Discussion
Does anyone have any links to some usefull sights on rallying?
Me and a friend have decided that around autum next year we should be able to afford to get into rallying, kinda like wrc, group n spec stuff. Plan is to but a classic ipreza, kit her up best we can and trailer it to events, so we dont need to worry about being road legal.
What we're struggling with is where we can actually use it, and what limits their are on modifications etc. I dont know of any kind of RWYB type rally days, all ive heard of is specific events where there are rules on whats allowed and whats not etc.
We're in north yorkshire, specifically near Harrogate, so nearer the better.
Thanks for any help
Me and a friend have decided that around autum next year we should be able to afford to get into rallying, kinda like wrc, group n spec stuff. Plan is to but a classic ipreza, kit her up best we can and trailer it to events, so we dont need to worry about being road legal.
What we're struggling with is where we can actually use it, and what limits their are on modifications etc. I dont know of any kind of RWYB type rally days, all ive heard of is specific events where there are rules on whats allowed and whats not etc.
We're in north yorkshire, specifically near Harrogate, so nearer the better.
Thanks for any help
If you're not going to be road legal, then the only rallies that you will be able to do are single venue events (normally held on old airfields)
If you want to get into the forests and do some gravel events then your car will need to be completely road legal as you must comply with the law when transiting between stages.\
Do not underestimate how much rallying costs - especially in a 4wd machine like an Impreza, tyres, fuel and other expenses mean that you can easily spend 1k+ per event.
First step is to get yourself a competition license - for co-driving a standard Non-Race National B is fine (costs 35 quid or so, application form from www.msauk.org)
The driver will need to complete his BARS test, the first step is to order the "go rallying" pack from the above website - costs around 250 to get the license.
Along with the licenses, you'll receive a copy of the "blue book" this is the UK motorsport bible and contains all the rules and regs you'll need to build your car, whichever type, series and championship of event you want to compete in.
It would be cheaper however to buy an already prepared car - Motorsport News is a good source.
Whatever you decided to do... good luck and have fun. There's nothing like the adrenaline rush you get sat on the start line of a forest stage.
If you want to get into the forests and do some gravel events then your car will need to be completely road legal as you must comply with the law when transiting between stages.\
Do not underestimate how much rallying costs - especially in a 4wd machine like an Impreza, tyres, fuel and other expenses mean that you can easily spend 1k+ per event.
First step is to get yourself a competition license - for co-driving a standard Non-Race National B is fine (costs 35 quid or so, application form from www.msauk.org)
The driver will need to complete his BARS test, the first step is to order the "go rallying" pack from the above website - costs around 250 to get the license.
Along with the licenses, you'll receive a copy of the "blue book" this is the UK motorsport bible and contains all the rules and regs you'll need to build your car, whichever type, series and championship of event you want to compete in.
It would be cheaper however to buy an already prepared car - Motorsport News is a good source.
Whatever you decided to do... good luck and have fun. There's nothing like the adrenaline rush you get sat on the start line of a forest stage.
Thanks very much for that info/website, its hugely usefull!
We plan on using an impreza because they can be had for dirt cheap, parts are everywhere for them, i know my way around imprezas better then any other car, and theyre all ive driven really since i passed my test.
As for the road legal thing, now that i know ill need it to be, its not that bad, just means ill have to get it through an mot once every 12 months, shouldnt be too hard as long as they dont mind roll cages etc
We plan on using an impreza because they can be had for dirt cheap, parts are everywhere for them, i know my way around imprezas better then any other car, and theyre all ive driven really since i passed my test.
As for the road legal thing, now that i know ill need it to be, its not that bad, just means ill have to get it through an mot once every 12 months, shouldnt be too hard as long as they dont mind roll cages etc
Rotary Madness said:
Thanks very much for that info/website, its hugely usefull!
We plan on using an impreza because they can be had for dirt cheap, parts are everywhere for them, i know my way around imprezas better then any other car, and theyre all ive driven really since i passed my test.
As for the road legal thing, now that i know ill need it to be, its not that bad, just means ill have to get it through an mot once every 12 months, shouldnt be too hard as long as they dont mind roll cages etc
One thing to remember with using an Impreza is that (to begin with at least) you'll be seeded low down in the main field, with dozens of other people using 4wd machinery - on a lot of events this can mean that the stages will be pretty cut up by the time you get to them, and you are unlikely to win trophies etc - remember that you'll be in the same class as people using genuine ex-works WRC We plan on using an impreza because they can be had for dirt cheap, parts are everywhere for them, i know my way around imprezas better then any other car, and theyre all ive driven really since i passed my test.
