World Rally Sport 2012

Car rallying is one of the most enduring forms of motor sport and one of the most accessible as events are run internationally and nationally, right the way down to club level. Yet the sport for some bizarre reason does not seem to attract the interest in the UK that it should, given our love affair with cars. This may well be due to the fact that motoring is seen as the work of the devil in some influential circles and shouldn’t be encouraged. Which is odd, given the amount of coverage given to the circus that is Formula 1.

With rallying, it’s man and machine against the terrain and the elements and is consistently spectacular. Although smaller rallies are often conducted on public roads and are fun to compete in, the real excitement is generated by special stage rallying, usually conducted on forest or remote boulder strewn tracks or closed asphalt roads in all weather conditions. Anyone who has witnessed a night stage on snow at the Monte Carlo Rally knows what this means. In 2012, as usual, the Monte takes place in January so, depending on when you read this, you can catch the action on Motors TV, ESPN and possibly elsewhere. If you’ve missed it then you can catch up online and be better prepared for 2013! The premier events are run under the FIA World Rally Championship banner. All the top stars compete for ten months of the year worldwide, from the snows of Sweden to the deserts of Jordan running cars derived from vehicles that look like, but are not the same as, the cars you and I drive.

More than just a case of racing and speed rallying requires superb navigational skills and consistency of purpose – there is simply no time to relax. This is where the co-driver earns his seat. The ability to read stage notes at the same time as knowing exactly where you are at any one time is a consummate skill. The co-driver needs to be a calming influence at all times and is constantly communicating with the driver, telling him exactly what to expect by way of a sort of verbal shorthand. One wrong note and a trip into the undergrowth is a certainty.

Arguably, the pinnacle of the sport must be the Dakar Rally. This annual event, originally known as The Paris Dakar was traditionally held through Europe and into North Africa. Murderous bandit assaults in 2008 made the usual itinerary unsafe and in recent years the event has moved to South America, which offers similar challenging terrain. This unique human exploit pits some of the world’s greatest rally drivers against enthusiastic amateurs in some highly specialised vehicles, including trucks and motorbikes! This is a sport that deserves far more recognition than it receives.