Historic Road Rallies cater for enthusiasts who wish to drive their classic cars on moderately competitive events. Many competing cars are rally-modified, much as they were in the Fifties and Sixties, but others compete successfully in standard showroom specification.
Most Historic Road Rallies are open to Category 1 Historic Rally Cars which were manufactured up until the cut-off date of 31st December 1967 and also Category 2 Historic Rally Cars which were manufactured from 1st January 1968 until 31st December 1974. Category 3 Historic Rally Cars, which were manufactured from 1st January 1975 to 31st December 1981, are eligible to enter Historic Road Rallies from January 2006
Crews compete as pairs, driver and navigator in a car, attempting to complete the rally with as few penalty points as possible. Cars are required to follow a rigid time schedule throughout and the winners will be the crew with the lowest penalty score at the end of the rally. Most rallies are designed to be kind to old motor cars, although if you shy from taking your cherished vehicle out in the rain, Historic Road Rallying may not be for you.
The majority of Historic Road Rallies, such as those in the HRCR Clubmans Rally Championship, include a mixture of Regularity Sections and Special Tests, and sometimes Navigational Exercises at night,
Regularity Sections involve travelling at a consistent average speed with cars checked at secret controls, usually to the nearest second. Usually run in daylight, the set average speeds are relatively slow and take account of the types of road used, so that it is not necessary to drive fast in narrow lanes. To do well cars need an accurate tripmeter, but crews have to use stopwatches and printed speed tables to monitor their average speed as modern computerised assistance is banned.
Special Tests are run on private land, where the aim is to complete a course of manoeuvres against the clock. However, to preserve old gearboxes, reversing is usually kept to a minimum. Courses are set so that cars should not exceed an overall average speed of more that 30 mph through the test, so they can be quite fast in places.
Navigational Exercises usually involve the navigator plotting a route, from instructions that are often issued at points during the rally, and finding the way to various control points within set time limits. At night this can often take place in narrow and twisty country lanes where it is very difficult to maintain the required 30 mph average speed, so any hesitation or "wrong slot" will incur time penalties.
Cars do not require extensive modifications for Historic Road Rallying and it is possible to compete successfully in a completely standard motor car. Before every rally, all cars are examined by the Scrutineer, to ensure that they are in a roadworthy condition, they comply with the relevant regulations for the rally and their noise level is below a mandatory limit. All rallies, in the daytime as well as at night, have to minimise disturbance to local residents who may not be great supporters of rallying.
Classes in Historic Road Rallies are usually based on the age category of the car and the previous experience of the crew. Although the emphasis appears to be on the navigator, teamwork is an important element for success. Many historic rally competitors were involved in road rallying many years ago and see historic rallying as a means of meeting old friends and reliving old times. Although the will-to-win is always present, the social side of these events is equally important and not surprisingly, Historic Road Rallying is gaining in popularity and is an excellent introduction for people contemplating classic motor sport for the first time.