As for the road legal thing, now that i know ill need it to be, its not that bad, just means ill have to get it through an mot once every 12 months, shouldnt be too hard as long as they dont mind roll cages etc
cars worth 300k+
MOT wise, rollcages etc are no problem, in fact any UK based full on WRC car more than 3years old will have to pass the same MOT.
From memory I think the only thing you'll need to make sure of is that you have a cable operated handbrake as well as the competition hydraulic one (hydraulic ones don't lock on IIRC)
Remember also that the car will need road insurance - up to you if you declare all the mods, personally I would - it's not worth the issues that would arise were anything to happen.
There are regulations for just about everything within rallying - from the clothing you have to wear, through the age of the seats and harnesses you must use, to the type of fuel inspection fitting that you must fit to the fuel system.
Read and inwardly digest the relevent sections of the blue book - remembering that the car must be MSA logbooked before it can compete and that pre-event scrutineers can be exceedingly thorough.
There have been a number of deaths within the sport this year and so everyone is a little jumpy.
cars worth 300k
Pwig said:
Also look into doing road rallying. It's a good start to the sport.
Join your local club they should be able to advise on either going down the lanes or the stage stuff.
Isnt road rallying more to do with keeping an average speed, and being precisely on time at certain points, rather then hammering it through some woods sideways?Join your local club they should be able to advise on either going down the lanes or the stage stuff.
K50 DEL said:
Rotary Madness said:
Thanks very much for that info/website, its hugely usefull!
We plan on using an impreza because they can be had for dirt cheap, parts are everywhere for them, i know my way around imprezas better then any other car, and theyre all ive driven really since i passed my test.
As for the road legal thing, now that i know ill need it to be, its not that bad, just means ill have to get it through an mot once every 12 months, shouldnt be too hard as long as they dont mind roll cages etc
One thing to remember with using an Impreza is that (to begin with at least) you'll be seeded low down in the main field, with dozens of other people using 4wd machinery - on a lot of events this can mean that the stages will be pretty cut up by the time you get to them, and you are unlikely to win trophies etc - remember that you'll be in the same class as people using genuine ex-works WRC We plan on using an impreza because they can be had for dirt cheap, parts are everywhere for them, i know my way around imprezas better then any other car, and theyre all ive driven really since i passed my test.
As for the road legal thing, now that i know ill need it to be, its not that bad, just means ill have to get it through an mot once every 12 months, shouldnt be too hard as long as they dont mind roll cages etc
cars worth 300k+
MOT wise, rollcages etc are no problem, in fact any UK based full on WRC car more than 3years old will have to pass the same MOT.
From memory I think the only thing you'll need to make sure of is that you have a cable operated handbrake as well as the competition hydraulic one (hydraulic ones don't lock on IIRC)
Remember also that the car will need road insurance - up to you if you declare all the mods, personally I would - it's not worth the issues that would arise were anything to happen.
There are regulations for just about everything within rallying - from the clothing you have to wear, through the age of the seats and harnesses you must use, to the type of fuel inspection fitting that you must fit to the fuel system.
Read and inwardly digest the relevent sections of the blue book - remembering that the car must be MSA logbooked before it can compete and that pre-event scrutineers can be exceedingly thorough.
There have been a number of deaths within the sport this year and so everyone is a little jumpy.
cars worth 300k
The plan is for the 2 of us to share the car, so 1 drive and the other codrives, then swap around so the codriver gets a chance to drive. Would we be allowed to share the car, as if not i dont think he's going to want to be stuck as codriver the whole time? And i dont think i can afford to have the car just as my own.
As for insurance, ill be covering that, as itll be trailored to and from events, so the limited milage between stages shouldnt cost me that much, even with everything declared like you say.
As for the rules and regs etc, is there an online source to read, to give ourselves an idea of what we will need to buy etc to be ready? We dont really plan on starting this until next year, so to buy the startup license etc now seems a waste.
Also we plan on building the car ourselves, its half the fun IMO. I know certain parts like the cage, seats etc need to be upto FIA spec, but the rest of the car will be ok if it passes inspection?
Rotary Madness said:
K50 DEL said:
Rotary Madness said:
Thanks very much for that info/website, its hugely usefull!
We plan on using an impreza because they can be had for dirt cheap, parts are everywhere for them, i know my way around imprezas better then any other car, and theyre all ive driven really since i passed my test.
As for the road legal thing, now that i know ill need it to be, its not that bad, just means ill have to get it through an mot once every 12 months, shouldnt be too hard as long as they dont mind roll cages etc
One thing to remember with using an Impreza is that (to begin with at least) you'll be seeded low down in the main field, with dozens of other people using 4wd machinery - on a lot of events this can mean that the stages will be pretty cut up by the time you get to them, and you are unlikely to win trophies etc - remember that you'll be in the same class as people using genuine ex-works WRC We plan on using an impreza because they can be had for dirt cheap, parts are everywhere for them, i know my way around imprezas better then any other car, and theyre all ive driven really since i passed my test.
