The Paris to Rouen race of 1894 is widely considered to be the world’s first competitive motor race. Of all the motorsport disciplines in the world, rallying remains most true to that first eventful race; modern rallying still uses public roads; it requires vast concentration and endurance from drivers; and it is still fraught with potential danger.
These ingredients combine to make rallying very visceral and exciting, and unlike many other motorsports, rallying also lacks pretence. Whether spectating at a tiny regional rally, or at the World Rally Championship, the result is the same; fast cars, brave drivers and a sensory overload.
It is a shame that Britain lacks a strong rallying scene, but not for lack of interest. No, Britain’s lack of rallying stems from the country’s very strange relationship with motorsport and all things fast. The UK is one of the world centres of motorsport, with eight of the ten of the Formula One calling Britain home alongside motorsport companies and manufacturers that make everything from gearboxes and differentials, to engines and complete racing chassis. Despite this, the UK lacks a hard-baked adoration for cars unlike, say, the Italians, and trying to create new motorsport venues or host new motorsport events becomes nearly impossible, as organisers are often waylaid by complaining residents or councillors,
All of this is a great shame, as each county in the country could host a half-decent tarmac rally thanks to the surplus of narrow back lanes that criss-cross the countryside.
Another issue with rallying in the UK, is the lack of entry level competitions. Rallying in the UK is often participated in by old hands – those that have rallied for decades and know the scene like the back of their hands, or by rallying families, where sons and daughters have carried on the passions of their parents. This is reinforced by the type of cars that are used in UK rallying. Most of the cars that compete are either Subaru Imprezas or Mitsubishi Evos, or older cars from the ‘70s and ‘80s that so many older rallying fans hold dear.
This leaves little wiggle room for any new championships to emerge, but I think there is a possibility of launching a really strong clubman level rally championship, that could help boost the sport massively. Take a relatively abundant RWD coupe – the perfect car would be the F22-generation BMW 230i – and then create a relatively cheap conversion kit with proper safety equipment, a torquier engine map, uprated wheels, tyres and suspension and there you have it.
The 230i’s turbocharged inline four cylinder engine produces 248bhp and 258lb ft of torque, which is also known as enough. Put a short ratio gearbox in there and you have a relatively small, relatively light rear-drive rally car that should be cheap to run, easy to get spares for and new enough that rust and mechanical gremlins have yet to emerge. If the championship was comprised of mostly tarmac rallies, with a few rounds of gravel, then you’ve got a motorsport that will really favour the most-skilled drivers across a variety of conditions. All it takes is one taste of a rear-drive car on gravel and you will hook people on rallying for life.
And say, local residents and authorities are preventing you from hosting as many rounds of the championship on public roads as you’d like? Then mix it up a little, host some rounds as rallycross events and let drivers in the championship experience both stage rallying and wheel-to-wheel rallycross.
Instead of waiting for a once in a generation talent to emerge and to pin our hopes of a Briton winning the WRC on, lets create a whole generation of talented rally drivers and inject the WRC with some new blood.
Kerbside 