| goose | 03-02-2001 10:42 AM |
how to become a rally driver
This is just a general interest question, I'm not planning on pursuing a career in racing any time soon, I'm just curious if anyone knows how one becomes a rally driver? (for a big name manufacturer for instance)
Does one just enter their own cars into 'amateur' rallies, and then sort of get 'noticed'? Or is there a more structured method out there?
Does one just enter their own cars into 'amateur' rallies, and then sort of get 'noticed'? Or is there a more structured method out there?
| Subie Gal | 03-02-2001 10:52 AM |
oh is this a loaded question or what?
get a rally car...
start driving in club events...
get sponsored...
move up to pro events...
get more sponsors..
and if you are very good and very lucky, you may get a full ride...
that's for us here in the states... things are different in the UK where everyone.. and i mean just about everyone is either racing or involved in it in one way or another...
j.
get a rally car...
start driving in club events...
get sponsored...
move up to pro events...
get more sponsors..
and if you are very good and very lucky, you may get a full ride...
that's for us here in the states... things are different in the UK where everyone.. and i mean just about everyone is either racing or involved in it in one way or another...
j.
| Greg555 | 03-02-2001 11:06 AM |
People just don`t become Rally Drivers.
You have to be born one, and then do whatever Jamie said one message up. Some people do others don`t.....
You have to be born one, and then do whatever Jamie said one message up. Some people do others don`t.....
| TSDScooby | 03-02-2001 11:33 AM |
the first step doesn't have to be buying a rally car. There are plenty of rally schools out there where you can use their cars.
This will give you a taste for it, and at the same time show you wheather you are or are not capable of doing it. THose courses are a good place to start. Many instructors have raced or are racing in rally so they can also tell you what to do or the different options that you could have available.
One school in New England is this one:
[url="http://www.teamoneil.com"]http://www.teamoneil.com[/url]
TSDScooby
-Emilio
[This message has been edited by TSDScooby (edited March 02, 2001).]
This will give you a taste for it, and at the same time show you wheather you are or are not capable of doing it. THose courses are a good place to start. Many instructors have raced or are racing in rally so they can also tell you what to do or the different options that you could have available.
One school in New England is this one:
[url="http://www.teamoneil.com"]http://www.teamoneil.com[/url]
TSDScooby
-Emilio
[This message has been edited by TSDScooby (edited March 02, 2001).]
| Greg555 | 03-02-2001 01:03 PM |
We don`t have Rally schools or rallycrosses here in chicagoland area. [b]SCCA Midwest region SUCKS[/b]. I`ve asked them million times to organize a rallycross but they always reply
[quote]
"no plans at the moment"
[/quote]
So the only 3 rallycrosses I ever done were 2 at Ojibwe Forests Rally MN, and one 400 miles away in Minnesota, that I had to drive to for 8 hrs.
Greg
[quote]
"no plans at the moment"
[/quote]
So the only 3 rallycrosses I ever done were 2 at Ojibwe Forests Rally MN, and one 400 miles away in Minnesota, that I had to drive to for 8 hrs.
Greg
| slidewaysmike | 03-02-2001 01:27 PM |
Greg, what you should do is organize your own rallycross.
You don't need to have SCCA approval to organize your own event.
Just think:
[b]<u>ANNOUNCING THE 3RD ANNUAL GREG555 RALLYCROSS OF CHAMPIONS!!</u>[/b]
Mike
You don't need to have SCCA approval to organize your own event.
Just think:
[b]<u>ANNOUNCING THE 3RD ANNUAL GREG555 RALLYCROSS OF CHAMPIONS!!</u>[/b]
Mike
| Greg555 | 03-02-2001 01:38 PM |
Here in IL it`s really hard to find any areas even just to *** around, not to mention thinking about renting it. And on top of that it`s all flat and all the gravel roads are in corn fields with only square turns.
Time to move to west coast...
Time to move to west coast...
| Subie Gal | 03-03-2001 12:53 AM |
we dont have rally schools here...
we have [b]rallycross!![/b] and open loggin roads...hehehehe [img]http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]
we have [b]rallycross!![/b] and open loggin roads...hehehehe [img]http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]
| Ver.III | 03-03-2001 07:30 AM |
Most rally drivers start out doing navigational events (TSD). Then to more nav events more towards the driver skills (drivex). These events usually have high average speeds (which are run very late at nite) Drivers that I know who started off in navigationals are Tom Mcgeer, Sprongl, Sheible, Pat Richard. Its cheap( unless you crash !!), you don't need a cage in your car and its fun.
From there, rally-x , auto-x to gain more driving skills. When you do decide to fully compete, thats when you would have to have a proper car (rally prepped) to enter regional events. From there, you do as many events to work towards your national licence.
From there, rally-x , auto-x to gain more driving skills. When you do decide to fully compete, thats when you would have to have a proper car (rally prepped) to enter regional events. From there, you do as many events to work towards your national licence.
| meebs | 03-03-2001 08:42 AM |
One common missconception is that people are "born" great drivers. Simply not true. Driving fast is a learned attribute. Understanding what an apex is, braking points, etc etc. There is no replacement for experience, that's why some of the greats like Senna started on karts when they were 5 years old. [img]http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/smile.gif[/img]
If you want to be a rally driver, or any other type of racer for that matter, go for it! Keep in mind you're going to need lots of ca$$h. [img]http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]
If you want to be a rally driver, or any other type of racer for that matter, go for it! Keep in mind you're going to need lots of ca$$h. [img]http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]
| Primm Motorsports | 03-03-2001 09:50 AM |
meebs: I will agree in part with your above statement. But some people are born with certain attributes they enable them to be better racecar drivers from the start. Balance & depth perception are very important in driving a racecar; balance comes into play because those with a good sense of balance can sense the degree of a slide better than those with poor balance. Depth perception is of course important as it allows the driver to make the required adjustments for what is coming up in front of them. Then there is the basic sense of awareness; some people are just born with a better sense of awareness for what is going on around them. These are the reasons some driver's seem to use much less physical & mental efforts to win races. Now I am not saying that with practice and strong mental discipline you will not beat these type of drivers, just that they are born with certain attributes and which allow them to succeed at the sport.
Dante
EDIT: To corrent my extremely poor grammer.