As for the road legal thing, now that i know ill need it to be, its not that bad, just means ill have to get it through an mot once every 12 months, shouldnt be too hard as long as they dont mind roll cages etc
cars worth 300k+
MOT wise, rollcages etc are no problem, in fact any UK based full on WRC car more than 3years old will have to pass the same MOT.
From memory I think the only thing you'll need to make sure of is that you have a cable operated handbrake as well as the competition hydraulic one (hydraulic ones don't lock on IIRC)
Remember also that the car will need road insurance - up to you if you declare all the mods, personally I would - it's not worth the issues that would arise were anything to happen.
There are regulations for just about everything within rallying - from the clothing you have to wear, through the age of the seats and harnesses you must use, to the type of fuel inspection fitting that you must fit to the fuel system.
Read and inwardly digest the relevent sections of the blue book - remembering that the car must be MSA logbooked before it can compete and that pre-event scrutineers can be exceedingly thorough.
There have been a number of deaths within the sport this year and so everyone is a little jumpy.
The plan is for the 2 of us to share the car, so 1 drive and the other codrives, then swap around so the codriver gets a chance to drive. Would we be allowed to share the car, as if not i dont think he's going to want to be stuck as codriver the whole time? And i dont think i can afford to have the car just as my own.
As for insurance, ill be covering that, as itll be trailored to and from events, so the limited milage between stages shouldnt cost me that much, even with everything declared like you say.
As for the rules and regs etc, is there an online source to read, to give ourselves an idea of what we will need to buy etc to be ready? We dont really plan on starting this until next year, so to buy the startup license etc now seems a waste.
Also we plan on building the car ourselves, its half the fun IMO. I know certain parts like the cage, seats etc need to be upto FIA spec, but the rest of the car will be ok if it passes inspection?
Make sure you sort out who will pay for repairs etc if there's an accident - remember that co-drivers can cause them as well!
I'm not familiar with any website that will give you a complete run down of what the car will need to get logbooked, if you wait a few weeks I can pop a copy of this year's blue book in the post to you if you want?
Basically you're looking at cage, seats, harnesses, window film, fire extinguishers (handheld and plumbed in), battery cut offs and extinguisher pulls inside and out.
There will be other things, but I can't think of them now!
As mentioned above, join your local motor club (you'll likely need to be a member of a motor club in order to compete anyway)
Go along to some events and wander around the service park, if you pick your time right then most crews will let you have a nose around and chat about what they've done to the car.
License wise, don't forget that once you've done the test once that's it done. So although you'd have to get a 2009 license if you did it now, you'd only have to pay to renew it next year. (You'd also be able to compete in a road rally or two this year if you wanted as well!)
Road rallies vary in type and discipline, they are all a little more complicated than just averaging a set speed though.
I've been competing on gravel and single venue tarmac events for 7 years now and I still get a kick from road rallies.
Your local motor club will be able to advise what's in your area, there's also a pretty good national calendar within the road rally section of www.britishrally.co.uk website.
Rotary Madness said:
Pwig said:
Also look into doing road rallying. It's a good start to the sport.
Join your local club they should be able to advise on either going down the lanes or the stage stuff.
Isnt road rallying more to do with keeping an average speed, and being precisely on time at certain points, rather then hammering it through some woods sideways?Join your local club they should be able to advise on either going down the lanes or the stage stuff.
...Night time road rallys no...
... hammered it sideways through many a wood, forrest and farm track in my 205
Some good points made so far. Having worked with said £300K (Some nearer to £500K) Rally cars it can get very expensive! It's not just cost of the build! Fuel, Tyres, Hotels,etc all add up! Don't forget suit's, boot's, Helmets HANS, etc soon add up and it's your own safety here so don't skimp, because when (not if) the 1st big accident happens on a stage you'll be greatfull that you spent the right money on safety
Get yourself down to a local rally, single venue or otherwise and have a look around. Get in touch with your local club also and try and speak to the guys who are involved! Also if you've not already spend a day at a rally school (can't recommend Bill Gwynne's Rally School enough) Dealt with Bill and Ian for a long time, even be worth a chat to them.
Wear and tear and gravel stages alone can cause a load of damage... So it really depends on the sort of events you would like to do. I'd start looking at Nav rallies and single venue, these are a very good way to introduce you to the sport, get you and your co-driver used to each other
Budget wise how much have you to spend as you can pick up an early 2 door Prodrive built Group N car for around £15K an N11 can be had for around £30K.
