Connect the Dots With RallyCross in the US....

First the Press Release then below what I believe occured...

Global RallyCross Championship Launches March 25-26

POSTED ON MARCH 2, 2011

New Series to air on ESPN and draw top names in action sports

West Hollywood, CA (March 2, 2011 | GLOBAL RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP) – The Global Rallycross Championship race series (GRC) is set to launch this month with a season opener at Irwindale Speedway March 25 and 26 on the outskirts of Los Angeles.

Building off the success of X Games rally events, the new series will benefit from a multi-year programming relationship with ESPN. GRC broadcasts are slated to follow NASCAR Nationwide and NHRA shows on ESPN and ESPN2.

Series teams and drivers will be drawn from the top ranks of the U.S. and European rallycross championships. Among those expected to attend the first event are three-time X Games Rally gold medalist Tanner Foust in his Ford Fiesta rallycross car, Hyundai-backed Rhys Millen and five-time British rally champion Marcus Dodd. Action sports stars Brian Deegan, and Subaru’s Dave Mirra also plan to compete.

“We chose Irwindale for the season opener because we love the track’s history and location,” said GRC co-founder Brian Gale. “The track has launched some pretty cool types of motorsports over the years and we’re sure that the fans here will appreciate the mix of motorsport with action sport.”

Gale began working with action sports leader X Games to develop the series after the highly successful North American debut of rallycross at X Games 16 last summer. A new operating company, RallyCross Management, was formed to organize and promote the GRC events, and manage invitations and competition for X Games rally events.

“ESPN is thrilled to have the Global RallyCross Championship exclusively on our services around the world,” said Scott Guglielmino, senior vice president of Programming and Global X Games. “We look forward to working with RallyCross Management and bringing together world-class drivers and manufacturers to showcase this exciting form of motorsports racing to ESPN audiences around the world.”

Rallycross combines the best aspects of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition to deliver intense action in a variety of fan-friendly environments. The highlight of the course is a massive jump that sees cars launch over seventy feet through the air.

Three event weekends are on the 2011 calendar, with qualifying competitors expected to meet again in August 2011 at X Games 17 Rally competitions held in downtown Los Angeles.

The GRC season opener will take place March 25-26, at Irwindale, CA. Round two moves to an exciting new facility outside of Seattle April 15-16, and competitors will hit the large oval at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Colorado Springs, CO, June 17-18, for Round three. The RallyCar organization will sanction the events.

About RallyCross Management
West Hollywood, CA based RallyCross Management is the owner and organizer of the Global Rallycross Championship. Working with ESPN, the company will bring the excitement of rallycross racing to millions of households in over 170 countries.

Then let's play connect the dots...

Gale is Foust's manager

Gale was the director (owner?) of the production company that Rally America hired to run its RallyCross series in 2011 which fails (somehow) in developing some sort of discussed relationship with ESPN though high level talks and initial planning did take place and PR releases were made, nothing came to fruition.

ESPN has a substantial (controlling?) ownership stake in Gale's new company (GRC) which is starting up a "new" west coast centered Rallycross series with a new organizing entity (RCM) controlling entries and more for the XGames.

Here I'll state my opinion of what this looks like with no proof, just an impression based on the above.

Sounds to me like Gale and ESPN got cozy in the middle of last year and somewhere along the way decided that Rally America wasn't substantial enough for ESPN's purposes, and that they'd be better off with 100% control, thereby squashing the need for ESPN to invest any money in producing/filming last Falls RallyX series.

Gale still had the connections and expertise to head up a RallyCross series so while RA was shuffled to the side and out of the picture, ESPN invests heavily (a quid pro quo?) in a company co-founded (who is the other co-founder?) by Gale and sets him up to run what is then essentially an ESPN owned/controlled entity for the purpose of putting on RallyX events, providing ESPN with a product with which to expand their marketing to Gen X,Y,Z or whatever other generation we are on.

There is zero mention of Rally America/RallyCar in this initial release nor is there any RallyAmerica/RallyCar photos or info in any way associated with the current GRC webpage.

However, one of the emails informing people of this new series reportedly came directly from Rally America--yet, there is no mention of it on the Rally America site.  Rally America is usually very on top of announcing good news and if they have a hand in this new series I would have thought that it would appear first, or nearly so, on the Rally America page and they would be hyping the crap out of it.

And if GRC is running this series on the West Coast, what remains for RallyAmerica/RallyCar to promote/run?  Not much RallyCross wise I would imagine...

Rally America, in my opinion, got played...and played badly.  Yet another reason for me to hate ESPN, unfortunately, I'll still likely end up watching their RallyCross programs...it's just the slimey

Regardless, wanna take bets on what happens first?  RallyCar changes its name back to Rally America or RallyCar putting on another top talent drawing RallyCross event???

New Global RallyCross Site...