Off season topic: Why do you love rallying?

[Hartusvuori]

I love to romantincise. To me rallying and spectating it, is hardly just walking to the forest and see cars go pass me fast. There's more to it. Far more to it. This is why I'd like to get to know you, a forum member, better and hear your story - why do you love rallying so much that you ended up creating an account here and writing post.

To start with something, here's my few lines. In basic, I love rallying because my father did too and he took me to events when I was young. After a few phases I re-instutionalized my passion for the sport step by step since 2004 and since 2008 it's been full on. My first recollection of actual rally event is from 1987, Ari Vatanen and Terry Harryman jumping in a Texaco-livered Sierra RS Cosworth on some stage of 1000 Lakes 1987. It can't be far away from Ouninpohja, some of those roads. I was seven years old. It's funny how I don't remember any other car, or who was with us, just my father, the black and orange Sierra, a flame from the exhaust pipe and the rainy weather of late August in Finland. I've been later told that I've been to 1000 Lakes earlier, the Gr. B days, but being too young I don't remember as well as can't difference from was it a rally, a rallycross, or other autosport event. I have deeper memories from 1000 Lakes 1988 (like my father helping a crashed out pair from Estonia, under a CCCP flag at the day, to get their Lada VFTS away from the stage; that was super exciting!), Juha Kankkunen in Celica's early days, loved all that, or Carlos Sainz' first appearances in Finland, especially this Scandinavian flick from SS Säyrylä/Himos from 1991, ran in dusk/darkness. Those years I remember in detail, and it lasted pretty much until my teen years bloomed and I wanted a guitar instead of a go-kart. However, as I lived in the centre of 1000 Lakes, not going to spectate the rally was never an option, and I've missed the rally only once for past 25 years. Now, I find it funny - or sad - how my least interested year to rallying were when the sport was at its bloom during my adult life (1998-2003). Okey, I went to watch Ouninpohja during the early period of WRC years, but nothing more. Only after 2004 I started to get more and more interested in rallying, and since 2008 it've been full on, hold no barriers following of this beautiful sport. I'm still holding into it, and please God of Rallying, make it come that there'd be more teams and all good drivers that would get a chance. I'd been thrilled pass the two-team hiatus, it should get better now by any odds.

And it's not only cars going fast pass me. The whole concept of spectating rallies is appealing to me right now. First the decision which event to go, then the preparations (where they run, how are those places, which is the best, how many stages can we see in a day, etc.) and only then the execution of the plan, the long days and short sleeps, the rallying high, to meet new people and to see the actual sporting event, in good day to see your favourite driver do good. This whole "what does spectating a rally live mean to you" could be divided into so many smaller details that it'd end up as a book, at least. If you know what I mean, you know what I mean. And that is why I love rallying at the moment.

So please, if you care, please tell me why do you love rallying :-) I'd love to know you better.

[stefanvv]

Yeah, I like this thread I'm a romantic person myself too.

Let me see. First of all it would be that I was liked cars, it is in my blood probably, I don't know why. As for Rally, it all began when I was very little boy in 80's - I live in a village which was passed by the Rally cars participating in main ERC event in my country - "Albena-Zlatni Pyasatsi-Sliven". I liked those cars with the colors, engine sound, etc. But that was only liking. The love came when my father dragged me and my brother to the stage above our village. Now that was something special - hearing the Rally cars revving in the mountain and various echoes of it, waiting it to show up, and how it will show-up and pass by you, the adrenaline was just rising and rising little by little when yuou hear it more and more loudly, I mean - WOW. Special part of this experience was the same stage we watched later in the night! Now you see the lights here and there before the car comes, and the flames from the exaust after it passes - very, very special indeed. At that time it was Lancia Delta HF Integrale which was the most noticable car at front - amazing sound, rough behavior, it was real adrenaline rush. Drivers like Cheratto comes to my mind - real master - driving brutally and cutting the corners more than anyone else. That was truly amazing

When I grew up a little more I was watching the Rallies myself in the mountin, trying to find the most spectacular places. And of course I began to understand why some of the drivers win with such ease - driving clean like a railway on the tarmac - Bertone, Snijers, Drogmans. Few years earlier when beginning to watch Rally here they have been even more credited drivers like Toyvonen (R.I.P.) and Rorhl. I must say I only sorry I was too young then to watch that!!!