[This message has been edited by Primm Motorsports (edited March 03, 2001).]
Dante
EDIT: To corrent my extremely poor grammer.
[This message has been edited by Primm Motorsports (edited March 03, 2001).]
| XT6Wagon | 03-03-2001 03:57 PM |
You also must be born w/o a sense of self preservation to be areally good driver. If the corners scare you you will go slow.....
| nqwan | 03-04-2001 09:19 PM |
simple, go race Burns on his favorite rally course. He shall use the WRC car, you shall use a saturn. if you school him, i'm sure some company out there will sponsor you professionally =)
| patr | 03-05-2001 01:08 AM |
what the hell is an apex.
\0. You had better be dedicated.
1. Steal your parents car at least 5 times before you are 14. Then, when you are 14, steal it, and get 'caught', and in the ensuing chase be sure to engage the cops. When you get caught say you were dared by your friends and you wanted to make sure that the family name saved face. If you don't have parents steal a car from someone who you know will not press charges. At least steal it once during the winter to get ice time.
2. Turn 16. Get a license. Be sure to take the extra licensing school with the movies so you get cheap insurance. Next, find a car, any car. Replace ALL TIRES with studded winter tires, ESPECIALLY if it is summer. Proceed to TAKE EVERY CORNER YOU EVER SEE in a big slide on the studded tires. Start in a rear wheel drive, pig of a car like a Volvo. They swing real good and take the beats. Move up to 2nd, 3rd, 4th, then "OD" slides.
3. Enter 'scavenger hunts' when you are still in high school. ALWAYS use studs. When the studs wear out, replace studded tires with new studded tires (NOTE: the tires can and should be old and ****ty, just put new studs in). Win them all by several hours. Tip:by driving over 160km/h the wrong way down one way streets DOWNTOWN in the city you can make up huge amounts of time.
4. Switch to an out-of-province license, and get your 'first car'. The license is to keep the man off your ass. Then get a cheap, ****box front driver car. Make sure it costs less than $500, but make sure it is LIGHTWEIGHT and that it is a model where there are 'upgrades' for it (like a Ford Fiesta, which can use the Formula Ford motor parts etc.) Always get the ****box with the roll up windows. Move to a ski resort and proceed to race up and down the access roads. Be sure to go beyond 'control'. You only spent $500 so why not push the living crap out of it. This way you can get gravel time in the summer and ice/snow in the winter to complement your tarmac (hehe with the studs) experience. Roll it.
5. Get ****box 2.0. This time, still spend $500 but make it ultra-lightweight. If you might get lucky, you miht get like an old Subaru GL-10, you can lock the center diff and learn how to do 'hockey stops'. IMPORTANT: Once you get the hang of how it handles, AT LEAST ONE MONTH LATER move up to trying NEW tires. Get a set of 4 new tires. Nice m+s ones, for the dirt. Proceed (on the same day that you get the tires) to lay a CONTINUOUS, perfectly apexed black strip at least 4 corners deep on your favorite tarmac road. THIS STEP TAKES BALLS. It isn't the 4 corners or the tarmac or the sliding, it is the CONTINUOUS BLACK STRIP part in your ****box with the new tires on the tarmac. Roll the car into oblivion on the 5th corner.
6. When you get out of the hospital you will now begin the 'zen' phase of training. Try to secure a loan and get a 'proper' car. Get a car like a Subaru or a Honda or something like that. This step is to 'tone down' your psycho driving. DO NOT MODIFY THE CAR. ESPECIALLY, DO NOT GET BIG WINGS or TINTED WINDOWS or LIGHTS UNDERNEATH IT. Enter your first TSD, **but** make sure that it is an ice/snow **and** a "drivex" event, none of that "navigator" crap. Or, go to an autocross with winter studded tires, even if it is summer.
7. During the 'zen' phase, when the urge hits really really bad, save up $2-300 and instead of spending it on CLEAR CORNERS or a UNDERDRIVE PULLEY, treat yourself and buy another 80's Subaru GL-10. Go bash it in the woods and take the plates off of it when all 4 tires are flat and the windows get smashed out.
8. Once you have successfully completed the 'zen' phase, your license should be in good enough standing for you to legally get back on the road and get a proper 'rally' license. You should concact SCCA (in USA) or CARS (Canada). Take the 'zen' car, and put a ROLLCAGE and SAFETY gear in it. DO NOT MODIFY ANYTHING ELSE. Run it in a produciton class. DO NOT 'upgrade' this and that. You don't need to, yet. Make it pass tech. Enter your first rally.
9. Run as many rallies as possible. Do not attempt to win. Do not attempt to impress chicks at the hairpins. You are now applying techniques learned in steps 1-8. DO NOT SPEND ON THE CAR. Even if you suck and you are getting pummelled (which you wont because of steps 1-8), spend ONLY on things in this order: making the events on a minimum budget, Press and marketing, service crew, car.
10. You will guaranteed get at least a few sponsors if you spend in that order. Guaranteed. With the new sponsorship, NOW try to spend on the car, BUT KEEP SPENDING ON THE ABOBVE STUFF FIRST. On the car stuff, spend in this order: graphics, suspension, differentials. You will not have enough at this point to spend anywhere else.
11. You will now start doing well. At this point, you will need to select your events, your finishes (YES, you can actually decide to beat someone, or get beat) to further your "career". DO AS MANY RACES AS POSSIBLE. Focus on and run a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.
12. If you did it right, you will get invited to test for a factory team.
13. Post about it on the internet.
\0. You had better be dedicated.
1. Steal your parents car at least 5 times before you are 14. Then, when you are 14, steal it, and get 'caught', and in the ensuing chase be sure to engage the cops. When you get caught say you were dared by your friends and you wanted to make sure that the family name saved face. If you don't have parents steal a car from someone who you know will not press charges. At least steal it once during the winter to get ice time.
2. Turn 16. Get a license. Be sure to take the extra licensing school with the movies so you get cheap insurance. Next, find a car, any car. Replace ALL TIRES with studded winter tires, ESPECIALLY if it is summer. Proceed to TAKE EVERY CORNER YOU EVER SEE in a big slide on the studded tires. Start in a rear wheel drive, pig of a car like a Volvo. They swing real good and take the beats. Move up to 2nd, 3rd, 4th, then "OD" slides.
