SPECTATORS

An area set aside for each competitor to service and repair their car during the course of the event. Things you would usually see are the changing of tyres, altering of suspension setups and in some cases some minor body repairs in the event of an accident. However, it’s not unheard of for a team to replace major components during the time allowed for service such as gear boxes and hub assemblies. Service is also where the rest of the team will be during the rally and the day before to make sure everything runs smoothly for the driver and co-driver.

Time Cards must be presented at each Control for rally officials to record the actual time on it

Time penalties

If crews are late at a Time Control they are given a time penalty. For early arrival – 1 minute per minute or fraction of a minute early. For late arrival at a Main Control (out) – 10 seconds per minute or fraction of a minute late. Incurring time penalties can have a significant bearing on the rally’s final results.

These are the sections of the rally route that link the special stages together. These are often public roads where all traffic laws must be obeyed. Accordingly all cars must be roadworthy (with MOT certificate if required) and be taxed and insured. The time schedule between Special Stages is set to ensure that all road sections have a maximum average speed.

Located a safe distance after the flying finish, where all crews must stop to have their time recorded on their Time Card.

Sometimes referred to as the opening or course car. It covers each stage in advance of the competing cars. The zero car(s) acts as a wake-up call to spectators and marshals forewarning them that the main action will shortly be following (usually around 10 minutes). The zero car goes through the stage at ‘close to rally speed’, to give spectators and marshals a taste of what’s to come. Whilst doing this the crew must check that just about everything in the stage is in its right place. That means ensuring that stage furniture (arrows, barriers, etc.) and rally officials (marshals, radio cars, etc.) are all in their correct positions and there are no spectators stood in dangerous locations. On larger rallies you may find up to three ‘zero’ cars numbered 000, 00 and 0.

Based at the Rally HQ this is where the drivers and co-drivers sign-on for the rally, and have their documentation including insurance and licences checked.

The driver momentarily turns the wheel in the opposite direction before turning the car into the correct direction for a corner. This action creates a shift in the car’s weight causing it to flick into the corner.

Is a term used to describe cars built to the specification set by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the international motorsports governing body, and used to compete in the outright class of the World Rally Championship (WRC). The WRC specifications were first introduced by the FIA in 1997. World Rally Cars must be based on a production car that has a minimum production run of 2500 units and are hand built at a cost of around £500,000.

Sometimes called the Navigator. This is the person who sits next to the driver and is responsible for providing the driver with accurate route information and making sure they keep to their time schedule. The co-driver should also provide the driver with information to enable the special stages to be driven as quickly as possible.

This is a Maximum time allowed to complete the stage also know as a fixed limit of accrued lateness. This normally happens if a car breaks down, has a puncture or crashes during the stage, after which the crew are no longer allowed to continue to compete. This enables marshals and other personnel involved in running a rally to only wait for a fixed amount of time after the last car was due before closing the control.

Is the point at which timing for the special stage ends. The name comes from the fact that a car will be travelling at full racing speeds when it passes this post. Approximately 50 meters after the stop point is the end of the special stage restrictions.

As the name suggests a ‘Closed Park’ which is a restricted area where no service can take place.

Supplied by the organisers, the Road Book contains maps, tulip diagrams and timings for all the special stages and road sections of the rally.

The technique used by the driver to control a sliding car whereby the driver steers against the cars drift (opposite lock) to reduce the risk of the car spinning out of control.

Whilst still using the right foot to operate the throttle the driver uses their left foot to operate the brake pedal. This action de-stabilises the car allowing the driver to put it into a controlled (we hope!) slide, a technique that is often adopted on the approach to a corner.

In international rallying, R5 refers to a class of cars competing under Group R regulations. R5 regulations were introduced by the FIA in 2012 as a replacement for the Super 2000 class. R5/Rally2 cars are based on production cars and feature a 1600cc turbocharged petrol engine. R5 cars are a step down from World Rally Cars in their power and performance. They are eligible to compete in the World Rally Championship and in a dedicated series known as the World Rally Championship-2. This championship is exclusively open to manufacturer and professional independent teams competing in R5 cars. In 2020 and 2021, privateer entries in R5 cars contested the World Rally Championship-3. R5 cars also compete in regional championships such as the European Rally Championship and national-level events such as the British Rally Championship.