I have to say that watching it on the TV is just a little fraction of what you experience watching a Rally live!!! Even with HD

[OldF]

I love rallying because it’s spectacular.

My first enthusiasm of rallying was when Timo Mäkinen won Monte in 1965. I was 11-year old by that time and it was the first time I saw rallying on Finnish TV. Luckily I had a classmate that also liked rallying and when we went to a kiosk (R-kioski) that sold lot of different magazines, we found “Vauhdin Maailma”. I bought the second issue of the magazine and then subscribed for it for a long time, until 197x (I don’t remember when I cancelled the subscription).

We had only the magazines in those days and my friend had subscribed for a Swedish rally magazine and me were exchanging pictures of rally cars like little girls with their shining pics (I don’t what it’s in English). I made my own book with pics, cutting reports from rallies from a newspaper and my own drawings of rally cars. But then in the beginning of the 80’my childhood home was demolished for a road and I didn’t had room for all the several issues of “Vauhdin Maailma” and my book in my new apartment, so I left them there which I regret know.

After few years my enthusiasm for rallying was fading away because as being a teenager my interest was more oriented to those reps pies (ripsipiirakat) if you know what I mean and driving and repairing the moped I had. An other thing that was taking over my interest was music, especially heavy music and later also other kinds of music like ELP, Yes, Genesis etc.

I spent the few last years of 60’s and the whole 70’s and beginning of 80’s with music but still watched NORF on TV every year when it was possible so my passion for rallying was not completely gone.

When I saw the Audi Quattro S1 E2 on TV (NORF) my passion for rallying took a new start. My first rally as a spectator was the 1986 NORF, which I visited with my family. Next year I was also with my wife and as Hartusvuori said I also remember those black orange Sierras and also the smell of the exhaust gases in those days.

When my wife got bored I was few years alone with my son spectating NORF. At some times I got one of my friends interested in spectating NORF and then we went only for one day (Saturday mostly) to spectate NORF. But as you know the hunger grows and then we did several years the Saturday & Sunday stages. Renting a cottage as our “base camp” and getting early up in the mornings with time to have some breakfast and then to the stages and having the “lunch” at the stages and going back to the cottage quite late and having some kind of dinner (or a dinner on our way to the cottage). Sauna and swimming made the day.

At some time my friend got bored and didn’t want to come anymore but luckily I found some old friends which whom I been to NORF last years. I don’t remember exactly but since 1986 I’ve missed NORF 2 – 3 times.

Few moments I recall from those days:

My friend had for few years a company party at Friday and first thing I did on the Saturday morning was to take him to a grocery store to buy some beers (pussikaljaa).

I don’t remember the year but Juha Kankkunen was driving a Toyota that year. We were at a spot after a small crest before a right hand turn on a narrow stage. OK, thinking that a place before the turn would be nice but, the drivers using in those days the Nordic flick, we were at the spot where they starts to turn in to bend. We got all the gravel and the stones all over ourselves. But we didn’t move, just covering the head with the spectator guide not to get a direct hit by stones. It was just great, pure rally feeling.

I think it was the first time when Urria was a stage of NORF for a long time, I was at the big jump hanging in some trees to get a view, when Juuso Pykälistö landed after the jump, the rear glass was broken and it looked like water pearls in the air.

I was carrying my son (about 3-year old then) to a stage with lot of people around us and when we where passing a barn with cows he said, “Here smells like cow farts” which raised some amusement for people near us.