3. Enter 'scavenger hunts' when you are still in high school. ALWAYS use studs. When the studs wear out, replace studded tires with new studded tires (NOTE: the tires can and should be old and ****ty, just put new studs in). Win them all by several hours. Tip:by driving over 160km/h the wrong way down one way streets DOWNTOWN in the city you can make up huge amounts of time.
4. Switch to an out-of-province license, and get your 'first car'. The license is to keep the man off your ass. Then get a cheap, ****box front driver car. Make sure it costs less than $500, but make sure it is LIGHTWEIGHT and that it is a model where there are 'upgrades' for it (like a Ford Fiesta, which can use the Formula Ford motor parts etc.) Always get the ****box with the roll up windows. Move to a ski resort and proceed to race up and down the access roads. Be sure to go beyond 'control'. You only spent $500 so why not push the living crap out of it. This way you can get gravel time in the summer and ice/snow in the winter to complement your tarmac (hehe with the studs) experience. Roll it.
5. Get ****box 2.0. This time, still spend $500 but make it ultra-lightweight. If you might get lucky, you miht get like an old Subaru GL-10, you can lock the center diff and learn how to do 'hockey stops'. IMPORTANT: Once you get the hang of how it handles, AT LEAST ONE MONTH LATER move up to trying NEW tires. Get a set of 4 new tires. Nice m+s ones, for the dirt. Proceed (on the same day that you get the tires) to lay a CONTINUOUS, perfectly apexed black strip at least 4 corners deep on your favorite tarmac road. THIS STEP TAKES BALLS. It isn't the 4 corners or the tarmac or the sliding, it is the CONTINUOUS BLACK STRIP part in your ****box with the new tires on the tarmac. Roll the car into oblivion on the 5th corner.
6. When you get out of the hospital you will now begin the 'zen' phase of training. Try to secure a loan and get a 'proper' car. Get a car like a Subaru or a Honda or something like that. This step is to 'tone down' your psycho driving. DO NOT MODIFY THE CAR. ESPECIALLY, DO NOT GET BIG WINGS or TINTED WINDOWS or LIGHTS UNDERNEATH IT. Enter your first TSD, **but** make sure that it is an ice/snow **and** a "drivex" event, none of that "navigator" crap. Or, go to an autocross with winter studded tires, even if it is summer.
7. During the 'zen' phase, when the urge hits really really bad, save up $2-300 and instead of spending it on CLEAR CORNERS or a UNDERDRIVE PULLEY, treat yourself and buy another 80's Subaru GL-10. Go bash it in the woods and take the plates off of it when all 4 tires are flat and the windows get smashed out.
8. Once you have successfully completed the 'zen' phase, your license should be in good enough standing for you to legally get back on the road and get a proper 'rally' license. You should concact SCCA (in USA) or CARS (Canada). Take the 'zen' car, and put a ROLLCAGE and SAFETY gear in it. DO NOT MODIFY ANYTHING ELSE. Run it in a produciton class. DO NOT 'upgrade' this and that. You don't need to, yet. Make it pass tech. Enter your first rally.
9. Run as many rallies as possible. Do not attempt to win. Do not attempt to impress chicks at the hairpins. You are now applying techniques learned in steps 1-8. DO NOT SPEND ON THE CAR. Even if you suck and you are getting pummelled (which you wont because of steps 1-8), spend ONLY on things in this order: making the events on a minimum budget, Press and marketing, service crew, car.
10. You will guaranteed get at least a few sponsors if you spend in that order. Guaranteed. With the new sponsorship, NOW try to spend on the car, BUT KEEP SPENDING ON THE ABOBVE STUFF FIRST. On the car stuff, spend in this order: graphics, suspension, differentials. You will not have enough at this point to spend anywhere else.
11. You will now start doing well. At this point, you will need to select your events, your finishes (YES, you can actually decide to beat someone, or get beat) to further your "career". DO AS MANY RACES AS POSSIBLE. Focus on and run a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.
12. If you did it right, you will get invited to test for a factory team.
13. Post about it on the internet.
| patr | 03-05-2001 01:12 AM |
My phone just rang. That was a joke by the way.
| Jay_UK | 03-05-2001 04:19 AM |
Pat,
You need to get out more!! [img]http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]
J. [img]http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/wink.gif[/img]
You need to get out more!! [img]http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]
J. [img]http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/wink.gif[/img]
| Dustin | 03-05-2001 04:29 AM |
Makes me want to go buy my friends RX-3 and take it out for a thrashing.
db
db
| primitive | 03-05-2001 04:58 PM |
You can tell Pat-R purely made up THAT story...
I have done it the "old fashioned" way of getting a rally car (started in Opels...) and working my way through the ranks. (Clubrally, rallycross, ProRally, rally raids (Alcan etc)).
After 17 years and countless hours. I have got a little attention from big teams, and like Pat-R, the phone has rung.
The key to getting a factory ride is being dedicated to the sport and performing well.
Period.
[url="http://www.writerguy.com/primitive/alcan.htm"]www.writerguy.com/primitive/alcan.htm[/url]
Pe
Pe
I have done it the "old fashioned" way of getting a rally car (started in Opels...) and working my way through the ranks. (Clubrally, rallycross, ProRally, rally raids (Alcan etc)).
After 17 years and countless hours. I have got a little attention from big teams, and like Pat-R, the phone has rung.
The key to getting a factory ride is being dedicated to the sport and performing well.
Period.
[url="http://www.writerguy.com/primitive/alcan.htm"]www.writerguy.com/primitive/alcan.htm[/url]
Pe
Pe
| Signal Monkey | 02-21-2005 06:23 PM |
I hope that's true..
I'm 24 and have ambitions of driving in the WRC. So far, in broad strokes, my plan is to go to a rally school (I picked the Tim O'Neil one in NH and I'm in WA) go to UIT or a community college and learn as much as I can. On the side I'll just be racing as much as I can. From what I gather that's just about all I can do until I move to Europe. I just hope that I'm not starting too late in life.. It's kind of disconcerning that you could be to old for something at 24. But I hope not.
| Got Pink? | 02-21-2005 07:03 PM |
My Plan is to autox religiously and rallyx at the new local series in my STi, save up to buy an old rally car and go to grad school part time so i can get a job that will allow me to fund a group n car myself and hope to be sponsored eventually. Sadly I think its really hard to make it without spending a lot of cash yourself to get recognized by big time teams/sponsors. Maybe i will get a go kart this spring too if its going to help since its cheap to race them there are local events.
