Rally 101: special stages, service parks and the Power Stage

Rallying is a race against the clock rather than against cars side by side. Crews start each special stage at intervals, and the combined stage times across the event decide the result.

The co-driver is as important as the driver. During reconnaissance, the crew drives the stages at low speed and writes pace notes — a shorthand description of every corner, crest and hazard — which the co-driver reads aloud at full speed during the event.

Between stages, crews drive on public roads to reach the next test, returning to a central service park where mechanics have strictly limited time to repair and set up the car.

The final stage of each rally is the Power Stage, where the fastest crews earn bonus championship points. It means even a driver well out of contention for victory has a reason to push to the very end.