The Beginner's Guide to Your First Regularity Rally

In a regularity rally – also called a consistency rally – the aim is not to be as fast as possible. Instead you have to cover set sections of route in an exactly defined time. Whoever comes closest to the target value wins. Fractions of a second decide the outcome, and that is exactly why teamwork between driver and co-driver is so crucial.

The driver concentrates on steering, while the co-driver – the navigator – reads the roadbook, keeps an eye on the times and calls out when to speed up or slow down. This division of tasks is what makes the discipline so appealing.

Most regularity rallies are aimed at classic vehicles, often with a minimum age of 20, 25 or 30 years. Many events, however, also have classes for youngtimers or even modern cars. What matters is less the value of your car than its reliability – your vehicle should comfortably handle a tour of several hours.

For your first start you don't need to buy an expensive collector's piece. A well-kept, roadworthy classic is perfectly enough. You can find out exactly which vehicle classes exist in our guide to vehicle classes.

Most rallies have a limited number of entries and fill up early. So plan several weeks or months ahead. When registering you usually provide driver, co-driver and vehicle details. After confirmation you receive the event information with all the details on schedule, route and regulations.

On RallyGuide you can find suitable events and go straight to the relevant organiser's registration page.

Now that you know the basics, it's worth looking at our other guides: get to know the roadbook symbols, put together your equipment and use our checklist to find out what to pack for the weekend. And when you're ready, browse the rallies that suit your first start.