RAOC Gazette - page 60
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1980 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | Yes |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1980 |
| Late date | 1980 |
| Transcription |
RALLYING ARMY STYLE By STAFF SERGEANT LES DALTON CONTRARY to common thought, rallying does not mean jump- ing into a car and tearing off into the distance like a lunatic. Rallies are split up into two main types—' Special Stage Rallies' and ' Night Navigational Rallies.' The Special Stage rally is really a driver's event, it con- sists of driving through a forest or down a farm track at very high speed, including basically anything which can be closed to the public. On events such as the RAC Welsh and Scottish International the average speed is sixty miles per hour, therefore the target time for a three and a half mile stage would be three minutes thirty seconds. Anyone under this is ' clean,' anyone over has their points per second totalled up so that at the end of the rally the driver with the lowest amount of points (seconds) is the winner, having obviously driven faster than anyone else. International Rallies have a very low average road speed, usually about thirty miles per hour, however, if there is any fettling to do to the car the lateness allowed (thirty minutes) is very quickly used up, consequently the driver has then got to drive quite a lot faster to keep in the rally. Any car is suit- able to compete in a stage rally; the best vehicle for those in the Army is the Land Rover. It is not as fast as a twin cam Escort or a Porsche, but it is a great deal stronger, so consequently does not break down so often as the full blown rally car. Having made the last statement about speed in a Rover, I would like to point out that a good crew will work on their vehicle to get the best possible performance from it. In- deed one only has to look at times put up by BAMA drivers in international rallies to see just how fast they really can go. After finishing in four restricted rallies, the crew can then apply again to the RAC to have their licence upgraded to national status. This enables them to enter rallies of national status such as the Dukeries and the Cheltenham Festival rallies which are absolutely fantastic events. By now you and your mate have either been bitten by the rally bug or have given it up as a bad job. If you have both got the bug then the ultimate is your International Licence, which enables entry into inter- national rallies throughout the world, such as our own home internationals, the RAC, Welsh and Scottish, to the Monte Carlo rally, or even one of the marathon London to Sydney type events. There is no easy way to the top in rallying: it's a slow. frustrating and sometimes very painful climb, but as I have al- ready said if you want to make it, you will. Finally, if you are lucky enough to have a good MTO who will lend you a Land Rover, make sure you fit a roll bar: preferably the one developed for Land Rovers which are used for rallying. If you bend it, try and repair as much as possible and always hand it back clean. Always give the MT a list of any suspected faults. It wouldn't be fair if some poor driver got stuck on the motorway or autobahn because you haven't had the decency to tell someone that the diff was making a funny noise during the rally. I know of about twenty RAOC personnel who rally at the moment. We have a big Corps and quite a few vehicles, so why don't you give it a try. Night navigational rallies are the real test of a rally crew as both driver and navigator are taxed to the limit. There are various forms of presentation of route on navigational rallies, the most comon of these is Plot and Bash. This means that the route is handed to the crew as they leave the start and the navigator has then to put it on the map whilst the car is motoring. Hence the term ' Plot and Bash.' Some of the best organised rallies that I have competed in have been in BAOR, where clubs such as Herford, Minden and Wildenrath put on superb navigational rallies. If a crew can do well in BAOR they should find rallies in the UK no more difficult, and in fact some of the restrictions in UK are a lot easier. Those of you who are able to borrow a Land Rover can sample special stage and navigational rallying quite cheaply in Army Rally Championships. This is really a good introduction to the sport because, if a novice crew can finish in the top half, they have done well. Competitors in the Army Cham- pionships must work hard on their preparation, they are com- pletely self-contained, consequently any spares must be carried on the competing vehicle. I have been rallying now since 1967 and still enjoy the Army Championships tremendously, one hundred and twenty vehicles all with pretty much the same per- formances makes both crew members work hard over the two day period which covers special stages, navigational tests and cross country, you can rest assured that the winning crews have all had to work hard for their achievements. This is perhaps the best introduction to rallying one can possibly get and indeed' there is nothing outside the 'Army' at the moment that you can compare it with. Anyone now interested in starting rallying proper, either as a driver or a navigator, should join their local motor club. Some- times you will have to travel a long way to the nearest one, however, if the enthusiasm is there this should not create problems. The twelve car rally is the first step for the budding international stars. This is limited to twelve cars (all members of the club running the event) and normally covers about sixty to seventy miles, with normal rally navigation ' funnies ' thrown in. The next step up the ladder is the ' Closed to Club' rally. This is exactly what it says as only members of the organising club can compete. However, it allows a bigger entry list than the twelve car. Once competent or confident, whichever is more appropriate, you and your mate can then enter a ' Restricted Status' rally. However, you both must first apply to the RAC, who are the governing body of motor sport in UK, for a Restricted Rally Licence. This cost £6.00 and lasts one year. — All right Corporal Smith? Sorry you've been trebled. DEAD-LINE DATE FOR RECEIPT OF COPY WILL ALL contributors kindly note that the deadline date for receipt of copy at THE GAZETTE Office really is the 29th of the month for publication a month later. 279 — |
| Book number | R0403a |