Finally my home event is back in the Finnish rally championship calendar. Nowadays I live in Helsinki, but I still regard Itäralli as my home event. I don't even have to lie when saying that Itäralli has the best roads in the championship. Ask any driver or co-driver. The roads are sometimes fast, sometimes slower. All the time going up and down the hillsides. Simply brilliant.
The rally started with the normal recce on Friday. Nothing much to report. The only out of the ordinary thing was towing one of our fellow competitors out of a snowbank when his Renault Megane had slid of the road. I haven't been very impressed with my Volvo XC60 as a winter car especially since it doesn't want to turn at all. Have to give it thumbs up as a towing truck however. Didn't even break a sweat getting the Renault out of the ditch. In the evening we relaxed at one of Jari's friends place and went to sauna and a jacuzzi. The jacuzzi was on his backyard. I'm not kidding. It was awesome to sit in a warm jacuzzi in the middle of the Finnish winter.
Saturday's first special stage wasn't the best for us. I made one mistake when reading the notes (luckily an obvious one in an easy place) and Jari also took it on the safe side. Our main competitors had pressed flat out so we took a beating. On the second stage we drove better, but still took a beating again. Not fun. On the third one we lost a lot of time again. This time we were a little bit amazed since that kind of a stage would have normally suited Jari's driving style. Jari was complaining that the car was little out of breath. After the third stage we headed to service where Eero from Printsport connected his laptop to our car's motec. The analysis indicated that our turbo wasn't giving the boost it should on the lower spectrum of rev band and was giving normal boost only on the high revs. Well that explained some of the lacking speed. Not all of it though.
From service we headed to super special stage on Joensuu horse track. Nothing to comment on that. It was a super special... Stages number 5 and 6 were the best on the rally. The fifth a super fast roller coaster of a stage! We don't have our own incar films in youtube but here is the stage from Juha Salo's car Juha Salo, Itäralli, stage 5 Stage number 6 was 30km long spectacular piece of road. Mostly really fast, but between 20-25km you had 5km section of really technical small road again some incar footage from Juha Salo's car. Juha Salo, Itäralli, stage 6 What can I say about the stages. The stopwatch didn't like our work again, but the stages themselves were awesome! On these kinds of roads you know why you love rallying. In the end of stage six the started some noise from the back of the car and on the road section towards service it started to get worse. We checked the propshaft bolts and they seemed to be tight. The noise seemed to be somehow linked to the propshaft since the noise came an went. It didn't gradually get worse like normally when something is about to explode. We limped to service where the Printsport mechanics were waiting also to help out our own mechanics to diagnose the problem. It turbned that vulcanization of the propshaft had been damaged and it was causing the vibration. Full credit to the mechanics for the service. Diagnosing the problem and changing the propshaft took around 17 minutes. I was still stuffing pasta in my mouth when they reported that the car is good to go.
Stages number 7 and 8 were the same as stages 1 and 2. Except now we drove in the dark. We changed our driving style to be more aggressive and it immediately helped. On those stages the time difference to fastest guys dropped to the same level as in Mikkeli. Also we managed to climb a couple of places on the last two stages to 11th overall. Stil not exactly the result we were looking for. On the positive side we managed to analyze what we were doing wrong and know it in this kind of stages in the future.
The next Finnish championship rally is in the middle of June in Laihia so now it's the time to do some servicing to the Mitsubishi. Obviously we need a new turbo, there are always bushes to be changed, etc etc. Before Laihia we have to get some gravel experience of the car since we haven't driven one meter with it on gravel yet. Hopefully I'll be updating my blog with rallying stuff during April and May even though the championship continues in June.
Näytetään tekstit, joissa on tunniste racing. Näytä kaikki tekstit
Näytetään tekstit, joissa on tunniste racing. Näytä kaikki tekstit
perjantai 15. maaliskuuta 2013
maanantai 30. huhtikuuta 2012
SM Vaakuna rally, Mikkeli 26th of February 2012
Winter season's final Finnish Rally Championship round was held in Mikkeli. Luckily the weather wasn't as cold as the previous year when the temperature was around -32 celcius.
