Special Stages are where the real competition takes place. The roads are usually unpaved, logging trails, mountain roads, desert tracks and in general, pretty rough roads. Checkpoints and traffic controls close all "civilian" access to the stages. The cars arrive at the "Arrival Time Control" or "ATC" and leave in one-minute intervals. Timing is to the second until the competitors reach the "Finish Time Control" or "FTC". A transit section takes them to the next ATC. At the end of the rally, all of the stage times are added up and the fastest car wins. That, in its essence, is what Performance Rally is all about.

Well to be honest, I didn't have an interest in cars, rally or racing of any form until I purchased my first Subaru in 1999. It was then that I met fellow enthusiasts who introduced me to the sport of Rally. After attending my first event in June of that same year, I immediately fell in love with the sport and knew I was going to do this to my fullest potential.

Later that same year, I began contesting my 1999 Subaru Legacy GT in SCCA Rallycross and RoadRally events. By 2001, I had become an SCCA member as well as an SCCA Pro/ClubRally Co-driver for Nat Stow. It was late in 2001 that I decided I was ready to man my own rally car and began searching for an appropriate donor car. So basically, the team started out by participating in RallyCross and gravel TSD events… a safe, sanctioned and smart way to learn the sport!

Often asked question that can be time consuming and difficult to explain. The Navigator, or co-driver does the bulk of the scheduling and of course they keep the team on time and on track. It is a very very difficult job to be a top navigator, you have to be well organized, have a stomach of steel, able to multi task, and perform under extreme pressure.  The reading of the stage/pace notes has to be spot on, no concentration lapses or miss-cues; this could lead to certain disaster. It's a very critical role in rally - a good co-driver can help carry the team towards success!

Here in the USA most of our rallies include supplied "Jemba Notes" - A series of "safety" notes used to describe the road in a consistent manner.  Jemba notes are made by computer and work well at improving the speeds of the team when read correctly and efficiently by the Co-driver. See the following link for more information:

Jemba Notes - description and glossary

There are a couple of well known Rally Navigators that have put together fantastic web sites with lots of great information on pace notes, Jemba notes, movement schedules and more!

Please visit their pages for more specific information:

--Dave Kean's Co-Driving Page

--Christian Edstrom's Co-Driving Page

This question comes up a LOT.  Honestly, it is nearly a nightmare building your own car and I seriously discourage this for you first timers. It’s a TON of work, it’s VERY expensive to do right and you can FIND great bargains in used rally cars for sale.  Most used cars often include spare parts, tons of them, and all the bits you will need to go racing.  You will likely spend triple the money, and triple the time building your own car as you would purchasing one that’s ready to go.

There are web sites that often have excellent used rally cars for sale here in the USA/North America:

www.specialstage.com 

www.rallyclassifieds.com 

http://www.rallybc.com/html/classifieds.html

A lot of those starting out in or interested in rally believe that they have to jump into an AWD Turbo machine in order to be competitive.  This is simply not true. Neither AWD nor a Turbo are needed to be competitive.  Depending on your driving style and experience, choosing to begin in a 2wd, bit slower car can be an excellent choice.  I/Team SubieGalRacing began my rally adventures in a front wheel drive underpowered Subaru Impreza 1.8.  With this 100hp monster, and in my rookie year as a driver, we managed to capture 2^nd in SCCA ProRally National Production class, 1^st in NW Region Driver class 3, and 2^nd in SCCA Northern Pacific Region Production class! Not bad for a first time team and an underpowered car.  Rally is not necessarily about blazing speed, it’s about finesse and the ability to control your car well enough to see the finish. 

Learn to drive a slow car fast & smooth and I can nearly guarantee you will be fairly pleased with the results!

I have averaged out our costs over the past couple of years of racing both National and Regional Rallies and have listed our costs below.  Now remember - these figures do not include or account for any repairs, upgrades or maintenance to the rally car/tow vehicles, etc. 

Also, I should point out that expenses will not be the same for a 2wd vehicle as they will a Turbo AWD vehicle such as “Burnsie the Rally Wagon.”  A 2wd car will not go through brakes/tires as rapidly as the AWD vehicle in most cases.

Listed below see our average costs which are anticipated per event:

Regional Rally events

Costs average $1500-2000 per event

Expenses:

$500-600 entry fee

$800 tires

$200 brakes

$150 lodging (driver and crew)

$200 gas (tow vehicle/race car)

$100 food (driver and crew)

National/Out of Region  Event

Costs average $2,500 to 5,000 per event

depending on where event is held and how far the team must travel to participate

Expenses:

$700-1100 entry fee

$800 tires

$200 brakes

$225 +/- for lodging (driver and crew)

$800 +/- for gas (tow vehicle & race car varies)

$150-200 food

Other Expenses to consider

Annual Membership Fees

Annual Competition License Fees

Rally car/tow vehicle Registration and Insurance

Legal Suit/Helmet

Drivers Gloves/Shoes

Belts/Harnesses which need updating

Fire/safety annual inspections and updates

Sponsorship is not something that is simply handed to you or your racing team. Sponsorship is something you have to earn, and it’s hard work to keep it. 

There are several different types of sponsorship – some of them include: discounts on parts/items, free items/parts, financial “parts” sponsor, financial backing (funds only). 

When attempting to obtain sponsorship, a few key things to discuss are:

1 – what can you do for the sponsor/what do you have to offer them?

2 – why should the sponsor help YOU vs. another team?

3 – what do you NEED from sponsor? cash/goods etc.

How to approach the sponsor?

I suggest you obtain or create a professional proposal.  Most sponsors will want a very detailed outline/guideline of what it is you do with your team – how it is you can assist them – wherein does the benefit lie for them – and how you plan to advertise/reach their customer base.  Some proposals are 1-2 pages long, others are 12 pages bound, or placed on a CD for computer viewing.  If you don’t have any thoughts on where to begin with a sponsorship proposal… visit the following for assistance/ideas:  Get A Sponsor  &  Racing Secrets

What companies to approach?

This all depends on what form of racing/or event you’re doing. Of course motor sport/vehicle related companies are a good start, but likely they see 100’s of potential teams per year.  It’s a good idea to think outside that box, especially if you’re competing in a regional or local championship.  Is there a local grocery store, casino, restaurant that would like to spend their advertising dollars wisely?  Try to expand your search and be persistent, be patient and be prepared to hear “no” – if you stick with it, chances are you will be successful in the long run.