Rally School

Americans have something particular in mind when they think about racing. We like our tracks oval, our beer cold, and our baseball caps with a four-inch lift. Grandstands serve as the regal thrones from which we cheer, jeer, and consume oblong processed meat products. We take delight in the simplicity of a one-man-car operation. This is quite a bit removed from the rich history of rally racing that originated on the streets of Europe almost a century ago.

But, all that is about to change.

RalliSport Challenge 2 will change your perception of racing. It drops drivers into the cockpit of finely tuned street rides for a racing experience like no other. For many, it will be their first taste of rally racing. Rally is very different from the rigid arena-racing spectacles that commonly grace our televisions. It's dirty, gritty, unpredictable, dangerous, and tense. In this country, rally is an underground sport, but in Europe, it’s tradition and passion all rolled into one.

A Little History
So, let's start at the beginning. In 1885, German engineer Gottlieb Daimler modified the internal-combustion engine design pioneered by Nicolaus Otto, making it smaller, faster, and more efficient. This motor was soon integrated into a three-wheeled vehicle by Karl Benz, a fellow German engineer. (You may have heard the names Daimler and Benz in automotive circles). By 1893, four-wheeled cars were in production, due to the innovations of these men, and by 1908, Henry Ford was producing the Model T. As more of these “newfangled contraptions” found their way into the mass markets of the world, it was only natural that automobile sports would follow on a wide scale and in far-off, exotic lands.

Racing Royalty
The Monte Carlo Rally first kicked off in 1911 and was started by Prince Albert I. Organized by the Automobile Club de Monaco, this grueling race took place along the French Riviera. Over time, the harsh conditions of the course became the proving grounds for automobile manufacturers, who discovered that winning designs gained popularity and sold cars. Thus, as the automobile industry grew, rally racing grew along with it.

In Great Britain, one of the first organized rally tournaments took place in 1932 and was held by the Royal Automobile Club. Over the course of five days, drivers covered 1,000 grueling miles in a race to Torquay, in the heart of the English Riviera. Other neighboring countries took part in the sport, and it soon became internationally adopted by aspiring drivers and fans alike.

The Modern Era
By the 1960s, the sport had really taken shape. Most rallies required the cars to be part of a production series of at least 400 cars, so that no company could gain an unfair advantage by producing a super-tricked-out prototype model for the sole purpose of winning races. As a result, the cars rarely exceeded 250 horsepower. This isn't to say that the cars weren't sexy, though. Not hardly! The sixties and seventies saw the rally debut of famous models like the Mini Cooper, Porsche 911, Alpine A110 Berlinette, and Lancia Stratos.

Then came the infamous Group B period. Four-wheel drive cars were legalized for rally racing in 1979, and this opened the door to much more powerful models (since better traction meant more power without wheel spin). Rally racing was divided into two groups, A and B, the latter occupied by these new powerful cars that only had to be part of a production run of 20 models, making it significantly cheaper for carmakers to throw in every innovation they could think of. Soon, some models were packing upwards of 600 horses under the hood. A good driver can handle that sort of power on a conventional oval track, but when you're driving through tight twists and turns with limited visibility, safety goes out the window. Soon, the inevitable happened. In 1986, three spectators were killed when a car went off the track in a rally race in Portugal, and later that year, leading driver Henri Toivonen and navigator Sergio Cresto died when they lost control of their car in Corsica. Almost immediately, the 1987 Group B season was cancelled. The cars had simply become too powerful for their drivers to control.

Fly the dirty skies.

Today's rally cars are limited to 300 horsepower, so they can't match Group B cars in a straightaway. Modern refinements in automotive technology, though, have made today's cars much more nimble in turns, so it may be that today's drivers could have matched or exceeded the Group B drivers over a full course. That's the sort of hypothetical question that can never be answered, though—unless you happen to have a game that includes both modern cars and the Group B monsters. Hmmm …

Let the Games Begin
Unlike the traditional interpretation of racing on a closed track, rally racers battle the elements in long-endurance races through cities, country roads, and outback country. Drivers ride with a co-driver (or navigator), who forecasts upcoming turns, gives speed recommendations, and plots out the best route to the destination. Utilizing production car design, rally racers tweak the body and engine of their automobile to conform to the class standards set forth by the governing organization of the race. Depending on the type of race, sections of the course can be timed, and drivers may be required to adhere to certain speed restrictions. For other events, all-out action is the rule, resulting in a wild high-speed endurance challenge.

Monte Carlo, minus the SS.

Cars, trucks, and vehicles all get their chance to compete across the wide range of contests. From ice racing and hill climbing to cross-country excursions at insane speeds, drivers expect the unexpected. Hairpin turns and cliff drops are par for the course during a rally challenge. One ill-timed powerslide can spell doom for the driver and his navigator. Mere fender benders are not enough to stop the true competitor from reaching the destination.

RalliSport Challenge 2 captures all the blazing action of these unfettered high-speed chases. Realistic damage physics and breathtaking graphics bring 93 international courses alive. This is not your average racing experience; it’s the culmination of a century of racing over the harshest, dirtiest, most dangerous landscapes on earth. And, it’s about time you caught up with history.

By Jim W. Gettys