A popular motor sport among amateur car enthusiasts, road rallies have been part of the American landscape for decades now. Held throughout the country in a variety of ways, it's a perfect sport for people who just simply love to drive.

What is a Road Rally?

A road rally is a driving event on public roads and highways along a specific route. The drivers are usually given a set of instructions and must follow them explicitly to get to each checkpoint along the way. Most rallies feature a series of traps designed to throw drivers off course or slow them down. It's part scavenger hunt, part road race, and total adventure.

Types of Rallies

Because the sport appeals to many different types of people, there are several different types of rally:

• TSD rallies: signifying "time-speed-distance," these rallies concentrate on specific speed limits for each leg of the competition. Not a speed race, it is geared more for precision drivers.

• Gimmick rallies: these rallies are usually more entertainment-oriented than others, and tend to include a "gimmick" such as spotting a type of sign or other item along the way. If you arrive at the end with the correct count, you have followed the course correctly.

• Pro events: not for the novice driver, these rallies usually include a speed stage where you can drive as fast as you can on a closed road. The route is also important, and must be followed exactly.

Road Rally Organizations

Because it's not usually very easy to just jump into a road rally without any knowledge of the sport, there are plenty of road rally organizations around the country (and world) that offer benefits such as training tutorials, meet-ups with people who've "been there, done that," and listings of upcoming events.

The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) has a Road Rally page that lists information on upcoming SCCA-sponsored events throughout the country.

For other rally organizations, be sure to check out the page of listings compiled on the Rally Central website. You'll find clubs in the U.S., Canada, and even abroad.

Find details on road rallies in your area with the Find-a-Rally search feature on Rally Central. It lists events in regions of the U.S., as well as various countries throughout the world.

For more information about what a rally is and how the sport began, see the "road rally" entry in Wikipedia.

Your Opinion Matters To Us!