Monticello, New York - In an auto rally, cars, each with a driver and co-driver (navigator), cover a course made up of roads, running one at a time against the clock. If it’s a performance auto rally such as International Rally New York, the goal is to set the lowest total time on a series of “special stages” (races against the clock on sections of road which are temporarily closed to non-rally traffic). And of course, the goal is also NOT to wear out the car, or to get stuck off in the bushes.
Pre-Event PreparationA performance rally really begins weeks ahead of time. For the organizing team, work commonly starts six months beforehand, as they must plan a route, obtain any necessary permissions from local governments, arrange sponsorship, and line up the army of officials who are necessary to run an event.The rally teams also start weeks in advance. Even if the car is fully prepared and sitting in the garage, they must inspect it for damage from previous events, check suspension settings, and top off the fluids. They must also send in their entry to the event’s registrar before the deadline. Everyone must check in at rally headquarters, a day or two before the start.
PracticeDuring a specified period on the day before the rally, drivers and co-drivers are allowed to inspect the rally course at legal speeds. This practice is known to rally competitors as reconnaissance or “recce” (pronounced rek-ky). The driver and co-driver make notes on the length of the straights, the severity of the corners, and any hazards. The notes are written in abbreviated form, along the lines of “hard right, 100 [meters or yards straight], hairpin left, bridge…”
StartAt the beginning of the rally, all competitors and cars are required to report to an impound area (“parc expose”), where the crews can meet the public and the cars can be viewed. Cars are flagged off one at a time, at one-minute intervals. The start of International Rally New York will be on Erie Street in Narrowsburg, New York. From there the drivers will motor to the first special stage.
Special StagesOn a special stage (“stage” for short), the starter counts down until the car’s scheduled start time. When the starter says “go,” the driver accelerates away as quickly as possible – on a loose-surfaced stage this usually includes throwing up some dirt and/or gravel.What follows is up to forty minutes of the highest drama in motorsports: the driver dances the car through the stage, over pavement, gravel, dirt, mud, snow, ice, or creek crossings. He must be fast enough to set a competitive time (overall or in class), slow enough to stay on the road and avoid breaking the car. Throughout the stage, the co-driver reads the notes that the two of them made during practice, through an intercom which connects their helmets. It is said that a champion co-driver never looks up, never loses his place, and never gets car-sick. At the start and finish of every special stage, checkpoint workers note each team’s arrival time on their score card. At selected points, the score cards are collected by officials and forwarded to rally headquarters so that they can be totaled. A rally team’s score on a special stage is their elapsed time. The lowest total score wins. For the location of viewing points on the special stages, check the event web site, www.RallyNewYork.com.
Transit ZonesThe sections of public road that link the special stages are a chance for the driver and co-driver to catch their breath, since they must obey all traffic laws. But they can’t ease up too much – they must still stay on course, and meet the organizer’s schedule.
Service AreasAt several times during a rally, the cars arrive at a service area – the rally equivalent of the race track’s pits. Time for servicing is strictly controlled by checkpoints at the entrance and exit of the service area.If all is going well, the service crew can refill the fuel tank, clean the windows, perhaps change the tires, and check the car for damage. This can seem almost leisurely. On the other hand, if a component has failed, or the driver has run the car off the road, the service crew can be seen making repairs in a hurry. An expert rally mechanic can re-weld a damaged section of chassis, or replace a transmission, in twenty or thirty minutes. While the service crew is preparing the car for the next section of the rally, the co-driver is often seen comparing his special stage scores with those of his competitors. Because of this informal communication, co-drivers are among the best people for reporters or fans to interview on the progress of the rally. Service parks for International Rally New York will be at Lander’s Campground in Narrowsburg.
OfficialsIf you are observant, you might notice the teams of volunteers staffing the checkpoints along the route, or the crowd control marshals who keep spectators within safe viewing areas. There are many others who you will not see, from the event chairman and his organizing team at rally headquarters, to the radio crews who maintain communication, to the fire and ambulance crews who are on call. Without all of those groups, an auto rally would not be possible.
FinishAfter one hundred or so miles of special stages, and over three hundred miles of country roads, this is the moment of triumph and relief for the rally crew. For the officials, it means the completion of another successful event. After a party, and some rest, everyone starts preparing for the next rally. |
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