Nate
Nate
| codemunky | 02-21-2005 07:48 PM |
Search the net...google it, perhaps there's a weekend rally course around your area. I took a rally school here at ridgecrest back in 2000...[url="http://californiarallyseries.com/rallyschools.htm"]http://californiarallyseries.com/rallyschools.htm[/url]. Although I hear the co-driver courses are pretty boring.
Then do rally-x's as Subie Gal said. I heard that's how Petter Solberg started...doing rally-x's. Perhaps you can ask [url="http://www.swrt.com/"]www.swrt.com[/url] to point you in the right direction. Leon Styles was one of my instructors at the time. If you are a girl, it helps to show some leg to be sponsored.
j/k about showing some leg...
Then do rally-x's as Subie Gal said. I heard that's how Petter Solberg started...doing rally-x's. Perhaps you can ask [url="http://www.swrt.com/"]www.swrt.com[/url] to point you in the right direction. Leon Styles was one of my instructors at the time. If you are a girl, it helps to show some leg to be sponsored.
j/k about showing some leg...
| bjorn240 | 02-21-2005 07:53 PM |
[QUOTE=Signal Monkey]I'm 24 and have ambitions of driving in the WRC.[/QUOTE]
If you really really want to be a WRC driver, you have got some catching up to do and college isn't part of the plan.
2005: Take the money you were going to spend on college, and move to the UK today. Sell a kidney or otherwise find funding and run a proper one-make series. Set FTDs on basically every stage. Nice if you win the championship, too. End of the year, figure out how (rob a bank?) to run a WRC event in Gr.N. Set at least 3-4 FTDs in Gr.N.
2006: Now comes the hard part. Amass $2m to run a 2-year PWRC program. First year, go out and make notes on all the events. Finish all stages, at some middling speed, but really really work on the notes. At your home event (that you ran in the end of 2005), set FTDs in Gr.N on 70% of stages.
2007: Second year, using your good notes, go out and set FTDs on 70% of all the stages in the PWRC championship. Absolutely embarrass the old farts who drive PWRC cars. Bonus points if you win the championship, but overall, you just need to be mega mega fast. (The factory managers know almost exactly how fast you can be in a Gr.N car on most of these stages -- that's why this is better than JWRC.)
2008: Pray to some sky pixie that there are still enough factory cars in WRC, and that someone needs a driver. Failing that, break Thomas Radstrom's leg. At this point, you're 27-28. Now you have one, maybe two years to get a factory seat.
Seriously, I don't mean to sound harsh, but if you really really really, willing-to -eat-bologna-on-hand sandwiches-poor, really want to drive in the WRC, this is your best bet. College won't get you ****. You can go to college when you're 29, if this doesn't pan out for you. I'll be 29 in March, and I bet college would be a lot of fun.
Don't delay.
- Christian (well past prime, at 28)
If you really really want to be a WRC driver, you have got some catching up to do and college isn't part of the plan.
2005: Take the money you were going to spend on college, and move to the UK today. Sell a kidney or otherwise find funding and run a proper one-make series. Set FTDs on basically every stage. Nice if you win the championship, too. End of the year, figure out how (rob a bank?) to run a WRC event in Gr.N. Set at least 3-4 FTDs in Gr.N.
2006: Now comes the hard part. Amass $2m to run a 2-year PWRC program. First year, go out and make notes on all the events. Finish all stages, at some middling speed, but really really work on the notes. At your home event (that you ran in the end of 2005), set FTDs in Gr.N on 70% of stages.
2007: Second year, using your good notes, go out and set FTDs on 70% of all the stages in the PWRC championship. Absolutely embarrass the old farts who drive PWRC cars. Bonus points if you win the championship, but overall, you just need to be mega mega fast. (The factory managers know almost exactly how fast you can be in a Gr.N car on most of these stages -- that's why this is better than JWRC.)
2008: Pray to some sky pixie that there are still enough factory cars in WRC, and that someone needs a driver. Failing that, break Thomas Radstrom's leg. At this point, you're 27-28. Now you have one, maybe two years to get a factory seat.
Seriously, I don't mean to sound harsh, but if you really really really, willing-to -eat-bologna-on-hand sandwiches-poor, really want to drive in the WRC, this is your best bet. College won't get you ****. You can go to college when you're 29, if this doesn't pan out for you. I'll be 29 in March, and I bet college would be a lot of fun.
Don't delay.
- Christian (well past prime, at 28)
| WRXMaster | 02-21-2005 09:18 PM |
Motorsports funding is all about who you know ..... Work on marketing yourself and finding funding.... The guys who are running in the wrc have had big financial support and known the right people to get the tests
| akuhner | 02-22-2005 10:04 AM |
What makes you (or anyone else for that matter) think that you are even remotely qualified for a WRC drive? Pat R drove like mad last year, destroied the competition in a less competitive car than others had, yet it is still not very likely that you'll see Pat running a factory WRC car for points. Don't get me wrong, Pat is fast as hell, but that doesn't change the reality of the situation.
All of us aspiring rally guys were born in the wrong country to ever really get anywhere in rally. To have any hope you needed to be born in Europe/Australia and your parents had to have a fruitful Group N. STI tree in the back yard.
Why not set reasonable expectations? My goal is to evenutally save up enough on the side (while saving for all the real priorities in life) to get a '99 to '01 2.5RS PGT car and run a season or two of rallies in the north east. I already have a 'sponsor' in NC Rally that will reduce my costs significantly, but it's still not affordable.
Come back and ask again once you've won the Rally America national series by a comfortable margin in Group N., then the question is relevant...
Alex
All of us aspiring rally guys were born in the wrong country to ever really get anywhere in rally. To have any hope you needed to be born in Europe/Australia and your parents had to have a fruitful Group N. STI tree in the back yard.
