreement and told RHR to not use the Intercity logo. We are not doing this out of a vendetta against the RHR people, rather for the safety of those participating in and watching the rally, and the good name of rally and all grassroots motorsports across North America. We don't want the good name of any type of Grassroots Motorsport dragged through the mud! Per, you rallied a bit, so you'll appreciate the damage they can do with the Robin Hood "rally".

Please join and help. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=134094499947886&ref=ts

If you wish to write or email to the sponsors, here they are.

http://www.apexperformance.net/ http://www.carhartt.com

Thank you.

Dan McGinn Abington Rally

It's hard to tell from the video, what exactly happened? Did two cars crash into each other? In a properly managed rally, there's no way that should happen.

From the comments on Youtube, it seems like this thing is being run by a bunch of shiny happy people.

I was getting unsolicited e-mail regarding the Robin Hood Rally from someone who got my e-mail address through the Club at Lime Rock, of which I am not a member

Shortly thereafter, I got an e-mail from Lime Rock stating that they had no affiliation with the Robin Hood Rally, as implied in the first e-mails.

Repeated attempts to unsubscribe from the Rally's mailing list proved fruitless.

Lesley wrote: It's hard to tell from the video, what exactly happened? Did two cars crash into each other? In a properly managed rally, there's no way that should happen.

Analyzing the video and reading the comments seems to point out that the road was very rough near the finish line. The corvette looses it crossing the finish line and takes out the BMW whic was originally facing the roadway nose out 50 feet further up than it ended up.

I am torn on this one, the libertarian in me says, its a free country and folks should be able to do whatever they want no matter how unsafe or stupid. The racer in me says don't ruin it so the rest of us can't get the coverage and sites to hold events.

I don't see any reason to get all up in arms over this, any time your body is not in bed or on the couch it's an unsafe situation. Bikes, skateboards, jet skis, 3-4 wheelers, skates, canoes, skis, surfboards, cars................... pick your poison, its all gonna hurt when there's a sudden unexpected stop. I am pretty sure all the people there knew that there was a motorsports event going on, and should be aware that things happen when you push the limits.

The arguement being made is not to cancel it but to remove rally from it's name. The rules don't require a roll cage or fire extingushier. It is also badly organized. Rallying is dangerous as is any racing but things should be done to minimze the risk. This group has the potential to damage the image of rallying in the ill informed publics mind.

AbingtonRally wrote: Corvette nearly took out a dozen plus people. This series is the most unsafe event I've seen since the Toddler Lawn Dart and Three Wheeler Championships!! There are almost no safety rules, no cages, no licensing, no fire extinguishers, basically if you have $5k and a fast car you can enter. This is breeding a climate of the ultimate in unsafe conditions.

I don't agree.

You take issue with safety by commenting about the value of the cars? Is the 2009 Challenge therefore unsafe? And if you are right, and this event is unsafe because it does not call for "safety rules, cages, licensing, fire extinguishers" etc, how does that help the people who were crashed into??? Would seem that you are combining too different safety arguements, whats safe for the driver vs. whats safe for people who choose to stand next to a road where cars are going by at 100 mph.

What apparently happened is the vehicle crashed into people along the route, which can happen at any "rally" regardless of what you call it.

Your logic would dictate any rally be closed down.

Just to play devil's advocate:

If they were to replace "rally" from the name, they would probably just change it to "race".....thereby harming the "image" of racing, right?

Exactly, how does a name change help anyone????? Seems like a silly semantic change to benefit noone.

In reply to plance1:

If you watch the video, it seems like the finish line is horribly organized. The tent of officals are set up in a very dangerous place. There is a car parked somewhere it shouldn't have been. The $5k is not the value of the car but entrance fee. As far as safety equipment do you know of a single orginization that allows competitors to compete in a rally flat out on public roads without a cage or license.

I would like to see it canceled.

If you guys say there are shiny happy people involved, one of them found the video on youtube and put an end to its viewing.

In reply to Nitroracer:

What I can still view it.

I'm not a facebooker, but even if I was who is to say what name the organizers give to their event?

If they call it a rally, then they call it a rally.

So was anyone hurt in this incident? Hard to tell from the breathless description, but if not then they got lucky (this time).

A guy broke his pelvis I believe.

plance1 wrote: Exactly, how does a name change help anyone????? Seems like a silly semantic change to benefit noone.

agreed. its not like there was a facebook group of people named charles that all wanted charles manson to legally change his name.

We/They/You don't own the word Rally. Good lord, it's a commonly used word. Heck, maybe all of those people driving through the woods like maniacs should quit using the word "Rally" because it confuses all the Klan members into showing up looking for someone to hate.

I perused through quite a bit of the thread on Special Stage and it seems like the largest complaint is that they are concerned that when "organizers" like this have a major catastrophe it will affect their interests. I can agree with that. It would be like losing an autocross spot because a dorifto competition had a major spill at the same spot a month prior.

