Activity

Rally races or simply rallies are auto races held on open and closed tracks at very high speeds for long distances. Since my younger days, I have been interested in cars especially racing cars. This motorsport is risky and dangerous but, at the same time, very invigorating and energizing to the people who watch it.

The term "rally" as a type of motorsport was first used in January 1907 at the first Rally in Monte Carlo. The rally itself took place for the first time in 1894 - it was a race between Paris and Rouen with the support of the newspaper Le Petit Journal, which attracted considerable interest from the public and leading car manufacturers. The fans liked the competition so much that the idea of holding a full-fledged World Championship arose. People would modify the cars to work at very high speeds that could travel long distances. Winning the rally would mean to travel at high speed within stages (control points) or to drive to a predetermined ideal journey time within the stages.

As time went by, rally racing grew as a sport. In the 50s, racing reached its zenith. The European Championship was formed which consisted of 10 or 12 stages. Rallying as motorsport also became widespread in Finland and Sweden where short gravel tracks were invented. Such sites were located far from settlements and later this idea was taken up by other countries. In the southern parts of America, large-scale races began to be held in which the distance of the run stretched up to 9500 kilometers. In Africa, the first competition took place in 1950 with a distance of 16000 km. Nowadays, modern racing is not much different from the standards that originated in the 50s.

The crew participating in the competition consists of two people: a pilot and a navigator. Both crewmembers have the right to drive and are responsible for the result. It can take a significant amount of time for the rally pilot and co-driver to learn to work in a team and trust each other. The mortality rate in the rally is so high that many do not perceive the death of another athlete as an emergency. The Dakar marathon competition, which was originally held in Africa, and later migrated to South America, is considered especially dangerous. A feature of the Dakar Rally is the participation of SUVs, trucks and other classes of auto transport. The distance covered in marathon raids can reach several thousand kilometers. For the safety of race participants, the speed of cars is limited to 160 km/h.

I like this sport because of the speed of the race and the adrenaline that flows through my body when I watch these racing videos. I am also amazed at the endurance of people and technology in extreme conditions in the absence of effective adhesion of the wheels to the road surface. You get so engrossed in it and you do not know who will win until you watch it till the end. Watching a rally is great fun activity for people like me who love cars, speed and the element of danger that comes with it!