Why not set reasonable expectations? My goal is to evenutally save up enough on the side (while saving for all the real priorities in life) to get a '99 to '01 2.5RS PGT car and run a season or two of rallies in the north east. I already have a 'sponsor' in NC Rally that will reduce my costs significantly, but it's still not affordable.
Come back and ask again once you've won the Rally America national series by a comfortable margin in Group N., then the question is relevant...
Alex
| finalgear21 | 07-07-2007 08:37 PM |
help
hey names manny,
i love cars, i love racing on the streets, since i was 14 i was working on cars, im 20 now and end up loving it since. i want to become a rally racer i was wondering if any one can point me to the right direction and how to get started i would really appreciate any info. email me at [EMAIL="[email protected]"][email protected][/EMAIL] thank you
i love cars, i love racing on the streets, since i was 14 i was working on cars, im 20 now and end up loving it since. i want to become a rally racer i was wondering if any one can point me to the right direction and how to get started i would really appreciate any info. email me at [EMAIL="[email protected]"][email protected][/EMAIL] thank you
| chimchimm5 | 07-08-2007 02:54 PM |
The absolute easiest way to become rally driver is to do it virtually.
Latest stuff is "Dirt" for Xbox360
And do rallyx. Then see if you're any good.
Latest stuff is "Dirt" for Xbox360
And do rallyx. Then see if you're any good.
| Butt Dyno | 07-08-2007 04:00 PM |
He loves racing on the streets. I don't know if virtual is going to cut it for him. $.02 says he is not going to check the thread ever again.
john
john
| davis10 | 07-08-2007 07:44 PM |
1. go to rally school
2. start doing every rallycross you can
3. buy a cheap FWD premade rallycar
4. Enter some races (win if possible, but mostly gain experience)
5. Get sponsors go AWD and start winning races
^^^^ My plan ;)
possible to switch 1 and 2
OMG this thread is old !!!!
2. start doing every rallycross you can
3. buy a cheap FWD premade rallycar
4. Enter some races (win if possible, but mostly gain experience)
5. Get sponsors go AWD and start winning races
^^^^ My plan ;)
possible to switch 1 and 2
OMG this thread is old !!!!
| akuhner | 07-08-2007 08:10 PM |
Great start, Manny... you've shown that you did a search by bumping an age old thread on something close to (but not exactly) your topic, but you didn't manage to find any of the dozen or so threads where people go into great detail on how to get into rally. Nor did you notice that saying "I LOVE RACING ON THE STREETS" is going to get you flamed around here. I hope you are a better driver than you are an interweb user.... ;)
[QUOTE=Car #187;9008365]Why not set reasonable expectations? My goal is to evenutally save up enough on the side (while saving for all the real priorities in life) to get a '99 to '01 2.5RS PGT car and run a season or two of rallies in the north east. I already have a 'sponsor' in NC Rally that will reduce my costs significantly, but it's still not affordable.[/QUOTE]
Haha, good to see my old goal. I still carry that goal, but now the "season or two" of rallies is put off until I finish paying for my daughter's college (she is 9... months old). In the mean time I revised that goal down to buying any old Subaru rally car I could and finishing two rallies. I achieved that goal 3 months before the baby was born and now the car is collecting dust in the garage.
I'm too lazy, can someone else find a couple of the "here's how to get into rally" threads for this guy?
Alex
[QUOTE=Car #187;9008365]Why not set reasonable expectations? My goal is to evenutally save up enough on the side (while saving for all the real priorities in life) to get a '99 to '01 2.5RS PGT car and run a season or two of rallies in the north east. I already have a 'sponsor' in NC Rally that will reduce my costs significantly, but it's still not affordable.[/QUOTE]
Haha, good to see my old goal. I still carry that goal, but now the "season or two" of rallies is put off until I finish paying for my daughter's college (she is 9... months old). In the mean time I revised that goal down to buying any old Subaru rally car I could and finishing two rallies. I achieved that goal 3 months before the baby was born and now the car is collecting dust in the garage.
I'm too lazy, can someone else find a couple of the "here's how to get into rally" threads for this guy?
Alex
| noisycricket | 07-08-2007 09:10 PM |
Enter a rally. Presto, you're a rally driver.
Now, if you want to make a career out of being a rally driver... I don't think anyone aside from two or three people currently do that in the US, and it's even more difficult in the rest of the world (our pond is *very* small, so it's easier to be a big fish). The vast majority of the fields in the US are hobbyists, maybe getting token sponsorship to defray some (not all) of the costs.
If you want to try to make money, get a 2WD and go for MaxAttack prize money. Yes, there's prize money in the US for rally, although it is privately funded.
Now, if you want to make a career out of being a rally driver... I don't think anyone aside from two or three people currently do that in the US, and it's even more difficult in the rest of the world (our pond is *very* small, so it's easier to be a big fish). The vast majority of the fields in the US are hobbyists, maybe getting token sponsorship to defray some (not all) of the costs.
If you want to try to make money, get a 2WD and go for MaxAttack prize money. Yes, there's prize money in the US for rally, although it is privately funded.
| Superorb | 07-12-2007 04:08 PM |
Any particular reason why the recommendation for a FWD car to learn on? Easier to control on gravel roads?
| waktasz | 07-12-2007 04:23 PM |
[QUOTE=Superorb;18696035]Any particular reason why the recommendation for a FWD car to learn on? Easier to control on gravel roads?[/QUOTE]
So our insurance rates don't go up.
So our insurance rates don't go up.
| Superorb | 07-12-2007 05:56 PM |
Is that the only reason? I've got a wrx, but might beat on the honda seeing as there's only liability on it anyways. The A/C actually works on the honda, not the wrx :(
| Howl | 07-12-2007 09:45 PM |
With a FWD car you'll go 20ft. off the road if you miss a corner. With an AWD you'll go 30ft. off the road.
Starting with an under-powered FWD car means you'll have to learn how to actually drive the car to do well, rather than just power through. Most people recommend that you figure out how to drive a FWD really well, then you'll have the skills you need to drive an AWD fast without the risk. It's just like motorcyles - no one recommends learning on a 1000cc bike.