The rally started already on Friday evening with an 11 kilometer super special stage. The stage circled on a horse racing track before heading into the woods. In the woods the road was narrow and had a lot of loose snow outside the ruts. We lost some time when the rear stepped out of the ruts a couple of times.
On Saturday morning things luckily turned brighter. Long and challenging stage number 2 went really well. We beat Joonas Lindroos by ten seconds and took the class lead. However the class lead disappeared during the next two stages. Those were wide and fast roads. We don't have a lot of power in our car so if the rear steps out even a little bit it kills the speed.
Before the last stage the situation was clear. Joonas was leading by 15 seconds so without his mistake positions weren't going to change. The last stage went really well and we even managed to catch the car which started ahead of us. We weren't able to pass him so we just cruised to the finish. After steady start of the season we are now second in the 2wd championship so things are really well after the winter season. Next round of the Finnish Rally Championship will be held on 8-9th of June.
The rally started already on Friday evening with an 11 kilometer super special stage. The stage circled on a horse racing track before heading into the woods. In the woods the road was narrow and had a lot of loose snow outside the ruts. We lost some time when the rear stepped out of the ruts a couple of times.
Picture by "Jack Bacon"
On Saturday morning things luckily turned brighter. Long and challenging stage number 2 went really well. We beat Joonas Lindroos by ten seconds and took the class lead. However the class lead disappeared during the next two stages. Those were wide and fast roads. We don't have a lot of power in our car so if the rear steps out even a little bit it kills the speed.
Before the last stage the situation was clear. Joonas was leading by 15 seconds so without his mistake positions weren't going to change. The last stage went really well and we even managed to catch the car which started ahead of us. We weren't able to pass him so we just cruised to the finish. After steady start of the season we are now second in the 2wd championship so things are really well after the winter season. Next round of the Finnish Rally Championship will be held on 8-9th of June.
Picture by "Jack Bacon"
lauantai 4. helmikuuta 2012
Arctic Lapland Rally, 27th-28th of January 2012
One week after Riihimäki rally it was time to head to Rovaniemi in Lapland. Arctic Lapland Rally is a legendary rally in Finland and like the name says it's held on the Arctic Circle. The rally is twice as long (233km of special stages) as the normal Finnish championship rounds so we had three and a half days for the recce. The stages were awesome. Even the shortest one was 20km long and the longest was 47km! A real challenge for me since the roads in the Arctic Lapland Rally are the most challenging in Finnish championship. The winter had been perfect for ensuring firm coating of snow and ice on top of the roads. During the recce the temperatures were between -17 and -30. Had to use more than just a T-shirt when walking outside.
We started to the first stage around 1pm on Friday. We were once again fighting against the all Citroën C2 R2 front. Sergey Karyakin from the WRC Academy was entered to the rally with a Fiesta R2, but he had withdrawn before the start. Shame since it would have been nice to compare our speed with one of the WRC Academy guys. The first stage was a super special that we would drive three times during the rally. For a super special the stage was actually really good since it was 3,7km long. We just drove it through with normal speed and managed to be fastest in our class. With a huge margin of 0,1s. The main thing is not to win the super specials, but not to give any easy/stupid seconds away to the competition. Those are hard to get back in the forest between the trees.
The second stage was a proper stage with 23km of fast roads. We lost 5 seconds to the class leader, but we were happy to get the rally properly under way. I managed to be late with the pace notes once when going through somebody's yard, but luckily there wasn't anything tricky with the corner and had the time to catch up immediately. After this stage we entered the service for the first time and then headed for two long stages which were to be driven in the dark.
In addition of driving in the dark the rally there was a problem off snow dust hanging in the air. Similar phenomenon as Greece or Cyprus WRC rounds have with the gravel dust. When the temperature is cold enough and there is no wind there is a risk of snow dust and these two stages now had the dust hanging in the air. The third stage wasn't that bad with only the occasional dust. We lost 3 seconds to the class winner on the 32km stage so one could say that the battle for the lead was quite even.
