Rally Driving FAQ

This may be obvious but so many people forget about it and just want to jump in the car and roar off around the rally track. When you get in the car with your instructor take the time to make sure that you have your seating position just right. This will make the whole experience so much more fun as you can just concentrate on the driving and sliding the car around the track. With your seat you want to have it so it supports your back fully. Ensure you are sitting upright so that you get a good view of the track ahead. You also want to be able to reach all of the pedals easier and have both of your hands on the steering. Make sure you have a bend in your elbows as you do not want to be locking your arms when driving on any surface, and this includes the roads. In fact all of the tips here you can adapt to driving on the road, as this will make you a much better and safer driver.

When you are all set up with your seating position and about to set off with your instructor by your side you need to remember to stay focussed on what you are doing at all times, now this does not mean you need to tighten up. In fact the complete opposite is true. You need to stay relaxed and loose as this will make you a lot quicker at getting around the track safely. That is the main priority with the whole experience as well as having a great time. Stay focused on what you are doing, keep both hands on the wheel all of the time (apart from changing gear), you also want to feel what the car is doing around you, so if the car starts to slide, then you can turn in to the slide to keep control.

Learning the basics of anything before you try something for the first time is always a great idea. Even more so with Rally Driving. Why not try a racing simulator, which you can even do using VR. There are more and more VR venues appearing so it should be easy to find one in your local area. If you cannot find any venues close to home, then you can use the Dirt Rally game, as this is a realistic rally simulator game which has been designed to include weight transfer as you go around the corners, as well as off-road driving, braking and gear shifting techniques.

The first ever rally race dates back to 1894 in Paris with sponsorship from the Paris Newspaper (Le Petit Journal). The winner of the race being Albert Lemaître, who was driving a 3 hp Peugeot. This led to city to city races across France and other European cities with drivers being given road maps with notes. The races would then be against the clock instead of head to head over normal roads, gravel and dusty roads. Competitors would have to ensure they avoided other road users, pedestrians and farm animals as roads would not be closed for the races to happen. The races would be over a long distance with the longest race still to this day being over 1,060 miles over 10 stages with the first 3 places going to 2 Panhards and a three-wheeler.

In 1990 Rally Driving came to Britain with the Automobile Club of Great Britain organising a 1,000 mile trial over 15 days which linked all of the major British cities at that time, The event was organised to help promote this new sport, at the time of the trial the maximum speed was 12 mph. Drivers had to tackle six hill climbs or speed tests, and then on rest days the cars were shown to the public in exhibition halls. This was then followed by a trial in Glasgow in 1901 which was organised by The Scottish Automobile Club, which then followed by a Glasgow to London non stop trial from 1902-1904.

With so many different stages around the world now for WRC we have decided to look at what are the longest, shortest and toughest races in the world.

The longest race in the world for WRC is in Mexico at Guanajuato with a single stage being over a distance of 50 miles, which we just think is crazy as that is 50 miles of your foot to the floor fighting for grip all of the way and trying to get the best time to win the race.

The shortest WRC race in the world is held in Japan within the Asia Cup Series with a total distance of just 350 metres which the drivers have to do 3 laps of, as it is a qualifier for the main race.

Toughest WRC race in the world, well this is a hard one as they are all hard in their own way. But the toughest race has to go to the Panzerplatte in Germany which is held each year on an military training area. The main issue with this race is that it has solid concrete boulders everywhere as well as being on a concrete road, which makes it very slippery in the wet, this track is well known for not taking any prisoners.

Great question and one we get asked a lot. The answer to this question depends on if you want to drive the car or if you are looking for a white knuckle rally driving experience in the passenger's seat as you get driven around the track at high speeds by someone who knows what they are doing (well hopefully). As far as the passengers experience there is not normally a minimum age, the main requirements for this is that you fit safety in the bucket seat so that you can be strapped in for your safety, which is normally that you are over 4’3”, under 6’7” and under 20 stone.

If you want to get behind the wheel and test your skills at driving sideways, then try a company like Gwynne Speed in Cirencester who offer both a junior experience with a minimum age of 10, yes that's right just 10 years. If you want some exciting fun with your 10 year old, i suggest heading down to Gwynne Speed and let them lose in a rally car. Make their dreams come true. There is also the adult experience on the full track, but for this you do need to be a minimum age of 17 and hold a full driving. As long as you have proof you hold that full licence, then you can be let loose on the adult's track. Just think you could pass your test in the morning and be driving sideways in the afternoon!!!!

If you are booked on a rally driving experience, then you want to make sure you are wearing the right clothes. Once you arrive at the venue, you will be asked you to put on full overalls, gloves and a helmet. So ladies bear this in mind when considering a skirt or dress, as when you put on the overalls you may end up showing off more then you planned, so just wear some comfortable clothes that you will be happy driving in and getting a bit dirty. You also want to have your hair down and do not wear any earrings or jewellery on your face as when you put on or take off your helmet it may catch. Footwear, you want to wear trainers, so no heels or boots as they can get in the way or be too wide for the pedals. Make sure you can feel the full pedal so you are fully in control of what you are doing which will also increase the enjoyment of the experience and make it a experience to remember.

Once you have found the perfect rally driving experience on our website Let's Go Out and you are all booked and excited for the big day, then make sure that you get a good night's sleep. You need to be fully alert for the experience as you fly around the track sideways, you also want to arrive at the venue in plenty of time so that you have a look around and watch what other people are doing. If you do arrive at the venue too early, there will always be somewhere to grab something to eat or drink. Once you get to the venue let them know you are there so any safety paperwork gets signed and you can show your driving licence if required. Once all the checks are done, you will be fitted with your overalls, gloves and helmet. You will meet your instructor who will give you a safety briefing before taking you out to the car to show you around and to go over some safety points. Then the excitement begins as you set off on your driving experience.