Starting with an under-powered FWD car means you'll have to learn how to actually drive the car to do well, rather than just power through. Most people recommend that you figure out how to drive a FWD really well, then you'll have the skills you need to drive an AWD fast without the risk. It's just like motorcyles - no one recommends learning on a 1000cc bike.
| Superorb | 07-12-2007 10:25 PM |
[QUOTE=Howl;18699594]With a FWD car you'll go 20ft. off the road if you miss a corner. With an AWD you'll go 30ft. off the road.
Starting with an under-powered FWD car means you'll have to learn how to actually drive the car to do well, rather than just power through. Most people recommend that you figure out how to drive a FWD really well, then you'll have the skills you need to drive an AWD fast without the risk. It's just like motorcyles - no one recommends learning on a 1000cc bike.[/QUOTE]
What I had in mind. Time to get the Honda back on the road :)
Starting with an under-powered FWD car means you'll have to learn how to actually drive the car to do well, rather than just power through. Most people recommend that you figure out how to drive a FWD really well, then you'll have the skills you need to drive an AWD fast without the risk. It's just like motorcyles - no one recommends learning on a 1000cc bike.[/QUOTE]
What I had in mind. Time to get the Honda back on the road :)
| ROC pit-bull | 07-15-2007 01:48 PM |
[QUOTE=Howl;18699594]With a FWD car you'll go 20ft. off the road if you miss a corner. With an AWD you'll go 30ft. off the road.
Starting with an under-powered FWD car means you'll have to learn how to actually drive the car to do well, rather than just power through. Most people recommend that you figure out how to drive a FWD really well, then you'll have the skills you need to drive an AWD fast without the risk. It's just like motorcyles - no one recommends learning on a 1000cc bike.[/QUOTE]
I would have to disagree with this, unless your considering that every awd car is powered by forced induction. Here is an example of what i mean. If I'm driving a 1.8 NA impreza awd, and your driving a 1.8 civic, your going to have more power just because the honda motor has more power.
If you race 2wd and "master" that, then go to 4wd you wont have 4wd mastered as well. You will need to "relearn" how to drive with 4 wheels having the ability to move the car.
Rally America isn't the only organization out there, NASA will allow you to run 4wd as a beginer, along with Canada rally series.
Just bringing a differnt view point to this.
Starting with an under-powered FWD car means you'll have to learn how to actually drive the car to do well, rather than just power through. Most people recommend that you figure out how to drive a FWD really well, then you'll have the skills you need to drive an AWD fast without the risk. It's just like motorcyles - no one recommends learning on a 1000cc bike.[/QUOTE]
I would have to disagree with this, unless your considering that every awd car is powered by forced induction. Here is an example of what i mean. If I'm driving a 1.8 NA impreza awd, and your driving a 1.8 civic, your going to have more power just because the honda motor has more power.
If you race 2wd and "master" that, then go to 4wd you wont have 4wd mastered as well. You will need to "relearn" how to drive with 4 wheels having the ability to move the car.
Rally America isn't the only organization out there, NASA will allow you to run 4wd as a beginer, along with Canada rally series.
Just bringing a differnt view point to this.
| Superorb | 07-15-2007 03:49 PM |
Well I went out today down some nearby dirt roads. No sharp turns, just long sweepers. I can get the car to start sliding, but even if I give it gas or I don't correct much it comes out of the slide. Seems like I'd need to carry much more speed into some of these corners. I was already taking them around 60mph in the slide. I'd rather learn how to slide around a whole turn that's sharper and slower, then try it on faster turns where risk is higher. This was in the wrx, not the Honda.
| darsh39 | 07-15-2007 05:37 PM |
All things apart , the foremost thing is tat u shud have tat never say die attitude ..... and the will to carry on ...
| Superorb | 07-15-2007 06:49 PM |
I'd love to find some nice roads to practice on though. I'll never get any better if I can't practice.
| Fred | 07-15-2007 10:10 PM |
You are closing these roads to all other traffic before attempting suicide, right? :huh:
| Superorb | 07-15-2007 10:28 PM |
[QUOTE=Fred;18725032]You are closing these roads to all other traffic before attempting suicide, right? :huh:[/QUOTE]
Are you serious? These aren't down major roads, and I didn't spend much time looking at the speedo so they might be overestimated. They're unmarked roads back in the woods on a Sunday. Nobody was out there. Have you driven the Dragon? If so, do you go the speed limit on that road?
Are you serious? These aren't down major roads, and I didn't spend much time looking at the speedo so they might be overestimated. They're unmarked roads back in the woods on a Sunday. Nobody was out there. Have you driven the Dragon? If so, do you go the speed limit on that road?
| bjorn240 | 07-15-2007 10:34 PM |
Here's how you don't become a rally driver: killing a bunch of kids in a minivan because you were hooning down some backroad in your street car. Kthxbye.
(This message was brought to you by the OT)
(This message was brought to you by the OT)
| Fred | 07-15-2007 11:16 PM |
:lol: at bjorn240
Beat me to it. :furious:
It's funny you mention the dragon - I've been giving a certain nasiocer lots of crap lately for driving like an idiot there, including fading his brakes -- in his complaining, he even said "there was nowhere to cool them down." :huh: My wife spoke up and said, "you could just go to a lower gear and coast." :lol: I ALWAYS keep in mind what could happen anytime I'm driving a car - whether it's on public roads or race tracks.
If you want to drive like an idiot on dirt without risk to others or significant risk to yourself, try some rallyx.
Oh, and to answer your question, when I'm in that area I try to avoid the dragon, because it's usually full of idiots who think it's a race track.
Beat me to it. :furious:
It's funny you mention the dragon - I've been giving a certain nasiocer lots of crap lately for driving like an idiot there, including fading his brakes -- in his complaining, he even said "there was nowhere to cool them down." :huh: My wife spoke up and said, "you could just go to a lower gear and coast." :lol: I ALWAYS keep in mind what could happen anytime I'm driving a car - whether it's on public roads or race tracks.
If you want to drive like an idiot on dirt without risk to others or significant risk to yourself, try some rallyx.
Oh, and to answer your question, when I'm in that area I try to avoid the dragon, because it's usually full of idiots who think it's a race track.
| ITWRX4ME | 07-16-2007 11:16 AM |
[QUOTE=Greg555;186523]We don`t have Rally schools or rallycrosses here in chicagoland area. [b]SCCA Midwest region SUCKS[/b]. I`ve asked them million times to organize a rallycross but they always reply
So the only 3 rallycrosses I ever done were 2 at Ojibwe Forests Rally MN, and one 400 miles away in Minnesota, that I had to drive to for 8 hrs.
