DILLIGAF
11-08-2007, 10:22 AM
This seems like it could be fun to attend:
Area gears up for Laughlin rally, Motorsports Festival
Wednesday, November 7, 2007 9:13 PM PST
Tenth annual event arrives in Tri-state
LAUGHLIN - If you're a motorsports enthusiast, be advised: Three days of excitement - Friday, Saturday and Sunday - are planned for Mohave County and Laughlin this weekend.
Laughlin International Rally and Motorsports Festival will offer residents and tourists plenty of action and entertainment on both sides of the Colorado River, Roger Allison, president of American Rally Sport Group, said.
The event actually kicks off at 7:30 p.m. PST today in the “Motorzone” at the Laughlin Events Park on Bruce Woodbury Drive.
Drivers from several racing disciplines will be introduced at the ceremonies
During a recent visit to the Mohave County Administration Building in Kingman, Allison informed officials of the progress toward this 10th anniversary event.
The first eight years this event was known as the Ramada Express International Rally, Allison said. Last year, the Laughlin Tourism Committee, which represents the eight hotels in Laughlin, became the title sponsor.
“Our Motorsports Weekend Extravaganza includes eight events,” Allison said. “It is anchored by our International Rally, which we call the American Grand Canyon Rally. On day one, it runs Silver Creek Road, Blake Ranch Road and out through Cane Springs and then they return.”
On day two, they go back through the county and up onto the Hualapai Reservation, and to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and up on the Rim as well. On day three, the Rally returns to Laughlin, Allison said.
According to the Rally website, “International Rallying is a unique motorsport competition requiring a two-person team, a special odometer with distance measures to 1/100 of a mile, and special timing. Having full safety cages and specially modified vehicles capable of handling dusty gravel, twisting mountains, snow and mud, competitors race full-out over closed-to-the-public desert and mountain roads. Transit zones link the stages together, providing what is truly cross-country racing.”
“We will have a special events arena stadium, SuperStage, and, for the first time, we will have fender-to-fender racing,” Allison said. “We have 35-foot-wide lanes on a serpentine course. We will have two cars starting abreast in each lane with four cars on the course at a time. There will be all-wheel drive, two-wheel-drive, trucks, etc. We have seven classes to compete in the event. On Sunday, they will compete for final trophies and cash awards.”
The Festival will include, for the second year, a Pro-Am Drift Finals.
According to the Rally website, professionals will “compete against amateurs on Friday and Saturday with eliminations on Sunday afternoon to crown the Drift Day Regional Champion. This event is held on a specially designed one-of-a-kind course and is part of the Drift Day ‘Pro-Am Series Nationals.'”
“Eighty cars will be competing over three days,” Allison said. “We created the first-ever drift course in the United States last year. We spent three months designing it with a team from Japan. We laid asphalt with McCormick Construction in Bullhead City who partnered with us to build the track. We created a stadium and put up bleachers, an announcer tower and a soundstage for entertainment. For our second year of Drift event, we are adding more to the track.”
New this year will be RallyMoto, he said. “Dual-sport motorcycles will actually be racing in front of the Rally cars. These are bikes that are street-licensed and can race on asphalt or gravel. They have GPS systems on board and the riders must navigate themselves.”
The MotorZone competitions will include SuperStage, RallyX and Moto-Cross.
Allison said in Bullhead City, the public will be offered a Ride-And-Drive event where Mazda Miatas will be available for the general public to compete in Friday, Saturday and Sunday over a serpentine course. An instructor will accompany each individual.
The Fort Mojave Mesa Kiwanis Club will sell beer, Allison said.
“We will also have a GPS Adventure Rally,” he said. “It is a GPS treasure hunt. There are 4-6 people in a team traveling in sports utility vehicles. They have to reach various points along the route. At each point they have to do an event. No one knows in advance what the point activities will be.”
Event schedules and ticket information can be found on www.RallyUSA.com as well as event descriptions, sponsor opportunities and a variety of other information.
“There are specials for Mohave County, Needles Laughlin residents,” Allison said. “The first adult will cost $20, a second adult will pay half price and kids under 13 are free.”
The Rally brings teams from around the world, he said. “Last year, we had New Zealand, Japan, we've had France, England, South America?. Every year it is different. We have over 400 volunteers from all over the country who work this Rally and Motorsports Festival. We have some great sponsors. We have been working with the Laughlin Tourism Committee, Bullhead City Mayor Jack Hakim and the Bullhead City Council as well as Police Chief Rodney Head and Mohave County to make this a successful and safe weekend of fun.”
For more information, visit the www.RallyUSA.com, www.Visit Laughlin.com or call Allison at 909-560-0863.
