Primal Quest – 2004 Entries Live Today!
Rob / 25.01.2004
After a series of recent tantalising news releases, all the entry details for the 2004 Subaru Primal Quest will go onto www.ecoprimalquest.com today (Jan 26th). Expect a few changes to the registration rules, including;- An increase in the number of team entries to 125.
- Two brand new routes to gain entry into SPQ 2004;
a) "International" Team Entry - All team-members must hold non-U.S. passports.
b) SPQ Qualifier Races - 20 SPQ places are designated for 2 qualifying races, the Florida Coast to Coast and the Cal-Eco Final.
- The submission time for the lottery will be over a 2 week period, giving all teams adequate time to enter.
- This year’s entry fee will be $7500 per team.
Last year there was such a rush to enter the site was knocked down (and had to have several servers added to it) so the extended entry period for lottery places should spread the load and avoid a reoccurrence.
There is no question the race will fill up, and that most of the world’s top teams will be there. However, the new international category will add a bit of spice to team selection, and the qualification route means the full line up won’t be known until much later in the season.
The race has also just learnt the ratings for the recent CBS documentary were double what was expected. The broadcast on January 10th, had a 1.3 overnight rating, and whatever that means it’s nearly twice the network's average for the time slot. The two-hour broadcast was the highest-profile appearance of adventure racing on American TV and was expected to pull an overnight rating of 0.7.
Race director Dan Barger said that the strength of the ratings was not a complete surprise, "These are some of the most fit people on earth, and thy were exploring the absolute limits of human endurance. That makes for compelling television. We appreciate the fact that these numbers may further accelerate he huge growth that adventure racing has experienced."