After seeing some of the pics from other wrecks held at their rallies I would also be concerned with their safety record.

AbingtonRally wrote: GRM has been a big supporter of rally so I wanted to make sure everyone was aware of this incident. Did anyone see the near massacre at the "Robin Hood Rally"? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKOkchJJ_Yk Corvette nearly took out a dozen plus people. This series is the most unsafe event I've seen since the Toddler Lawn Dart and Three Wheeler Championships!! There are almost no safety rules, no cages, no licensing, no fire extinguishers, basically if you have $5k and a fast car you can enter. This is breeding a climate of the ultimate in unsafe conditions. Over on SpecialStage there is a big discussion about it, with virtually everyone agreeing that it is unsafe and risks the good name that rally racing has built up. To that end, we have started a Facebook group to get Robin Hood Rally to remove 'rally' from their name. Intercity Lines, their transportation sponsor, has already pulled out of their sponsorship agreement and told RHR to not use the Intercity logo. We are not doing this out of a vendetta against the RHR people, rather for the safety of those participating in and watching the rally, and the good name of rally and all grassroots motorsports across North America. We don't want the good name of any type of Grassroots Motorsport dragged through the mud! Per, you rallied a bit, so you'll appreciate the damage they can do with the Robin Hood "rally". Please join and help. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=134094499947886&ref=ts If you wish to write or email to the sponsors, here they are. http://www.apexperformance.net/ http://www.carhartt.com Thank you. Dan McGinn Abington Rally

Why don't you try to help them? You're doing the full court press on getting them shut down, why not suggest ways to make it better. If you have the experience, offer it. Fostering contempt instead of extending a helping hand is neither productive nor admirable.

JFX001 wrote:

AbingtonRally wrote: GRM has been a big supporter of rally so I wanted to make sure everyone was aware of this incident. Did anyone see the near massacre at the "Robin Hood Rally"? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKOkchJJ_Yk Corvette nearly took out a dozen plus people. This series is the most unsafe event I've seen since the Toddler Lawn Dart and Three Wheeler Championships!! There are almost no safety rules, no cages, no licensing, no fire extinguishers, basically if you have $5k and a fast car you can enter. This is breeding a climate of the ultimate in unsafe conditions. Over on SpecialStage there is a big discussion about it, with virtually everyone agreeing that it is unsafe and risks the good name that rally racing has built up. To that end, we have started a Facebook group to get Robin Hood Rally to remove 'rally' from their name. Intercity Lines, their transportation sponsor, has already pulled out of their sponsorship agreement and told RHR to not use the Intercity logo. We are not doing this out of a vendetta against the RHR people, rather for the safety of those participating in and watching the rally, and the good name of rally and all grassroots motorsports across North America. We don't want the good name of any type of Grassroots Motorsport dragged through the mud! Per, you rallied a bit, so you'll appreciate the damage they can do with the Robin Hood "rally". Please join and help. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=134094499947886&ref=ts If you wish to write or email to the sponsors, here they are. http://www.apexperformance.net/ http://www.carhartt.com Thank you. Dan McGinn Abington Rally

Why don't you try to help them? You're doing the full court press on getting them shut down, why not suggest ways to make it better. If you have the experience, offer it. Fostering contempt instead of extending a helping hand is neither productive nor admirable.

+1

Indeed. Impressive that this particular reader has exactly two posts that pan what's probably someone else's event...

This "thing" had two stages roughly near me and a local newspaper had an interview with a few local citizens who were participating. I'll try and find the interview and link it, but while there was one experienced driver, it seemed mostly like people with zero experience and big pocket books thinking they could go fast. It scared the E36 M3 out of me.

I believe the premise is to get some sort of reality tv show out of it. Shudder...

Hopefully this just disappears into the woodwork, very, very quietly.

JFX001 wrote: Why don't you try to help them? You're doing the full court press on getting them shut down, why not suggest ways to make it better. If you have the experience, offer it. Fostering contempt instead of extending a helping hand is neither productive nor admirable.

Because assistance HAD been offered, and refused. Now, it looks like they want some professional assistance so they can pick and choose and not take the advice in whole. At this point, no respectable organization wants to be associated with them.

where do I sign up?

modernbeat wrote:

JFX001 wrote: Why don't you try to help them? You're doing the full court press on getting them shut down, why not suggest ways to make it better. If you have the experience, offer it. Fostering contempt instead of extending a helping hand is neither productive nor admirable.

Because assistance HAD been offered, and refused. Now, it looks like they want some professional assistance so they can pick and choose and not take the advice in whole. At this point, no respectable organization wants to be associated with them.

If that is the case, Mr. McGinn should have stated so in his post. I'm not a big fan of trying to sway public opinion without full disclosure.