3 replies to this topic

[mikeC]

Special Stages are seen, quite rightly, as the ultimate in rallying - but how about the earlier days when endurance was more important?
Here's my photo from the 1960 RAC Rally, showing A P (Tony) Horne driving his Triumph Herald (registration number TH 16) on the Rest and Be Thankful Hill Climb test:



Anyone got any more pics from this period?

[RS2000]

Actually, 1960 was the first RAC Rally to include special stages (4 I think, under slightly dubious legality that year). It would be wrong to claim the 1960 event was decided entirely on special stage times, as future RACs were, but it is normally recognised as the first of the new era, although organiser Jack Kemsley ("father" of the Forest RACs) had already run the 1959 event.
Most of us would also claim endurance was equally important up to and including 1985. Only then did the RAC Rally switch to "office hours" rallying.
Arguably all the off-road tests used in previous years at circuits, hill climbs etc were special stages before the name was coined. Rest and be Thankful (great period photo!) made the transition from "test" to "special stage" fairly seamlessly.

[LotusElise]

When did the "autotest"-type elements of rallying finally disappear? I've heard about reversing tests being included until the 50s at least.

[RS2000]

Originally posted by LotusElise
When did the "autotest"-type elements of rallying finally disappear? I've heard about reversing tests being included until the 50s at least.

As far as the RAC Rally is concerned 1960 was the transition year between the "road event with tests" and "stage event". I think you could safely say (intentional) reversing disappeared then.
Apart from historic events, the new "Enduro" rallies for 1400cc cars re-introduced similar tests but reversing in particular is as unpopular as ever and I don't think there's much of that around now, even in Enduros.
Autotests ("driving tests" then) were part of the odd lower status rally into the 60s.

It was raised elsewhere recently as to when all major Internationals became stage events. The Safari, as a WRC round, was a "road" event until its last few years (1990s?) so I guess that is the correct answer. Events like Ypres had "selectif" sections into the 70s (no crash helmets) alongside proper stages. The Liege of course was always a "road" event up to its last running as a proper rally in 1964. The Coupe des Alpes to the last (early70s) may have had selectif sections that were, in practice, not stages although the roads were policed/controlled? The Monte was a pure road event (except for the final test) much later than most realise, although reality was the key final road sections were to all intents closed?
Dakar (if it ever runs again) and other "Raids" were never "stage" events to the safety standards of other major rallies, whatever the competitive sections were called. It's a sore point that the similar UK "Baja" events are effectively stage events here but are alleged to pay less to Forest Enterprise than normal rallies.
Many UK events, including some in the British and "Motoring News" Championships, had a mix of stages and road sections in 1969 and possibly 70.