Stage Rally
Please note that this is only a brief outline of
what is involved. Our club nights are a great source of information and there
will always be someone who will answer any questions you may have.
What is
it?
This type of event is similar to what you may have
seen on TV. It entails driving over a
series of tracks or courses called special stages against the clock and the
winners are the crew who covers all the stages in the shortest time. This is a
very simplified view of what can be quite a complex form of motor sport. The
descriptions that follow are for club level rallying, rather than the World
Rally Championship (WRC) variety, which must be viewed as the Formula 1 of the
sport.
The events can be varied
but fall into two basic categories. One is where the event is based at a single
venue and all the stages are held within the confines of that venue. This
usually entails 6 or so stages around various courses, which are generally
tarmac, some of this can be fairly rough. The other type is where the stages
are spread apart usually on forest tracks and linked by road sections. The
surface on this type of event can be tarmac but is more usually gravel. It is
quite common for stages to be used more than once in an event often run in
opposite directions to provide some variety.
On both types of event a
co-driver is carried, and although pace notes in the style of a WRC competitor
are generally not used there is plenty for them to do.
What do I
need to get started?
Age
17 to drive, 16 to
co-drive
Paperwork
For drivers a valid
driving licence, club membership card and a non-race National B licence, which
costs £34 from the Motor Sports Association (MSA). However before competing
there is a requirement to have completed a recognised British Association of
Rally Schools (BARS) training course, which will push the first year costs up
to around £200. For navigators a club membership card,
and non-race licence are required.
Vehicle
A far more specialised
vehicle is required for this type of event, which requires a roll cage,
extinguisher system and numerous other safety modifications. Cars used at
single venue events are often taken by trailer to the event and may not require
tax and MOT, but cars used for events linked by road sections must obviously be
completely road legal.
As with most types of
motor sport there are various classes and the rules for the preparation of the
vehicle can vary according to which class it runs in.
Despite the above it is
not unusual for competitive cars to be built in the garage at home, so they are
not that complicated.
Useful
items/modifications
MSA approved helmets and
flame-retardant overalls will be required.
What will
it cost
Entry fees are currently approximately £190 for a
tarmac event and anything from £250 - £400 for a forest event. You will need
enough petrol for about 100 miles.
What can
I enter
There are numerous events
around the country that our members are invited to compete in.
The down side - possible pitfalls.
It tends to be a more
competitive environment than other forms of rallying and as such can get
expensive.
You will be driving at
high speed on less than perfect surfaces so an off could result in a fair
amount of damage.
It is common for minor
damage to occur to the car, which will need to be repaired.
Tyres can be expensive and
do not always last very long.
Due to the nature of the
event the navigator can suffer from varying degrees of carsickness.
As with any form of motor sport, although they are
rare, accidents can happen. You must be aware of the risks and accept them, if
you are to compete.