Targa rally vs Historics
Discussion
Hi,
I've done several one day historic clubman rallies with various clubs. Most of the day is navigational regularity with about 10 "tests". I like the tests becuase they feel like a "real" rally, going against the clock on narrow roads through forests while someone shouts instructions, but I actually quite like the navigational part too, to my surprise.
I also do autotests and auto solos. I'm not so keen on these as cones on a disused runway are not the same to drive round as trees.
Recently I've been reading mentions of Targa rallies, a new development. But I can't find much detail other than they seem to be cheaper than the classic rallies and don't require a "classic car". However, I also get the impression that they might be mostly around cones and often won't have regularity section, though they are allowed to by the MSA.
Anyone able to give me more info? Thanks
I've done several one day historic clubman rallies with various clubs. Most of the day is navigational regularity with about 10 "tests". I like the tests becuase they feel like a "real" rally, going against the clock on narrow roads through forests while someone shouts instructions, but I actually quite like the navigational part too, to my surprise.
I also do autotests and auto solos. I'm not so keen on these as cones on a disused runway are not the same to drive round as trees.
Recently I've been reading mentions of Targa rallies, a new development. But I can't find much detail other than they seem to be cheaper than the classic rallies and don't require a "classic car". However, I also get the impression that they might be mostly around cones and often won't have regularity section, though they are allowed to by the MSA.
Anyone able to give me more info? Thanks
Don't think you will find much about Targa yet, basically because there (to my knowlede) hasn't been a specific Targa event run yet.
However as is always the case I think you need to read between the lines of the Bluebook to understand where they are coming from. My opinion is that the 'historic' events particularly in the north of England (run by NESCRO) had started to move a little too far away from what the MSA and HRCR wanted out of Historic regularity rallying and yet also had started to get very popular and were attract 'modern' cars plus some fairly extreme 'Historics' with Hydraulic handbrakes, multiple colours and lots of spotlights etc.
There was a bit of a backlash from the HRCR to this and they instigated the banning of Hydraulic handbrakes and encouraged the MSA to get tough on things like multi coloured Cars and Spotlights. At the same time and by coincidence MSA in their infinite wisdom banned regularities from modern night road rallies (it was being abused somewhat by the fiddling of control positions and the use of private land etc), but that ban also applied to the modern classes of the NESCRO stuff as they used a Road Rally permit.
The effect of the above was too badly affect a lot of NESCRO events, all the guys with modern Road Rally cars were excluded, because of the regularity issue, anybody running a hydraulic handbrake had to take it out and the multi coloured cars were stuffed too. It became impossible to run some events as the entries dropped below the critical level as a result. The Croft Historic, Yorkshire Revival, Devils Own, East Yorkshire Classic all became casualties of this and didn't run once the bans were instigated.
After a somewhat vocal campaign about this, the MSA seemed to have listened (for a change) and introduced the Targa permit, this can be used as stand alone rally, or as an additional permit on a Historic Rally, but basically it allows back in the modern cars, modifications such as hydraulic handbrakes, a certain amount of advertising and also low profile tyres, 4 spot lights etc etc.
So effectively what is starting to happen is the NESCRO type events have now started to introduce a Targa class, the Saltire, Berwick Classic and Huntsman being examples. This hasn't altered the nature of the events, just brought them back to how they were before the MSA and HRCR buggered them up!.
Hopefully as it gathers pace we will see other events following suit and creating a Targa class. We shall have to wait and see.
As to if they are likely to be 'cones around a car park' or mini special stages, I think that will still pretty much depend on the event, HRCR will still keep their format, long Regularity being the focus with a few Tests mostly around cones. NESCRO will still keep theirs, a lot of fast tests, with a few short regularities.
There is a bit of a North South divide on this..
However as is always the case I think you need to read between the lines of the Bluebook to understand where they are coming from. My opinion is that the 'historic' events particularly in the north of England (run by NESCRO) had started to move a little too far away from what the MSA and HRCR wanted out of Historic regularity rallying and yet also had started to get very popular and were attract 'modern' cars plus some fairly extreme 'Historics' with Hydraulic handbrakes, multiple colours and lots of spotlights etc.
There was a bit of a backlash from the HRCR to this and they instigated the banning of Hydraulic handbrakes and encouraged the MSA to get tough on things like multi coloured Cars and Spotlights. At the same time and by coincidence MSA in their infinite wisdom banned regularities from modern night road rallies (it was being abused somewhat by the fiddling of control positions and the use of private land etc), but that ban also applied to the modern classes of the NESCRO stuff as they used a Road Rally permit.
The effect of the above was too badly affect a lot of NESCRO events, all the guys with modern Road Rally cars were excluded, because of the regularity issue, anybody running a hydraulic handbrake had to take it out and the multi coloured cars were stuffed too. It became impossible to run some events as the entries dropped below the critical level as a result. The Croft Historic, Yorkshire Revival, Devils Own, East Yorkshire Classic all became casualties of this and didn't run once the bans were instigated.
After a somewhat vocal campaign about this, the MSA seemed to have listened (for a change) and introduced the Targa permit, this can be used as stand alone rally, or as an additional permit on a Historic Rally, but basically it allows back in the modern cars, modifications such as hydraulic handbrakes, a certain amount of advertising and also low profile tyres, 4 spot lights etc etc.
So effectively what is starting to happen is the NESCRO type events have now started to introduce a Targa class, the Saltire, Berwick Classic and Huntsman being examples. This hasn't altered the nature of the events, just brought them back to how they were before the MSA and HRCR buggered them up!.
Hopefully as it gathers pace we will see other events following suit and creating a Targa class. We shall have to wait and see.
As to if they are likely to be 'cones around a car park' or mini special stages, I think that will still pretty much depend on the event, HRCR will still keep their format, long Regularity being the focus with a few Tests mostly around cones. NESCRO will still keep theirs, a lot of fast tests, with a few short regularities.
There is a bit of a North South divide on this..
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