Greg[/QUOTE]
To quote the late Sam Kinison...
"...You live in a ***kin' desert!! Why don't move where the food is, a$$hole!!"
:P
So the only 3 rallycrosses I ever done were 2 at Ojibwe Forests Rally MN, and one 400 miles away in Minnesota, that I had to drive to for 8 hrs.
Greg[/QUOTE]
To quote the late Sam Kinison...
"...You live in a ***kin' desert!! Why don't move where the food is, a$$hole!!"
:P
| pjhe | 07-16-2007 11:42 AM |
dragon= overrated, and comparing an open back road to the dragon is funny ish. it's so congested on 129 bah i won't even get into it. there are far better roads nearby...
here's my advice for getting better:
order up a DR field and brush mower, take advantage of their try it free for 30 days offer. use it to whack out whatever is in the way of the layout you want to run. also note to get a nice long course you will either need to take a month off work or hire mexicans. i recommend mexicans, as if you take a few months off and claim disability and they see you building a rally course they generally tell you not to come back then they call security when you ask about severence pay. also for finding mexicans i find just about any 7-11 around 7 am works.
step 2: you're going to have some nasty stumps in your course so you're going to need to take care of those. call DR and return the field/brush mower claiming it wasn't the right tool for the job and say you need the stompgrinder. grind stumps
step 3: return stumpgrinder claiming it wasn't the right tool for the job. have gravel brought in to cover 1/3-1/2 of the course you've cleared. find the sections that look like that will likely be most prune to rutting and make those the gravel sections. then call DR back up and order the power grader to smooth out that gravel section it will also do the same for any loose dirt sections. this piece may be worth keeping and not returning depending on how often you and others will be runing the course and whether or not you like remounting tires after debeading.
here's my advice for getting better:
order up a DR field and brush mower, take advantage of their try it free for 30 days offer. use it to whack out whatever is in the way of the layout you want to run. also note to get a nice long course you will either need to take a month off work or hire mexicans. i recommend mexicans, as if you take a few months off and claim disability and they see you building a rally course they generally tell you not to come back then they call security when you ask about severence pay. also for finding mexicans i find just about any 7-11 around 7 am works.
step 2: you're going to have some nasty stumps in your course so you're going to need to take care of those. call DR and return the field/brush mower claiming it wasn't the right tool for the job and say you need the stompgrinder. grind stumps
step 3: return stumpgrinder claiming it wasn't the right tool for the job. have gravel brought in to cover 1/3-1/2 of the course you've cleared. find the sections that look like that will likely be most prune to rutting and make those the gravel sections. then call DR back up and order the power grader to smooth out that gravel section it will also do the same for any loose dirt sections. this piece may be worth keeping and not returning depending on how often you and others will be runing the course and whether or not you like remounting tires after debeading.
| waktasz | 07-16-2007 11:44 AM |
Excellent post!
| rallyracer34 | 12-26-2011 10:01 PM |
rally
So im out here in colorado and want to get into rally racing. i dont know where to start. Can some help?
-Ben
-Ben
| sorrowfulkiller | 12-26-2011 10:13 PM |
look up rallyamerica... read lots, talk to people at rallies. Usually at a couple rallies during the year the president of rallyamerica will be there also.
| WhiteoutRally | 12-26-2011 10:36 PM |
Start with a small fortune. Thats my advice :)
and heres a couple places to look over.
[url]http://www.coloradorallycross.org/[/url]
[url]http://www.specialstage.com[/url]
[url]http://www.rallyamerica.com[/url]
[url]http://www.nasarallysport.com[/url]
and how many times has this post been revived from the dead?!?
and heres a couple places to look over.
[url]http://www.coloradorallycross.org/[/url]
[url]http://www.specialstage.com[/url]
[url]http://www.rallyamerica.com[/url]
[url]http://www.nasarallysport.com[/url]
and how many times has this post been revived from the dead?!?
| 2005wrxowner1 | 12-27-2011 10:21 AM |
rally school
go to new england rally school, team O Neil rally school to be exact. You can get your license or whatever there. also.. you can also compete in local club events, learning the tricks of the trade.. a good way to go,
| 2005wrxowner1 | 12-27-2011 10:24 AM |
rallye des baie de chaleur i believe is in canada. sno drift too that is in michigan.
| EMOKID | 12-27-2011 10:51 AM |
Rich parents
| rallynutdon | 12-27-2011 01:20 PM |
I hate to say it, but to be perfectly honest, why are you asking? If you know so little that you have no clues, do you really know what the sport is all about? Do you have any idea what the committment is like? Have you done anything related to the sport other than read about it or watch it in video form?
Help yourself out and go to some events and volunteer to either work or crew alongside an existing team. And don't throw out any excuses about the distance you'll have to travel. I've run 3 rallies/hillclimbs this year. Distance to each (one way) was 492 miles, 325 miles, 476 miles. And the next one in February will be 960 miles. Any idea what my fuel costs were just to tow to those events? No I don't know either (don't want to know or I might have to try to justify it).
Hang around [url]www.specialstage.com[/url] for a while and read everything on there that you can and then you can make an informed decision.
Help yourself out and go to some events and volunteer to either work or crew alongside an existing team. And don't throw out any excuses about the distance you'll have to travel. I've run 3 rallies/hillclimbs this year. Distance to each (one way) was 492 miles, 325 miles, 476 miles. And the next one in February will be 960 miles. Any idea what my fuel costs were just to tow to those events? No I don't know either (don't want to know or I might have to try to justify it).
Hang around [url]www.specialstage.com[/url] for a while and read everything on there that you can and then you can make an informed decision.
| mike condie | 12-27-2011 01:28 PM |
This could be fun to be a rally driver
| WhiteoutRally | 12-27-2011 02:31 PM |
[quote="2005wrxowner1"]You can get your license or whatever there.[/quote]
I don't know how many times I've had to explain this but here it goes, again...
