WHAT IS RALLY RACING?
Because it was developed on the narrow streets and country lanes of Europe, rally racing is contested by small but powerful cars competing against the clock, not packs of other cars on a course. The object: set the fastest total time over a preset number of special stages. Rally teams include a driver and co-driver, and because the cars are sent off at intervals of one to two minutes, competitors rarely see each other unless there is an accident. Cars cover about 400 miles and 25 special stages each day of the three-day race. Special stages, which vary in length from 5 to 60 kilometers, are held on private or closed roads and are timed to one-tenth of a second. Cars progress from these stages back onto public roads, where they are required to obey all speed laws. Cars are generally penalized 10 seconds for every minute they are late to the beginning of a special stage. They also cannot be early, which would mean speed laws were broken en route. At the end of each stage, race teams are
