Auto Racing: Rally Racing, A Sport of Time

Rally Racing is a sport where the driver is more focused on navigation and time than speed. Generally, a team of two, one driver and one navigator, compete in a series of stages. These stages take place in all driving conditions from extreme off road to friendly highways. Those who complete the stages most accurately will achieve the best time, thus winning the competition.

Rally Racing is a sport where the driver is more focused on navigation and time than speed. Generally, a team of two, one driver and one navigator, compete in a series of stages. These stages take place in all driving conditions from extreme off road to friendly highways. Those who complete the stages most accurately will achieve the best time, thus winning the competition.

In many of these rallies, these teams participate in a reconnaissance run. During this run, the team will become familiar with the course and note any and all situations throughout the course. Things such as sharp turns, jumps, and hazards will be noted and referred to from navigator to driver during the race.

The largest rally is the World Rally Championships. These competitions are a series of stages throughout Europe, and in the past stages have taken place in Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia. The race is over off-road courses and street avenues and features a trophy for team and manufacture performance. Since there are two awards a team can win there can be different winners for each category. Although this is rare, it has happened. In 2003 the team from Subaru won the team competition while Citroen won the trophy for the manufacture category.

One of the more interesting rallies is the Mongol Rally. Participants of all levels meet in London, England in a car of limited power and function. Each team is given the choice of various routes to make it to Mongolia. The race travels through Russia and the Middle East. It makes for a very challenging and exciting time for each team.

For those who love the open road or a challenging course, check with a local car club. Many of these rallies are organized by grass roots car clubs and are more than willing to welcome you to their society.