Competing in stage rally will run you broke, but there are ways to get into the sport without emptying your bank account.
Stage rally is the most fun you can have behind the wheel of a car. So why doesn’t everyone do it? One reason: Cost. Rallying is one of the most expensive sports to break into if you’re a beginner. The costs are so high that most prospective competitors will give up before ever participating in an event. But there are plenty of ways to get into rallying without blowing an insane amount of dough to build and race a car.
Interested in diving into the world of rally in July? We’re hosting an event at DirtFish rally school in the Pacific Northwest.
1 Spectating
If you’re like me, you grew up watching WRC cars fly through the air on YouTube, hundreds of thousands of spectators standing on the sidelines as heroic drivers took flight, cementing themselves into the history books. Well, rally cars do fly through the air in America just as they did in the glory days of European rally, but spectating here isn’t as brazen. You won’t find crowds of people literally blocking the road as cars approach. For safety’s sake, that’s for the best. But spectating still a fantastic (and free) way to get up close with the competition cars as they’re pushed to the limit.
The vast majority of rallies in the U.S. are completely free to spectate. That’s because there aren’t any grandstands or stadiums. You’re parking somewhere in the woods to watch cars drive by flat-out. Aside from a few special stages, there isn’t anywhere to even charge admission. The only costs you’ll incur is the transportation to get yourself there, plus any snacks you bring to keep your stomach full throughout the day.
There are two ways to go about spectating rally. The first is to pick a single stage and stay there all day as the cars tear by. Many rallies re-use stages throughout the day, so if you pick the right one, you’ll see the whole field pass you four times at speed. Just be prepared to stay there from dawn to dusk! Depending on how you got there, your exit could be shut down to let competing cars transit. You might be able to walk from corner to corner when there’s a break between runs, but it might come at the cost of a tick or two; you’ll be trekking through the woods on foot. Snacks are key here! Also make sure to bring a folding chair, bugspray, and plenty of water.
You could also chase the rally throughout the day, bouncing from stage to stage to catch a better glimpse of your favorite cars. This requires a bit more effort and a greater knowledge of the area where the rally is happening. It’s more demanding but it’s more rewarding, as you get to see the cars attack different stages, rather than just the same road over and over again.
2 Volunteering
Think of volunteering as one step above spectating. Rallies in the U.S. rely on volunteers to make the event happen, whether it be staging the cars, corralling spectators, or sitting at particularly treacherous corners to report incidents. If competitors are expected to reach the start line of the first stage at noon, know that volunteers will be up long before dawn, driving those same stage roads to set up that time control.
Volunteering is a bit more work versus just going to spectate, but it also gets you more access. Like spectating, volunteering won’t cost you anything above your own transportation costs to the event. Show up to volunteer and you’ll likely be given a reflective vest and, depending on what you’ve been assigned to do, a radio to help communicate information to event organizers. Most rallies also throw in some exclusive volunteer-only merch. Coffee, donuts, and camaraderie are free, too.
Put in the work, and you’ll be treated to a higher level of access than any spectator would. Volunteers get to be up close with competitors, whether that’s watching them launch in the starting area or being right next to the stages as they fly by. Volunteers get to go where spectators aren’t allowed, and see things normal spectators can’t. The best way you can spectate any rally is to volunteer.
3 Helping Out a Team
Hang around the rally scene long enough, and you’ll start to make friends. Some of those friends will be competing. If you’re the type who likes to get your hands dirty, you can ask your favorite team what you can do to make their lives easier helping out in the pits and behind the scenes. It won’t cost you a dime, and you get to be right in the action during service stops.
You don’t necessarily need to have any mechanical know-how to help out a team. Digital director Aaron Brown and I were always grateful when friends came to help us out with our stage rallies, even though they weren’t mechanically inclined. If you don’t know how to turn a wrench, you can still help guide cars off of trailers, pass out food, or help change tires. Having more people around is a huge morale booster, too. Don’t underplay the act of showing up, because it means a lot.
Chances are whoever you help out will buy you lunch or a beer. You won’t end up with a totally free ride, but you could actually get paid to help a team out during a rally. Put in enough effort, and they might even ask you to come back for the next race and put you up in a hotel room for the duration of the event. The best part? If the team you’re helping gets on the podium, you get to say you helped make that happen.
4 Co-Driving
There is no better way to break into the world of rallying than to co-drive. Sitting in the right seat navigating for a driver puts you directly into the action as an official competitor. While you don’t get to drive, you do get to experience every part of a real, actual stage rally first-hand. All of that drifting, jumping, and gravel-slinging you saw on the internet as a kid? You feel that stuff when you co-drive.
Unlike anything else on this list, co-driving isn’t exactly free. While you don’t have to pay for a car, an entry fee, or anything else associated with competing, you do have to own up-to-date racing gear, including a fire suit, a helmet, and fire-retardant shoes. And that stuff can get expensive.
The biggest barrier to entry for co-driving is actually finding a ride, especially if you have no experience. Drivers will want someone who knows how to read notes in a clear, concise manner, all while flying through the forest at a high rate of speed. Learning to do that without losing your place or getting nauseous isn’t exactly easy, so not just anyone can do it. We suggest starting small and making friends so it’s easier to find a seat when you’re ready. Get good enough at reading notes, and a team might actually hire you to co-drive for them at a future event. Next thing you know, you’re getting paid to have the best seat in the house.
Keyword: How to Get Into Rally Without Going Broke