Your questions answered...

Here is a selection of answers to questions we often receive about Endurance Rallying. Call the rally office with any questions or comments - tell us what you think.


Questions:
Answers:
Q: Can I bring an old 'un, and can it be a sportscar?
Cars can be any age, but must be based on a four-seater, so, no, you can't bring a sportscar. It�s about production-car rallying. In days of old this used to be called Group One and those with long memories will recall the success of such things as the Escort Mexico Championship, which boosted the rally-scene among British Clubmen. [Top]
Q: What safety gear do I need?
Your car must have a roll-over hoop, a fire-extinguisher, and full-harness belts. Just about everyone changes the seats, but that is not actually mandatory. Additional wheels, jack and spares need to be securely bolted down. [Top]
Q: Why are there restrictions on extra lights?
You can only have four forward facing main beams, including any additonal spotlamps - see our tech-regs set out on this site. It's an MSA restriction because these events are road-based, and make a feature of lengthy road-sections, and we all need to be mindful that our sport is regarded as anti-social by some... without local goodwill rallying would soon come to a full stop, so it makes sense - and is the same for all. [Top]
Q: Do I need a doctor's certificate for this kind of rallying?
No. Most events are "closed to club" and do not require a Competition Licence, and those that do only require a basic licence that does not insist on medicals. [Top]
Q: What do I need to do to the car?
You can change the seats and steering wheel, remove trim aft of the rear-seat area, put in a single-rollover hoop (or more, like a full cage, which is twice the weight and twice the cost), add a map light, full-harness belts and a fire-extinguisher, fit a couple of spots, bolt on a sumpshield and after just three days in a village garage you can drive off to the start of an Endurance Rally. Simple - it’s how things used to be, so why is this such a big surprise to those who reckon you first of all have to chuck away over half the car to do much-shorter more boring and more conventional rallies? You can uprate the suspension, but the engine, gearbox, brakes, all stay the same, yes, harder pads, better filters, that sort of thing are sensible - all quite straight forward and easy on your pocket. Other people in British rallying plan to copy our initiative with one-engine-size rallying and a control tyre, so we must have got something right. Check out the technical regulations on this website. [Top]
Q: I'm told the co-driver's job is more tricky?
Yes, that's true. You need someone who can get you from one point to the next, manage the car like an office and yes, someone who can learn old-fashioned map plotting and reading skills, which comes as a surprise to some! We run one-day briefing seminars to help with training. These Navigator's Training Schools are so popular we reckon we have helped more than 1,000 co-drivers get to grips with the basics in the last 15 years. It's not rocket science and nobody gets lost, but co-drivers now contribute far more to the overall success of a driver. Meaningful road sections are timed to contribute to the overall results, which adds to the fun and a tense atmosphere at times. The Lombard Rally is go, go, go, night and day, round the UK - just like it used to be. [Top]
Q: How cheap is it really?
Well, who would have thought a Rover Metro 1.4 would win two Endurance Rallies, costing £300, and beating cars that cost over ten-grand? Rallying doesn't get much cheaper - it shows it can be done. [Top]
Q: But it must be slow and boring?
That’s not what the driver’s say - whether its Silverstone, Rockingham, Radnor Forest, Esgair Dafyd or Sweet Lamb or the city-centre park in Nottingham, you’ll be seeing drivers with a real sweat on their foreheads, truly going for it, hour after hour - that’s more competitive than Wales Rally GB - isn’t it? [Top]
Q: You must be joking?
Nope - at least 90 out of 135 cars next November have a chance of winning, the same chance. And they drive more miles and longer days, yes, far more competitive miles. On Wales Rally GB, how many cars will be doing the winning? Two, three... five or six at best. That’s hardly competitive! It’s mostly a rally of also-rans, making up the numbers with no chance of winning. A totally different world. If you want to start winning, and get on TV, then you have come to the right place - Endurance Rallying is only for the clubman. [Top]
Q: What else makes this inexpensive rallying?
You don't need to spend money dressing up before you discover you don't like the party... most rally in jeans and sweat-shirt, you don't need a competition licence, but you do have to be a Member of the organising club if you don't have a licence. You don't need a service crew, events provide the back up, saving you lots... and you drive all the competitive-sections, the Selectifs, blind, with no practice, so no pace-notes... just like the old days. ... pretty good, eh? [Top]
Q: Who do I talk to?
Call the Rally Office - 01550 721919 - and chat to Kenny Owen - we are here to help you get going, welcome to The Lombard Rally. [Top]
 
© The Lombard Rally 2008