After 60 stage kilometers we were 6,1 seconds from the class lead. The fourth stage was also a long one with 36km. On that stage the snow dust really was a problem and you could only see 20-30 meters in front of you. We even dried if we could see better using only the normal day time driving lights. That sometimes helps if there is really much snow in the air and the extra lights doesn't reflect so much from all the snow in the air. That trick didn't provide any assistance. One thing that really saved our day was the fact that we used an accurate trip meter for checking the distances during the recce. No we relied on the pace notes when keeping the throttle to the floor half blind. It worked. The margins weren't huge, but we managed to eat 4,9 seconds from the class leader and were only 1,2s behind when going back to Rovaniemi for the super special and overnight service.
We started to the first stage around 1pm on Friday. We were once again fighting against the all Citroën C2 R2 front. Sergey Karyakin from the WRC Academy was entered to the rally with a Fiesta R2, but he had withdrawn before the start. Shame since it would have been nice to compare our speed with one of the WRC Academy guys. The first stage was a super special that we would drive three times during the rally. For a super special the stage was actually really good since it was 3,7km long. We just drove it through with normal speed and managed to be fastest in our class. With a huge margin of 0,1s. The main thing is not to win the super specials, but not to give any easy/stupid seconds away to the competition. Those are hard to get back in the forest between the trees.
The second stage was a proper stage with 23km of fast roads. We lost 5 seconds to the class leader, but we were happy to get the rally properly under way. I managed to be late with the pace notes once when going through somebody's yard, but luckily there wasn't anything tricky with the corner and had the time to catch up immediately. After this stage we entered the service for the first time and then headed for two long stages which were to be driven in the dark.
In addition of driving in the dark the rally there was a problem off snow dust hanging in the air. Similar phenomenon as Greece or Cyprus WRC rounds have with the gravel dust. When the temperature is cold enough and there is no wind there is a risk of snow dust and these two stages now had the dust hanging in the air. The third stage wasn't that bad with only the occasional dust. We lost 3 seconds to the class winner on the 32km stage so one could say that the battle for the lead was quite even.
After 60 stage kilometers we were 6,1 seconds from the class lead. The fourth stage was also a long one with 36km. On that stage the snow dust really was a problem and you could only see 20-30 meters in front of you. We even dried if we could see better using only the normal day time driving lights. That sometimes helps if there is really much snow in the air and the extra lights doesn't reflect so much from all the snow in the air. That trick didn't provide any assistance. One thing that really saved our day was the fact that we used an accurate trip meter for checking the distances during the recce. No we relied on the pace notes when keeping the throttle to the floor half blind. It worked. The margins weren't huge, but we managed to eat 4,9 seconds from the class leader and were only 1,2s behind when going back to Rovaniemi for the super special and overnight service.
On the super special we attacked a bit too much and went wide one corner loosing time. Without that small mistake we would have been in the class lead, but had to settle for the second place when heading of to bed. The time difference after 100 stage kilometers was 0,9s! Excellent battle and the spirits were high since with differences like this you don't have to sleep in the car half of the rally. In the 45min service we changed the brake discs and pads and drove the car to parc fermé around 9.30pm.
After good night sleep it was an early wake up for breakfast and getting the car out of parc fermé after 8am. Our plan was to attack on the first stage and that we certainly did. We were trying a bit too hard and our driving wasn't neat enough especially on the junctions. We lost almost 20s on the 30km stage. Luckily there were still 100 stage kilometers to go so the game wasn't over yet. We decided to tidy up the driving a bit for the next stage which was also 30km long. Well that wasn't to be. One kilometer from the start of the stage we heard a loud banging noise from the front. We thought that a drive shaft was broken, but when Andreas tried to brake he realized it might just be a brake caliber problem. Apparently when changing the discs and pads one of the brake calibers wasn't tightened properly. We stopped on the stage, took out the front left caliber and switched a spare wheel since the rim was broken too. Then drove 28km with only using the hand brake. Luckily the last 10km was a really fast section so we didn't have to slow down too much. In any case we lost 10min 35s.
Just to make sure we were on a good mood the driver's side window got stuck 3/4 open for a 50km road section in -23 degrees temperature. It got a bit chilly in the car. We don't usually play with the windows too much, but Andreas opened it in a junction because he couldn't see through the window since it was frozen from the inside. The R2 car's heaters don't have enough power to keep the side windows open when the temperature is below -15 or so. Even our water bottles near the floor of the car were 2/3 frozen since only the area near the roof is even somewhat warm. The windshield stays open since it's electrically heated.
