Rallying was a total mystery to me until 1972, when a young man named Sandro Munari achieved the first of his four Monte Carlo Rally victories and helped Lancia win the manufacturer’s world championship. As the UK press officer for Pirelli, I was expected to know about these things, so I set about learning all I could about this rather esoteric form of motor sport.
I discovered that rally drivers hardly ever compete on a nice smooth asphalt circuit, where the worst that can happen is that it rains. Their motor sport is much tougher: It is a series of races in which the driver and a co-driver navigate their car from one closed special stage to another. When they get there, they are flagged off and, with the co-driver shouting pace notes into the intercom, drive like hell to try to cover the prescribed distance—anything from 2 to 20 miles—faster than their opponents. The crew with the quickest aggregate time over all the special stages of the event is the winner.
Become a Member & Get Ad-Free Access To This Article (& About 6,000+ More)
Access to the full article is limited to paid subscribers only. Our membership removes most ads, lets you enjoy unlimited access to all our premium content, and offers you awesome discounts on partner products. Enjoy our premium content.
Become a member today!
Already a Member?