Rally is the name for the most thrilling
car racing event. In a comparison to other
motor racing events, this one has some specialities.
Firstly, the speed is not unlimited, unless for the Special Stages. The
crew, consisting of a
driver and a
co-driver, must follow given
itinerary and come to the next time control at the exactly specified moment. Not earlier, not later. By this way the average speed of the race is set. The second main difference is, that this event takes places entirely or partly on the roads open to a normal
traffic, instead of being held on the closed circuits.
The rally consists mainly of a single itinerary, which must be followed by all cars. The
route is divided to Legs. The
Leg is a part of the rally, basicly consisting of a group of smaller parts (Special Stage, Service, etc.). The rally may include one or several
Special Stages. These are the time-measured speed tests. The road for these stages is closed for the traffic while the test goes on. The route between the Special Stages (set by two consecutive time controls as well) is called a
Road Section.
During the
race there are in general two kinds of stops: Service and Regrouping. Both are scheduled with a Time Control at the entrance and exit. Regrouping is under Parc Fermé conditions. During the
Service there are allowed some necessary repairs, refuelling, etc. in the special area. The
Regrouping is done to adjust the order of the cars in which they continue the race and thus start to the Special Stages. This is vital, because if the slower crews start before the faster ones, they make them loose the precious seconds.
Parc Fermé is an area in which no repairs or outside assistance is possible.
The goal of this event is to drive through the Special Stages in the minimum of time. The times from each Special Stage are added up and the crew with the smallest accumulated time, that means the fastest car, is the winner. To achieve the maximum possible speed the crew uses the
Road Book, with the detailed description of the route that has to be followed. The co-driver makes also even more detailed notes about the road, which he reads to the driver during the race. It is like dictating the corners to him, so the driver knows exactly which turn follows and how fast he can take it. When passing the Time Controls the crew uses also the Time Card, where it receives stamps to confirm that they have followed the specified route.
The beauty of this event for the fans is not only in watching the fast cars
pushing the limits on the road but there is also enough adrenalin of a different type. When a fan wants to follow and support his team or crew on the road, he must overtake them to meet them somewhere during the next Speacial Stage again. Unfortunately, this is hardly possible so the fans are usually meeting the crew only on the second next stage or even later. Doing this, they take a part of the event as well. However, this event needs
safety precautions more them any other one and these have to be followed by both sides, the teams and the fans as well.
General rules applied to Rally
Championships,
Trophies,
Challenges and
Cups are set by
FIA.
Considering the levels, the top one is
World Rally Championship or
WRC, followed by continental, national and regional events. For each level the crew has to gain a special
license to be allowed to race at the FIA sanctioned event.