Special Stage rallying is the better-known sport, but navigational events, known as road rallies, have a long and successful history, and are easily accessible to anyone who owns a road car.
Almost everywhere in the country, there is a local motor club organising stage or road rallies. It’s a sport that rewards a team effort combining driving skill with navigational or co-driving back-up.
Where do the events take place?
Stage rallies are held mainly in countryside areas, particularly Wales, Scotland and Yorkshire. Because an Act of Parliament is needed to close public roads on the British mainland for rallying, most events are held on Forestry Commission land or on disused airfields, with special stages often linked by public roads. However, in the Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, and parts of Scotland, events can be held on closed-off public roads.
Road rallies are held exclusively on the public road. Because they share the roads with other traffic, average speeds are deliberately kept relatively low.
There are national championships for Historics, and there is also a championship for Endurance Road-Rally Cars, which are limited to 1400cc petrol engines, or two-litre non-turbo diesels, with virtually standard engines and gearboxes. Some events go off-road, with timed sections in woods, forests or airfields.
How do the events work?
In stage rallies, it’s a simple ‘fastest wins’ format, with the lowest aggregate time over all the special stages providing the winner. Co-drivers read route direction notes issued by the organisers on both the stages and the linking road sections to ensure the car is heading the right way.
For road rallies, the emphasis is as much on navigation as driving skill, as crews must maintain a time schedule through all the control points. The navigator, who uses Ordnance Survey maps to direct the driver around the route, must be very careful with timing - it’s just as bad if you check in too early as it is to check in too late at a time control.
There are several different forms of road-rallying such as Runs with no timing, Economy Runs, Historic Rallies for classic cars and more competitive night events, where the emphasis is on good navigation and time-keeping. Lots of well-known rally co-drivers cut their teeth in Britain’s road-rally scene and went on to stardom in the World Rally Championship.
Most local motor-clubs run what is known as a '12 Car' event which is ideal for starting out in any kind of rallying – this is limited to 12 cars and just about any car can take part.You do not need special equipment to take part in road events, but often a map magnifying glass, map light and a sump-shield comes in useful on the more competitive events.
So how do I start?
To get involved in stage rallying, you’ll need a full driving licence. Then you need to get a Go Rallying starter pack from the MSA, which is full of useful information for beginners.
You will need to pass a one-day course at a rally school. This has to be a member of the British Association of Rally Schools (BARS) GO FIND SCHOOLS, which is recognised by the MSA.