There is no requirements to get a rally "license". It's more just a club membership to either Rally-America or NASA rally sport. Anyone who pays the 100 or so dollars has a rally license. No tests, no background required.
What you DO receive at O'Niels is coefficients towards running an "unrestricted license" or in other words any class you would like. This only happens if you do a specific program with them or dirtfish, and you can only apply one rally school towards that. I believe the last rule change was 9 coefficients until you can apply for an open license if you have previous racing experience and 18 until you go Automatically to an open one.
NASA on the other hand, you pay your money and you can go race, any class, nothing required
And when people say its expensive, they mean it. If you want I can pull my quick books for the year and show you what a small team spends on a season. Until your ready to commit hundreds of hours, and tens of thousands of dollars, stage rally is not an option.
I don't know how many times I've had to explain this but here it goes, again...
There is no requirements to get a rally "license". It's more just a club membership to either Rally-America or NASA rally sport. Anyone who pays the 100 or so dollars has a rally license. No tests, no background required.
What you DO receive at O'Niels is coefficients towards running an "unrestricted license" or in other words any class you would like. This only happens if you do a specific program with them or dirtfish, and you can only apply one rally school towards that. I believe the last rule change was 9 coefficients until you can apply for an open license if you have previous racing experience and 18 until you go Automatically to an open one.
NASA on the other hand, you pay your money and you can go race, any class, nothing required
And when people say its expensive, they mean it. If you want I can pull my quick books for the year and show you what a small team spends on a season. Until your ready to commit hundreds of hours, and tens of thousands of dollars, stage rally is not an option.
| UP2MTNS | 12-27-2011 03:42 PM |
[quote=WhiteoutRally;35970033]
and how many times has this post been revived from the dead?!?[/quote]
IMO....not nearly enough. Barely 3 pages of posts in 4+ years.....events are barely getting buy out here :(
We need new blood....so, welcome RallyRacer34, check out those links and good luck finding/building a car and getting into rally!
and how many times has this post been revived from the dead?!?[/quote]
IMO....not nearly enough. Barely 3 pages of posts in 4+ years.....events are barely getting buy out here :(
We need new blood....so, welcome RallyRacer34, check out those links and good luck finding/building a car and getting into rally!
| REDrum | 12-27-2011 06:12 PM |
OMG over ten years old this thread....
Like so many others have posted here, and in other " I wanna be a rally racer" threads, start w/ SCCA rally-x and volunteer at stage rally events. After a year of that come back and ask questions. if you are only a "seen it on TV rally enthusiast" people here, and on Special Stage, will heckle and flame you until you get out there and rub elbows with the sport
Like so many others have posted here, and in other " I wanna be a rally racer" threads, start w/ SCCA rally-x and volunteer at stage rally events. After a year of that come back and ask questions. if you are only a "seen it on TV rally enthusiast" people here, and on Special Stage, will heckle and flame you until you get out there and rub elbows with the sport
| biggreen96 | 12-29-2011 03:30 AM |
I think pat's post was the most accurate.
| KC | 12-29-2011 07:18 AM |
[quote=WhiteoutRally;35970033]Start with a small fortune. Thats my advice :)
and heres a couple places to look over.
[url]http://www.coloradorallycross.org/[/url]
[url]http://www.specialstage.com[/url]
[url]http://www.rallyamerica.com[/url]
[url]http://www.nasarallysport.com[/url]
and how many times has this post been revived from the dead?!?[/quote]
It's better to be revived, than to stay dead. ;)
To the poster in CO... There's a ladder for most people that don't have a million dollar bucks that one has to climb to get to open rally. It's a progressive education/improvement and it starts at the grass roots level.
Much like wanting to do anything in life, you have to throw $$ at it. If you wanted to become an electrician, you have to start as an intern or apprentice to get your legs. You're part of a team then (working with/for someone) Then you have to test to get your licenses, etc... then you can go out on your own when you can. You don't wake up one day and become an electrician.
As others have said, start with some $$ and a car. Do some rallyx with the SCCA (It's not like the Rallycross that's with other cars at the same time they tried to make work recently on TV). Voluenteer on stage rally, etc...
Then when you talk to the teams and figure out that it costs many thousands of dollars to run a few events, you can decide if it's for you. For example, to start.... you need a car that you can not only afford to write off in a wreck, but if you don't wreck it, throw $$ at it to repair it, or even just keep it in running condition. If you can come up with that to begin with, you're part way there.
Then, you'll need a way to tow your car to and from events. That's a trailer, and a truck to haul spares in.
Yeah, it's not cheap. But, if you have the $$ to do so, again... no one is going to stop ya. ;)
--kC
and heres a couple places to look over.
[url]http://www.coloradorallycross.org/[/url]
[url]http://www.specialstage.com[/url]
[url]http://www.rallyamerica.com[/url]
[url]http://www.nasarallysport.com[/url]
and how many times has this post been revived from the dead?!?[/quote]
It's better to be revived, than to stay dead. ;)
To the poster in CO... There's a ladder for most people that don't have a million dollar bucks that one has to climb to get to open rally. It's a progressive education/improvement and it starts at the grass roots level.
Much like wanting to do anything in life, you have to throw $$ at it. If you wanted to become an electrician, you have to start as an intern or apprentice to get your legs. You're part of a team then (working with/for someone) Then you have to test to get your licenses, etc... then you can go out on your own when you can. You don't wake up one day and become an electrician.
As others have said, start with some $$ and a car. Do some rallyx with the SCCA (It's not like the Rallycross that's with other cars at the same time they tried to make work recently on TV). Voluenteer on stage rally, etc...
Then when you talk to the teams and figure out that it costs many thousands of dollars to run a few events, you can decide if it's for you. For example, to start.... you need a car that you can not only afford to write off in a wreck, but if you don't wreck it, throw $$ at it to repair it, or even just keep it in running condition. If you can come up with that to begin with, you're part way there.
Then, you'll need a way to tow your car to and from events. That's a trailer, and a truck to haul spares in.
Yeah, it's not cheap. But, if you have the $$ to do so, again... no one is going to stop ya. ;)
--kC
| greycar | 12-29-2011 09:13 AM |
I just ate a lot of Tacos. Tacos are the key to being a top level rally driver. Make sure you have hot sauce too.
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