[Susiraja]

Seems that everybody remembers those black and red sierras I was so young at the time that my dad and my older brother didn't take me with them to NORF. But I watched the 1987 rally over and over again on video. For me the moment I remember is watching the Henri Toivonen tribute video and in it when Henkka was testing for NORF with a red 037 lancia with no sponsor stickers on it. Lots of rally memories, but spectating wise on of the best trips was watching NORF during university studies. When you are in your 20s and studying you really don't have too much money. We travelled with one of my friends m-b gwagen, slept in an army tent and washed in the lake. I remember the pity on some of the VIPs eyes when they landed their helicopter on the same field where we were just making our morning tea.

Nowadays when I spend more time co-driving than spectating the scenery is different. Of course the speeds are fun and you now and then get the adrenaline rush. The best part is to get out of the every day life at the office and hang around with like minded people. During recce and rallies you have a strict time table so it's kind of meditation. You clear you head of other stuff. And way more fun than to sit in a lotus position and say ohm...

[Barreis]

'Cos I'm crazy. First rally saw was Delta rally (today is Croatia rally) in 1990 (only a start of it) and it was love on first sight.

[Juha_Koo]

It's a collection of factors I guess...

Like so many Finnish guys, for me it all started when my father took me along for his rally journeys. At the time, he mostly just spectated rallying, although he had taken part to few rallies when younger. My first rally was 1000 Lakes in 1994, me being just short of four years old... Since then, I haven't missed a single one. I always wanted to go with my father to spectate rallies and spent many hours at home watching VHS rally casettes and TV shows - not to forget all the toy cars which I used a lot. I remember how I used to drive rallies with them and when I won, I took a bottle of red vinegar from the fridge and then climbed to the kitchen table and shook it like a champagne bottle (cork closed)... Of course I asked my parents to be spectators and cheer a bit for me. Somewhere from 1997 onwards I played rally games on computer, I still remember how awesome Network Q Rally felt back then, heh.

As I grew older, I kept going to rallies with my father and his brother plus my cousin. Of course my interest got bigger all the time, even though we lived a fraction too north for the rallies in Southern Finland and the number of events we went to was quite low. From 2005, as my cousin got a driving license, we used to drive hundreds of gravel roads with his RWD Sierra, sometimes doing spectator recce or otherwise just for the enjoyment of going up and down all the time, left-right-crest-left-crest-right. I don't even actually know why, but somewhere around 2007 I got more and more into rallying - I started to closely follow many European national championships and generally got more and more into rallying. I started to watch A LOT of onboards and learned different pacenote languages/styles and got really fond of all kinds of co-driving things.

Susiraja said it well above, when going to spectate/doing media/competing (one thing to try out in the future I guess ) rally, I forget everything else. It's like a deep meditative state where there's only you and the rally. For me, it's the only hobby where I completely forget everything else and focus 110% to it. I love the planning stuff which is done beforehand, especially NORF because it's so massive. Stages, times, finding and discussing good spectating places, maybe doing compromises with them, driving spectator recce, etc etc. Then when the rally starts, the air is electrified - the excitement levels get very high.

I guess I'll never get tired of watching rally. There's just something so beautiful and intriguing in cars being driven fast in different enviroments. I remember Mini WRC Finland tests from 2011, we stayed for half a day in one big jump+corner jump place, none of us got tired of watching it flying sideways. I also remember how I used to watch one VHS as a child, it was about MIRA rally 1984 (or something like that) and I kept replaying it to see the great RWD lines. I like the fact how different the rallies can be - everything from a very slow rough gravel/mud to high speed tarmac not to forget snow events. The sensation of watching high speed slides, jumping and nice lines is so awesome, it's like a ballet, motion in every direction, poetry through motion. I feel priviledged to have experienced it onboard a car in one test, it was a mindblowing experience... I would like to experience it again. :-P

The things which make me love rallying are the excitement, the speed and the possibility to follow it on so many levels - from pure action to more analytical levels like regulations, technical aspects, psychological factors, etc. I can't specify all the reasons, I just love it.