Area gears up for Laughlin rally, Motorsports Festival
Wednesday, November 7, 2007 9:13 PM PST
Tenth annual event arrives in Tri-state
LAUGHLIN - If you're a motorsports enthusiast, be advised: Three days of excitement - Friday, Saturday and Sunday - are planned for Mohave County and Laughlin this weekend.
Laughlin International Rally and Motorsports Festival will offer residents and tourists plenty of action and entertainment on both sides of the Colorado River, Roger Allison, president of American Rally Sport Group, said.
The event actually kicks off at 7:30 p.m. PST today in the “Motorzone” at the Laughlin Events Park on Bruce Woodbury Drive.
Drivers from several racing disciplines will be introduced at the ceremonies
During a recent visit to the Mohave County Administration Building in Kingman, Allison informed officials of the progress toward this 10th anniversary event.
The first eight years this event was known as the Ramada Express International Rally, Allison said. Last year, the Laughlin Tourism Committee, which represents the eight hotels in Laughlin, became the title sponsor.
“Our Motorsports Weekend Extravaganza includes eight events,” Allison said. “It is anchored by our International Rally, which we call the American Grand Canyon Rally. On day one, it runs Silver Creek Road, Blake Ranch Road and out through Cane Springs and then they return.”
On day two, they go back through the county and up onto the Hualapai Reservation, and to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and up on the Rim as well. On day three, the Rally returns to Laughlin, Allison said.
According to the Rally website, “International Rallying is a unique motorsport competition requiring a two-person team, a special odometer with distance measures to 1/100 of a mile, and special timing. Having full safety cages and specially modified vehicles capable of handling dusty gravel, twisting mountains, snow and mud, competitors race full-out over closed-to-the-public desert and mountain roads. Transit zones link the stages together, providing what is truly cross-country racing.”
“We will have a special events arena stadium, SuperStage, and, for the first time, we will have fender-to-fender racing,” Allison said. “We have 35-foot-wide lanes on a serpentine course. We will have two cars starting abreast in each lane with four cars on the course at a time. There will be all-wheel drive, two-wheel-drive, trucks, etc. We have seven classes to compete in the event. On Sunday, they will compete for final trophies and cash awards.”
The Festival will include, for the second year, a Pro-Am Drift Finals.
According to the Rally website, professionals will “compete against amateurs on Friday and Saturday with eliminations on Sunday afternoon to crown the Drift Day Regional Champion. This event is held on a specially designed one-of-a-kind course and is part of the Drift Day ‘Pro-Am Series Nationals.'”
“Eighty cars will be competing over three days,” Allison said. “We created the first-ever drift course in the United States last year. We spent three months designing it with a team from Japan. We laid asphalt with McCormick Construction in Bullhead City who partnered with us to build the track. We created a stadium and put up bleachers, an announcer tower and a soundstage for entertainment. For our second year of Drift event, we are adding more to the track.”
New this year will be RallyMoto, he said. “Dual-sport motorcycles will actually be racing in front of the Rally cars. These are bikes that are street-licensed and can race on asphalt or gravel. They have GPS systems on board and the riders must navigate themselves.”
The MotorZone competitions will include SuperStage, RallyX and Moto-Cross.
Allison said in Bullhead City, the public will be offered a Ride-And-Drive event where Mazda Miatas will be available for the general public to compete in Friday, Saturday and Sunday over a serpentine course. An instructor will accompany each individual.
The Fort Mojave Mesa Kiwanis Club will sell beer, Allison said.
“We will also have a GPS Adventure Rally,” he said. “It is a GPS treasure hunt. There are 4-6 people in a team traveling in sports utility vehicles. They have to reach various points along the route. At each point they have to do an event. No one knows in advance what the point activities will be.”
Event schedules and ticket information can be found on www.RallyUSA.com as well as event descriptions, sponsor opportunities and a variety of other information.
“There are specials for Mohave County, Needles Laughlin residents,” Allison said. “The first adult will cost $20, a second adult will pay half price and kids under 13 are free.”
The Rally brings teams from around the world, he said. “Last year, we had New Zealand, Japan, we've had France, England, South America?. Every year it is different. We have over 400 volunteers from all over the country who work this Rally and Motorsports Festival. We have some great sponsors. We have been working with the Laughlin Tourism Committee, Bullhead City Mayor Jack Hakim and the Bullhead City Council as well as Police Chief Rodney Head and Mohave County to make this a successful and safe weekend of fun.”
For more information, visit the www.RallyUSA.com, www.Visit Laughlin.com or call Allison at 909-560-0863.