Get yourself down to a local rally, single venue or otherwise and have a look around. Get in touch with your local club also and try and speak to the guys who are involved! Also if you've not already spend a day at a rally school (can't recommend Bill Gwynne's Rally School enough) Dealt with Bill and Ian for a long time, even be worth a chat to them.
Wear and tear and gravel stages alone can cause a load of damage... So it really depends on the sort of events you would like to do. I'd start looking at Nav rallies and single venue, these are a very good way to introduce you to the sport, get you and your co-driver used to each other
Budget wise how much have you to spend as you can pick up an early 2 door Prodrive built Group N car for around £15K an N11 can be had for around £30K.
first visit your local clubs (don't have to join straight a way) Ripon or Northallerton are close(ish) - they will have websites - the lads there will give you all the info you need free of charge - probably lend (give) you this or last years blue book - this has all the info you need to have to make sure your car is built to the correct regs (stage and road are completely different) road rallies are still very quick but sometimes the navigation can be difficult - but club members can show how it is done.
Cars can be readied for (relatively) little monies certainly less than £1000.
There are a number of single venue stage events in your area where the car only needs to have an MOT - insurance via the organisers per event - Croft / Hamsterly Forest / Teesside Autodrome for example.
Chris Birkbeck Rally School is between Redcar and Whitby
Cars can be readied for (relatively) little monies certainly less than £1000.
There are a number of single venue stage events in your area where the car only needs to have an MOT - insurance via the organisers per event - Croft / Hamsterly Forest / Teesside Autodrome for example.
Chris Birkbeck Rally School is between Redcar and Whitby
Thanks for all the help guys, but having looked at all the information given, me and my friend have decided its rather expensive, especially because we will probably have an accident at some point 
We've decided to look at hillclimbs, as you can use a fairly basic car, and the running costs are less, and less chance of stuffing the car into the tree. We're going to the harewood hillclimb on the 9th of sept, to see what its like, and maybe talk to some of the teams etc.
We've decided to look at hillclimbs, as you can use a fairly basic car, and the running costs are less, and less chance of stuffing the car into the tree. We're going to the harewood hillclimb on the 9th of sept, to see what its like, and maybe talk to some of the teams etc.
Rotary Madness said:
Thanks for all the help guys, but having looked at all the information given, me and my friend have decided its rather expensive, especially because we will probably have an accident at some point
We've decided to look at hillclimbs, as you can use a fairly basic car, and the running costs are less, and less chance of stuffing the car into the tree. We're going to the harewood hillclimb on the 9th of sept, to see what its like, and maybe talk to some of the teams etc.
Not a bad idea that, and you can double enter the car, plus you can sprint as well, as regs are pretty much the same, and there's some good sprint courses up your way.We've decided to look at hillclimbs, as you can use a fairly basic car, and the running costs are less, and less chance of stuffing the car into the tree. We're going to the harewood hillclimb on the 9th of sept, to see what its like, and maybe talk to some of the teams etc.
Rotary Madness said:
Thanks for all the help guys, but having looked at all the information given, me and my friend have decided its rather expensive, especially because we will probably have an accident at some point
We've decided to look at hillclimbs, as you can use a fairly basic car, and the running costs are less, and less chance of stuffing the car into the tree. We're going to the harewood hillclimb on the 9th of sept, to see what its like, and maybe talk to some of the teams etc.
I think you're looking at this a bit cock-eyed!We've decided to look at hillclimbs, as you can use a fairly basic car, and the running costs are less, and less chance of stuffing the car into the tree. We're going to the harewood hillclimb on the 9th of sept, to see what its like, and maybe talk to some of the teams etc.
You could get a standard Impreza, stick a cage, seats, belts and extinguishers in and run it at a few arfield events a hell of a lot cheaper than building it up to a top Grp N spec and playing in the trees. You can't hit much on airfields (note I said much!
) and you can do it on 1 set of slicks and 1 set of wets if needs be.It is worth looking into the cheaper side, see if you enjoy it and then work your way up to the bigger events, the way you were thinking of doing it originally is akin to jumping in a GP2 car in circuit racing! The way I suggested is like going into Formula Renault (or sumfink!)
Do some research, join an active local club and take it from there, g'wan, you know you want to!!
Info on events for the national gravel rally championship.
www.gravelrally.co.uk
I run the site for ANCRO and it is a good series with a good mix of events.
Cheers
TJ
www.gravelrally.co.uk
I run the site for ANCRO and it is a good series with a good mix of events.
Cheers
TJ
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