Picture is from the fast 10km section. No brakes anymore, but still almost managed to jump.
On the service we managed to get 3,5/4 of the brakes working and close the driver's side window. Even though we had lost a lot of time you should never quit trying. The plan was to pick up any left over points since those might be really valuable in the end of the season. We still had two stages and 70 stage kilometers to go. Anything could happen. On the second last 23km long stage we lost only 4s to the stage winner. A really good result since the brakes weren't 100%. That helped since now we knew we didn't at least take a 30s beating. Something else helped even more. We got an SMS from our service crew before the very last 47km marathon stage. Others crews had had their share of problems(technical or digging the cars out of snow banks) and miraculously we were now second in class and third overall in the 2wd category! That really lifted the spirits and the plan was to drive "fast without risks". Below is our in-car clip from the stage.
Meaning not taking any risks, but also not to lift the throttle if there wasn't any reason to take the bend slower than normal. In the end of the stage we found out that we had been fastest in class by 17,6s and secured the second in class and third overall in 2wd!
Goes without saying that the spirits were quite high in the car! Starting with 0,9s to the lead in the morning, the dropping over 10min and then fighting back to second place. An emotional roller coaster, but that's why the Arctic Lapland Rally has the reputation of being an adventure. After the Arctic Lapland Rally we are now third overall in the 2wd championship standings since the SM2 and SM3 classes are fighting for one title only. The next championship round is on the 25th on February in Mikkeli. Before that we have AKK's training weekend and also one small rally on the previous weekend before Mikkeli.
keskiviikko 3. elokuuta 2011
Trusted co-drivers
In rallying the relationship between a driver and a co-driver is quite unique in motorsports. Both have to trust each to get a maximum result from the rally. In many cases the crews race together for several years. In my opinion that's because it takes time to build trust and to learn each others habits. Of course when you get along well in the car why would you change the guy sitting next to you.
Even though co-drivers are the less known compared to the driver there are well known co-drivers who appear again and again in the cars next to the drivers who want to really be competitive in their class. At some level the good drivers expect the co-drivers to be more or less professionals with the tasks related to co-driving and since many crews stay together for years it's sometimes hard to find good co-drivers without a seat. Also other way around the experienced co-drivers have seen enough different drivers to be somewhat selective when it comes to the drivers they are willing to sit next to.
I'll go through some aspects of getting better as a co-driver. Those might affect why the drivers have chosen the particular co-driver and not some bloke who thinks it would be cool to sit in an expensive rally car. Some of the things might seem a bit far fetched, but feel free to ignore them, if you think I've lost my marbles...
Routine. A dangerous word. In the beginning easier said than done. Of course you need a ride first before you can develop a routine in co-driving. When everything isn't new all the time you can fine tune the things you do during recce and special stages. What I meant routine being a dangerous word is that you should always analyze what you are doing and how you do it. It's good to make a mental check from time to time that is there room for improvement. I personally also like to ask from others their opinions. You might not agree with them, but sometimes you pick up things you might never had come across on your own.
Practice. I know. It's so expensive to train with a rally car and get roads for testing. That's not what I meant, but it's great if money and roads aren't a problem for you. Practicing also helps to develop a routine outside rallies. So how can you practice co-driving outside the rally car? For a starters you and your driver can get into a normal road car, find a suitable piece of road that would work as a special stage and start making pace notes. Basically nothing different compared to a recce during the rally and when you make a habit of pace note training it's a lot easier to do the actual recce.
Studying. Applies to all different aspects of rallying. One can learn a lot by sitting by your computer and for example watching incar footage from other competitors and seeing how they drive, what kind of pace notes they use. I'm not a native English speaker so I read car magazines to learn technical vocabulary. Taking a tyre iron into your hand and asking a mechanic to show how to change a tyre. Whatever you think might improve your skills and make you more useful for the team. One thing I've learned is that people like to discuss about subjects close to their hearts. If you want to learn something just find someone who is an enthusiastic and start asking "stupid" questions. If the person isn't willing to share their knowledge just find the next person. People in rallying are usually social and generally nice guys so getting general info about something isn't usually a problem.
