Monticello, NY -- The principle of an auto rally is pretty simple: cars, each with a driver and co-driver (navigator), cover a course made up of roads, running one at a time against the clock. After that, especially if the event is a performance rally such as International Rally New York, it gets complicated.

Performance rallies are designed to test the car control skills of the driver, and the car’s agility and endurance. Most have "special stages", races against the clock on sections of road which are temporarily closed to non-rally traffic.

Pre-Event Preparation
A performance rally really begins weeks ahead of time, when the car is prepared. Before each event, the car must be inspected for damage from previous events, suspension settings must be rechecked, bolts must be checked for tightness, and fluids topped off. On a small team, this work is often done by the driver and a few friends. On big-budget teams, there are professional mechanics to do the work. Either way, the steps are the same.

A rally car is essentially a compact sedan or sports coupe, but it is heavily modified for competition. Successful rally cars range from the turbocharged, four-wheel-drive performance sedans which make up the fastest class (ex.- Subaru Impreza WRX, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo) to economy cars which populate the slower classes (ex.- Dodge Neon, Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf). The choice of the car is a matter of personal taste, and the size of the team’s budget. All cars entered in a performance rally must have a full roll cage for occupant protection, and fire extinguishers. The crew must also have full safety harnesses, fire-retardant suits, and helmets. The soundness of the car and safety equipment are checked at the rally by technical inspectors.

Practice
After rally teams arrive in Sullivan County, they will have a short time to inspect the rally course at ordinary speeds. This practice is known to rally competitors as reconnaissance or "recce" (pronounced rec-ky).

The driver and co-driver make notes on the length of the straights, the severity of the corners, and any hazards. It is written in abbreviated form, along the lines of "hard right, 100 [meters or yards straight], hairpin left, bridge..."

Start
At the beginning of the rally, all competitors and cars are required to report to an impound area, 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 and impound area of International Rally New York will be at Monticello Raceway. From there the drivers will motor to the first special stage.

Special Stages
On a special stage ("stage" for short), the starter counts down until the car’s scheduled start time (10, 9, ... 3, 2, 1, GO!). 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 rocks.

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 shouts, through an intercom system in their helmets, the notes that the two of them made during practice: "hard right, 100, hairpin left, bridge..." It is said that a champion co-driver never looks up, never loses his place, and never gets car-sick.

A rally team’s score on a special stage is their elapsed time. The lowest score wins.

Special stages in International Rally New York include the Mighty M Gaming Super Special Stage at Monticello Raceway, and stages on the roads of Narrowsburg, Tusten, Liberty, and the Ten Mile River Scout Reservation.

Transit Zones
The 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 Areas
At 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 hurriedly making repairs. An expert rally mechanic can reweld 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 his competitors. Because of this informal communication, co-drivers are among the best people for reporters to interview on the progress of the rally.

Service parks for International Rally New York will be at Narrowsburg Campground in Narrowsburg (Friday and Saturday), Monticello Raceway (Friday and Saturday night), and downtown Liberty (Saturday afternoon).

Finish
After 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. At the end of International Rally New York, teams who complete the course will return to Monticello Raceway for the final special stage and the ceremonial finish.

International Rally New York is a round of the United States Rally Championship, which is sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC), and presented by the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). International Rally New York is also a round of the Eastern States Rally Championship (ESRC), organized by NASA Rally Sport.

A complete schedule for International Rally New York, and other information, are available at the event’s web site, www.rallynewyork.com.