Just wondering if the two are comparable at all.  Any thoughts?

Absolutely...
I also was a big fan of all the Rallisport games.
Was actually thinking back about Rallisport yesterday as I started playing Dirt 3.
Just another example of how games have progressed which gave me and ear to ear grin.  
: )

Yeah. i played a shit load of Ralisport challenge 2 back in the day. Dirt 3 is good, really good. The controls lean a bit more towards sim then arcade here. but its by no means Forza or GT5. For me RS2 was my rally game. something about that thing just spoke to me and i was in tune with each car and track. I held a few top times on XBL too. I enjoy Dirt 3 its a great game and im sure you will enjoy it as well. but RS2 it is not. no game for will ever come close.  
 
Side Note. the X Games 3XTREME bull shit from dirt 2 has been toned down a bit this time around. but the game still has that (not in a good way) knuckle head board room ideas of  "cool" 

While its certainly not a replacement for RalliSport Challenge 2 its actually the closest to it in my opinion.  This is coming from a person that didn't think Dirt 1 and 2 were even close to RalliSport Challenge.

The camera options in Rallisport were great - you could pick which views it would cycle through.  I had one inside and one for outside to pop out to when things got stupid.  That needs to be in every racing game.

I loved Rallisport challenge
Did not like Dirt
Did not like Dirt 2
But i love Dirt 3 !!!!!

I was a big fan of RC2 and like Dirt 3 a lot so far which has more variety than RC2 and plays just as well (and looks a lot better). If you can stomach some dudebro idiocy (the gymkhana stuff is so fucking stupid) and focus on the gameplay (such as the Kenya rallies and rallycross), you'll probably be pretty happy.

I had to sign up for this site just to add to this topic. I can't believe that I finally found some other people aware of the complete bag of awesomeness that is Rallisport Challenge 2. I loved the shit out of that game. Especially the custom soundtrack option, I was bumping Linkin Park hardcore at the time (don't judge). The racing was perfect and the graphics were mind-blowing. The in-car view during a night time raining track was crazy. I was so disappointed with dirt 1 and 2, they didn't have half the awesome racing types RSC2 had. I'm still kind of disappointed hearing that Dirt 3 doesn't have hill climb tracks or any hill climb cars, and that they advertise the inclusion of Group B cars like it's never been done before. But it does look and sound awesome. I'm tired of waiting for RSC2 to be added to the X360 compatibility list or any news of a RSC3, so I'll give Dirt 3 a try.

Absolutely... I also was a big fan of all the Rallisport games. Was actually thinking back about Rallisport yesterday as I started playing Dirt 3. Just another example of how games have progressed which gave me and ear to ear grin.   : )

Ralisport challenge 2 brings back some great memories, used to play with the wheel and pedals, its awesome. Can't wait to play this now :)

I played an ass-ton of RS2. If you've never played a game in the DiRT series, you can pick up the first one dirt cheap, ($10) and it's still awesome. (pun intended) I also enjoyed DiRT2 which is also dirt cheap, ($15) so nothing leads me to believe the 3rd would be any different.

I played an ass-ton of RS2. If you've never played a game in the DiRT series, you can pick up the first one dirt cheap, ($10) and it's still awesome. (pun intended) I also enjoyed DiRT2 which is also dirt cheap, ($15) so nothing leads me to believe the 3rd would be any different.

Thanks everyone for the responses!  Sounds like I should definitely check it out.

I'll amend my endorsement of Dirt 3 a little bit based on 5 hours of gameplay. The races are pretty short compared RC2 which had 6 to 10 minute long rally races, in Dirt 3 I have yet to do a rally longer than 2 minutes. So, if you want a more bite sized RC2 (with a lot more variety), then give Dirt 3 a try. But if you just want long ass rallies, then Dirt 3 might not satisfy you.