Fitness. To some of us in rallying the other passions in life aren't long distance running or iron man competitions. Taking care of yourself doesn't have to go that far since even simple things help. When you eat choose the healthier option and go for a run a couple of times a week. I have never been passionate for training, but when you start doing it it easily becomes a habit. Nowadays I go for the gym twice a week and go running 2-3 times a week. I don't even regard it as a chore anymore since your body seems to yearn for more. The sport has changed a lot during the last 20 years and do you really see many overweight co-drivers next to the top cars smoking a cigarette and eating a burger. Personally I like to think that if I'm in good physical condition my chances of getting tired later in the day are smaller and I'm more likely to keep a good concentration on the stages.
Social skills. Like it or not, but the co-drivers get to interact a lot with mechanics, organizers, sponsors etc. The driver should be able to concentrate on the driving part as much as possible so the co-driver should be able to tackle other tasks as much as possible. Generally it would help if other people regard you as a stand up person who takes care of his/her end as promised so that they can concentrate on things that are left for them. People have to be able to trust the co-driver.
Even though co-drivers are the less known compared to the driver there are well known co-drivers who appear again and again in the cars next to the drivers who want to really be competitive in their class. At some level the good drivers expect the co-drivers to be more or less professionals with the tasks related to co-driving and since many crews stay together for years it's sometimes hard to find good co-drivers without a seat. Also other way around the experienced co-drivers have seen enough different drivers to be somewhat selective when it comes to the drivers they are willing to sit next to.
I'll go through some aspects of getting better as a co-driver. Those might affect why the drivers have chosen the particular co-driver and not some bloke who thinks it would be cool to sit in an expensive rally car. Some of the things might seem a bit far fetched, but feel free to ignore them, if you think I've lost my marbles...
Routine. A dangerous word. In the beginning easier said than done. Of course you need a ride first before you can develop a routine in co-driving. When everything isn't new all the time you can fine tune the things you do during recce and special stages. What I meant routine being a dangerous word is that you should always analyze what you are doing and how you do it. It's good to make a mental check from time to time that is there room for improvement. I personally also like to ask from others their opinions. You might not agree with them, but sometimes you pick up things you might never had come across on your own.
Practice. I know. It's so expensive to train with a rally car and get roads for testing. That's not what I meant, but it's great if money and roads aren't a problem for you. Practicing also helps to develop a routine outside rallies. So how can you practice co-driving outside the rally car? For a starters you and your driver can get into a normal road car, find a suitable piece of road that would work as a special stage and start making pace notes. Basically nothing different compared to a recce during the rally and when you make a habit of pace note training it's a lot easier to do the actual recce.
Studying. Applies to all different aspects of rallying. One can learn a lot by sitting by your computer and for example watching incar footage from other competitors and seeing how they drive, what kind of pace notes they use. I'm not a native English speaker so I read car magazines to learn technical vocabulary. Taking a tyre iron into your hand and asking a mechanic to show how to change a tyre. Whatever you think might improve your skills and make you more useful for the team. One thing I've learned is that people like to discuss about subjects close to their hearts. If you want to learn something just find someone who is an enthusiastic and start asking "stupid" questions. If the person isn't willing to share their knowledge just find the next person. People in rallying are usually social and generally nice guys so getting general info about something isn't usually a problem.
Fitness. To some of us in rallying the other passions in life aren't long distance running or iron man competitions. Taking care of yourself doesn't have to go that far since even simple things help. When you eat choose the healthier option and go for a run a couple of times a week. I have never been passionate for training, but when you start doing it it easily becomes a habit. Nowadays I go for the gym twice a week and go running 2-3 times a week. I don't even regard it as a chore anymore since your body seems to yearn for more. The sport has changed a lot during the last 20 years and do you really see many overweight co-drivers next to the top cars smoking a cigarette and eating a burger. Personally I like to think that if I'm in good physical condition my chances of getting tired later in the day are smaller and I'm more likely to keep a good concentration on the stages.
Social skills. Like it or not, but the co-drivers get to interact a lot with mechanics, organizers, sponsors etc. The driver should be able to concentrate on the driving part as much as possible so the co-driver should be able to tackle other tasks as much as possible. Generally it would help if other people regard you as a stand up person who takes care of his/her end as promised so that they can concentrate on things that are left for them. People have to be able to trust the co-driver.
sunnuntai 10. heinäkuuta 2011
Co-drivers. Those guys filling the extra seat next to the driver...
