Are you not quite sure what happens at Car Rally Events and wanna get more into it? Today’s blog post revolves all around the different types of car rallies, how an event typically unfolds and more!
What is a rally for cars?
A car rally is a motorsport event where drivers and co-drivers navigate a set route, often on public or off-road tracks, aiming to complete it in the shortest time or with the highest precision. Unlike circuit racing, rallies are point-to-point races against the clock.
All Rallies can through several different stage types, like Special Stages, Super Special Stages, Power Stages etc. These Stages not only determine the way the race is held but also the importance of the current race. A typical rally will usually start with a special stage that is closed off to the public to a Power stage that is shown off on TV or Social Media that will determine the winner of the Rally.
FAQ
Get to know the basics of car rallying in our short segment of frequently asked questions for rallying.
When racing in a car rally there are many key-differences to a regular race. For one, a rally might include different sets of roads & environments while a race track for a car race often only includes one track specifically build for racing. Additionally, most of the time a car rally race does not loop. That means that the one who arrives at the finish line the quickest, wins.
A typical rally will start with you asking questions to the rally staff regarding the track, setting up your rally car and then driving the car while getting instructions by your passenger. When you or one of your teammates reach the finish line the quickest, you win.
A rally is not a rally without its stages. Typically, a rally will start with a basic stage and then transition into special stages, super special stages, power stages etc. The length of the stage does not influence the type of stage it is.
When a suitable track for the stage is found, it often will be closed off to the public so the race can be done smoothly and danger-free. Most rally organizers will pick stages that are technically challenging to test their drivers skills.
The length of a car rally can vary dependent on whether the organizers plan a small rally for a small group or a big rally event. Typically though, most rally events will have their stages spread out over the course of several days which in the car rally world is called Legs. So typically, a rally event will be inbetween 2-3 legs with 3-4 stages daily.
When rallying, you are usually not the only person sitting in your rally car. Depending on how the event is structured you will typically have a co-driver present who will give you instructions on what to expect on the track for the current stage. While you, as the driver of the rally car, are the key-factor to winning the race, your instructor is an incredibly valuable asset to securing that win so make sure that you and your co-driver are on the same page when driving.