The Magic of Rally Racing
I remember when I was a teenager getting out of a movie or church and meeting up with my family. We would be driving in about two or three cars and we would often "race" to see who would get home fastest. There were multiple routes on the 10-15 minute drive home, so it was often down to choosing the one with best light combination and hoping for no reds.
The thrill of pulling next to the gold van in my old little Porsche and zooming past as the two-lane highway bottlenecked into one was almost like winning the Daytona 500.
There is a global tradition of "racing home" that has become one of the world's elite sports and produces the greatest racing drivers.
Rally, to me, is the purest form of racing. Street-legal cars on public roads (closed during the event, of course) racing from point A to point B, fastest time wins.
You are forced to navigate in real time with only the help of a co-driver barking out instructions to you as fast as he or she can manage. The thrill of rally is pure and unadulterated by spectacle and pomp.
Here is a recent example from the historic Rallye Monte-Carlo. This year's event had days (and nights) of snow and ice, mixed with gravel and asphalt that kept driving teams guessing the entire time. If you've never seen any bit of rally, take a look at this in-car footage of Estonian driver Ott Tanak.
Imagine going flat out with a brick wall on one side and a cliff on the other. These racers are insane.
Car safety has improved tremendously over the years, making this once-deadly sport relatively safe. Cars of all makes and models compete, including the crowd-favorite Porsche 911 GT3.
My dream is to one day build a rally car and race for real. I don't care if it's a 911 GT3 or a beat-up ford escort, I hope to someday get out there and drive.
If you've never seen any kind of rally, do some searching on Youtube and find out when a race is coming to a city near you. It's amazing how open and available the drivers and cars are.
Last year, at the Oregon Trail Rally, my friend and I were able to get up close to the cars, meet the people involved, and watch from several places along the course as these awesome machines roared, screeched, and slid by. Here's an example of just how close you get to the action:
It's quite a lot of fun. If you enjoy racing at all and aren't familiar with rally, give it a shot. If you want to get involved, look into your local SCCA chapter for Rallycross events near you. Rallycross is a great way to start small with any car you have without any of the danger or costs of full stage rally.
The thrill of pulling next to the gold van in my old little Porsche and zooming past as the two-lane highway bottlenecked into one was almost like winning the Daytona 500.
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| How was I allowed out of the house with that haircut? |
Rally, to me, is the purest form of racing. Street-legal cars on public roads (closed during the event, of course) racing from point A to point B, fastest time wins.
You are forced to navigate in real time with only the help of a co-driver barking out instructions to you as fast as he or she can manage. The thrill of rally is pure and unadulterated by spectacle and pomp.
Here is a recent example from the historic Rallye Monte-Carlo. This year's event had days (and nights) of snow and ice, mixed with gravel and asphalt that kept driving teams guessing the entire time. If you've never seen any bit of rally, take a look at this in-car footage of Estonian driver Ott Tanak.
Imagine going flat out with a brick wall on one side and a cliff on the other. These racers are insane.
Car safety has improved tremendously over the years, making this once-deadly sport relatively safe. Cars of all makes and models compete, including the crowd-favorite Porsche 911 GT3.
My dream is to one day build a rally car and race for real. I don't care if it's a 911 GT3 or a beat-up ford escort, I hope to someday get out there and drive.
If you've never seen any kind of rally, do some searching on Youtube and find out when a race is coming to a city near you. It's amazing how open and available the drivers and cars are.
Last year, at the Oregon Trail Rally, my friend and I were able to get up close to the cars, meet the people involved, and watch from several places along the course as these awesome machines roared, screeched, and slid by. Here's an example of just how close you get to the action:
It's quite a lot of fun. If you enjoy racing at all and aren't familiar with rally, give it a shot. If you want to get involved, look into your local SCCA chapter for Rallycross events near you. Rallycross is a great way to start small with any car you have without any of the danger or costs of full stage rally.
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