So what are those co-driver guys doing? Aren't they just filling the vacant seat just because the regulations in rallying say there has to be two people in the car? Well the regulations do say there has to be two people in the car, but there is more than that.
Thinking from a perspective that you race as a hobby. Even as a hobby the co-driver usually is responsible for the following tasks:
Before the rally:
- Plan with the driver/team which rallies to participate
- Enter the team to the rally, pay the entering fee to the organizers
- Read the rally rules carefully in case of some special features unique to the rally, inform others in the team
- Plan the schedule for the event, who goes where and when
- Calculate fuel consumption for the rally car
- Reserve accommodation for the team. Make sure there is enough parking space for the truck/trailer.
-Check that you have your personal equipment, suit, helmet, maps, pace note books, pens, watches, incar camera, batteries, flashlight, electrical tape or similar and so on...
- Check the weather and plan accordingly. Will the sun be shining, will there be rain, is it going to be -30 Celsius. If you retire on a stage would be good to have a rain coat if it's raining or something warm to wear if it's freezing. Notify others in the team what kind of weather to expect during the rally.
During recce:
- Make sure you have something to eat and drink in the car if the recce schedule is going to be tight. Keep the energy levels up for the duration of the day.
- Keep the driver aware that you have everything under control. Helps to keep the driver concentrating the subject at hand -> making the pace notes.
- Comment the pace notes if there is a place you might not fully agree. Discussion is OK, but the driver makes the final call for the notes.
- Check the pace notes at the hotel after the recce. Clean them if necessary so that they are easy to read during the rally.
During rally day:
-KEEP THE DRIVER CALM AT ALL TIMES! Of course drivers are individuals, but in most cases they have a tendency to have ants in their pants before the start. Even if they look calm they might be like a duck on a pond. On the surface everything is calm, but below the surface the flippers are working like crazy. Co-drivers job is to be the guy who keeps the general atmosphere in control at all times.
- Double check your watches are on correct time.
- Double check you are everywhere in the right time. Being early or late for time control and getting penalized is a sure way to flush the rally down the toilet. Organizers mark these times to a time card which is with the car crew at all times during the rally. Co-driver calculates the times for each time control points and makes sure to get there during the correct minute.
- Instruct the driver to the start, stages, services, finish. People in many times think that this is done by using a map, but actually the organizers have provided very detailed road books where all the relevant junctions, road signs and distances are marked.
- At the start of the stage start the stopwatch so that you can check after the stage that the people in time control mark the correct time on your time card for the special stage. If the time is wrong make a formal objection immediately otherwise your stuck with the incorrect time without the possibility to appeal.
- Start the incar/onboard camera to get something to watch at home or to put into the internet.
- Read the pace notes to the driver. Generally everybody thinks it's OK for the driver to make an error and crash the car, but co-drivers are expected not to make mistakes when reading the pace notes to the driver. If you're not 100% sure you are reading the correct note notify the driver IMMEDIATELY since his supposed to trust that the bend is exactly the one you are reading to him.
Above there are already a couple of tasks for the co-driver and this is just a point when your having a laugh with your friends during the weekend and enjoying rallying. Added to this all the work the driver and the mechanics do...
Thinking from a perspective that you race as a hobby. Even as a hobby the co-driver usually is responsible for the following tasks:
Before the rally:
- Plan with the driver/team which rallies to participate
- Enter the team to the rally, pay the entering fee to the organizers
- Read the rally rules carefully in case of some special features unique to the rally, inform others in the team
- Plan the schedule for the event, who goes where and when
- Calculate fuel consumption for the rally car
- Reserve accommodation for the team. Make sure there is enough parking space for the truck/trailer.
-Check that you have your personal equipment, suit, helmet, maps, pace note books, pens, watches, incar camera, batteries, flashlight, electrical tape or similar and so on...
- Check the weather and plan accordingly. Will the sun be shining, will there be rain, is it going to be -30 Celsius. If you retire on a stage would be good to have a rain coat if it's raining or something warm to wear if it's freezing. Notify others in the team what kind of weather to expect during the rally.