[Franky]

Read the first few posts of this thread in the morning and thought that it is quite undefinable but now I actually got a very laconic answer.

Rallying is adventure.

[Hartusvuori]

Rallying is adventure.

It very much is. Different kind of adventure to different parties (organisers, crews, teams, media - and of course, spectators), but nevertheless, an adventure. For competitors of course the finish, victory, good run, should be the first goal, but for spectators, what matters most is the travel, not the destination. Also, compared to many other sport, from spectator view rallying requires quite a lot - just read the posts above and you should recognize yourself in there. You may travel far, but once you find the perfect spot, you don't feel tired anymore.

Here's an old picture from Caj Bremer, a renowed Finnish news photographer, titled "First row seat in 1000 Lakes". That innovative and crazy, hard to define atmosphere is still in many ways present at rallies. In different ways, but still it is.

[kirungi okwogera]

For a different kind of answer, I can say why I prefer rallying to other motorsport. I think that the quest for perfection in any motorsport where you do laps is a million times less interesting than an ever changing road, scenery, and real life in different countries. If it weren't for the slight variations in the shape of the tracks, most motorsport championships could be conducted in the same place every week/month, forever, and make hardly any difference. They don't offer any flavour of the country they take place in, or indeed any flavour of anything other than a parking lot. No mountaintops, lakesides, cliff roads, icy forests, subtropical rainforests, etc. Just a (twisty) parking lot with a grandstand. The whole appeal of motorized transport to humanity is the ability to travel and get you places you couldn't go - it seems like a waste of that amazing power to drive in a circle over and over. Obviously there are technical, endurance, talent and other challenges to circuit racing still, but the tiny refinements in lap times don't appeal to me like seeing a rally driver on the edge, slipping everywhere in bad weather and gaining 25 seconds on the field in one stage. You can SEE the differences in drivers just in their style, which is much harder on track racing because there's one well-known way to do the fastest lap, and that's what everyone's trying to do.

One interesting thing I found when I edited rally TV programmes was putting two onboards in split screen just for a few seconds was enough to really show you who was pushing hard, whose style was too conservative, etc. You could see someone gain half a second in one corner by taking it a gear higher and almost losing control. It's really significant compared to the tiny adjustments made in circuit racing.

So there's those aspects of rally, but also the fact that the road changes as more people run it, different weather, the many different surfaces, having to change tyres yourself or drive home with 3 wheels, with the only advantage you have over nature being the pacenotes. Which is another fascinating challenge albeit a mental one!

For the "what got you into it" type of answer: I haven't been to many rallies as a spectator, having grown up in the USA, but we did hear about McRae etc. a bit - I can remember a friend and me watching year-in-review WRC tapes from the video store. Earlier than that, my number one favourite movie as a kid was Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, which was about the RMC (or "Trans France Race" as they called it in the movie)! So as much as any American could get into it, I did, and when I moved away from America (and started working at a TV company that broadcast the WRC programmes, and later actually worked on creating rally programmes for a national championship) I was able to get a much bigger fix. I got to drive a Gp. A Evo around a forest track in NZ, which was one of the coolest things I've ever done in my life! And finally got to spectate. But unlike many of you, spectating's not in my blood the same way that TV/web coverage is. It started with movies and TV shows for me and that's still how I follow most of it.

[BDA Cosworth]

For me its about the car control required in changing conditions, no corner is the same.
I can stand quite close to the action compared to other motor sports.
Spectating is an adventure. You have anticipation waiting for the first WRC car, then you hear the sound and your heartbeat increases. The car comes into view and its full concentration. Then the car flies past and you are in total awe (and adrenaline if you stand in the right spot). For me Rally NZ Day 3 was the ultimate experience. Petter 140kmph past me sideways in mid air! All that I could say was "**** me" and some incoherent mutter! Ultimately rewarding. Trip worth it just for that one stage!