During recce:
- Make sure you have something to eat and drink in the car if the recce schedule is going to be tight. Keep the energy levels up for the duration of the day.
- Keep the driver aware that you have everything under control. Helps to keep the driver concentrating the subject at hand -> making the pace notes.
- Comment the pace notes if there is a place you might not fully agree. Discussion is OK, but the driver makes the final call for the notes.
- Check the pace notes at the hotel after the recce. Clean them if necessary so that they are easy to read during the rally.
During rally day:
-KEEP THE DRIVER CALM AT ALL TIMES! Of course drivers are individuals, but in most cases they have a tendency to have ants in their pants before the start. Even if they look calm they might be like a duck on a pond. On the surface everything is calm, but below the surface the flippers are working like crazy. Co-drivers job is to be the guy who keeps the general atmosphere in control at all times.
- Double check your watches are on correct time.
- Double check you are everywhere in the right time. Being early or late for time control and getting penalized is a sure way to flush the rally down the toilet. Organizers mark these times to a time card which is with the car crew at all times during the rally. Co-driver calculates the times for each time control points and makes sure to get there during the correct minute.
- Instruct the driver to the start, stages, services, finish. People in many times think that this is done by using a map, but actually the organizers have provided very detailed road books where all the relevant junctions, road signs and distances are marked.
- At the start of the stage start the stopwatch so that you can check after the stage that the people in time control mark the correct time on your time card for the special stage. If the time is wrong make a formal objection immediately otherwise your stuck with the incorrect time without the possibility to appeal.
- Start the incar/onboard camera to get something to watch at home or to put into the internet.
- Read the pace notes to the driver. Generally everybody thinks it's OK for the driver to make an error and crash the car, but co-drivers are expected not to make mistakes when reading the pace notes to the driver. If you're not 100% sure you are reading the correct note notify the driver IMMEDIATELY since his supposed to trust that the bend is exactly the one you are reading to him.
Above there are already a couple of tasks for the co-driver and this is just a point when your having a laugh with your friends during the weekend and enjoying rallying. Added to this all the work the driver and the mechanics do...
lauantai 2. heinäkuuta 2011
How did I become a co-driver?
Short answer is that my brother had been rallying for a few years, needed a co-driver and asked if was interested. Of course I said yes! Some people end up being a co-driver if they have an enthusiastic friend who wants to drive his/hers first rally and just needs someone to sit on the passenger seat. I would say that my path was a little bit longer than that.
I don't have any relatives or friends who have been rallying or racing cars. Although I have had the chance to drive snow mobiles and dirt bikes when I was young. I also spent lots of hours watching Finland's WRC rallies from the 80's or UK's WRC rallies from the same era on video tapes as a kid. One might say that I was quite interested in motor racing, but I didn't think I would have a chance to actually try rallying. In 2007 my brother had been rallying as a hobby for a few years and when I started working after university he asked if I was interested in co-driving. He needed someone who would take the co-driver duties seriously so that he could focus taking care of the car and I would take care of the other tasks when preparing for a rally. Imatra rally in 2007 with a BMW 325 was our first rally together and that's how my rally "career" began. Since then I have been co-driving for four other drivers, but mostly for my brother. You can find info about driving with my brother from Heikkinen Racing Here in the blog I will also cover other topics than just driving with my brother.
I don't have any relatives or friends who have been rallying or racing cars. Although I have had the chance to drive snow mobiles and dirt bikes when I was young. I also spent lots of hours watching Finland's WRC rallies from the 80's or UK's WRC rallies from the same era on video tapes as a kid. One might say that I was quite interested in motor racing, but I didn't think I would have a chance to actually try rallying. In 2007 my brother had been rallying as a hobby for a few years and when I started working after university he asked if I was interested in co-driving. He needed someone who would take the co-driver duties seriously so that he could focus taking care of the car and I would take care of the other tasks when preparing for a rally. Imatra rally in 2007 with a BMW 325 was our first rally together and that's how my rally "career" began. Since then I have been co-driving for four other drivers, but mostly for my brother. You can find info about driving with my brother from Heikkinen Racing Here in the blog I will also cover other topics than just driving with my brother.
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