Driving on an open road is one of our favorite pastimes, giving us the chance to experience scenic adventures from behind the wheel. The hobbies of exotic car driving and road rallies should be fun and freeing, but that doesn’t mean not playing by the rules. Laws set for the roads that often make up our scenic routes, especially speed limits, are there for a reason and help keep everyone safe.
Road rallies specifically are scenic drives that keep safety in mind through predetermined route instructions composed by the hosting organization. Car rallies don’t have dangerous aspects, and so long as you do your part in promoting road safety, they’re safe, legal, and a lot of fun.
Read on to see how you can improve your engagement in car rallies for the better!
What Is a Car Rally?
Road rallies are longer drives with composed routes that car enthusiasts embark on to test their ability to read driving instructions or navigate the road. They’re often hosted by rally organizations, car clubs, or even just car enthusiasts. Car lovers like the members of Fast Lane know that rallies are safe, scenic, and don’t involve racing.
In fact, the type of car club rallies we do involve starting and ending locations for everyone to meet at — no competitive aspect at all. From our designated meeting point, we pick the best of the best scenic roads to traverse on our route, catching incredible views as we drive. Often, the courses involve roads notorious for their twists and turns, adding a level of thrill.
There are also traditional car rallies, where a competitive aspect is added. Teams are encouraged to hit specific, predetermined driving checkpoints and are scored based on their accuracy. Both types of rallies offer safe ways to engage with the road, but personally, we prefer the ones that put landscapes first!
Tips for a Successful and Safe Rally
Choose a Reliable Copilot
The first step to having a safe and fun road rally is to choose a reliable copilot. Road rallies may require having a partner, and competitive ones aren’t usually done alone. During the rally, one person is responsible for driving while the other person navigates from the passenger seat.
Often, the copilot will bring pens, paper, and a wristwatch or other timing device to help the driver hit rally checkpoints accurately. In Fast Lane Drive’s non-competitive rallies, we have preset routes, and driving alone is no problem. With that said, bringing someone along for the ride certainly makes it more fun.
Give Your Car a Once-Over
Before the rally, it’s essential to make sure your ride is ready for the road and that nothing looks out of place. For example, one of the things you should check for is your tires for the correct tire pressure. This is the point at which it’s helpful to know the ins and outs of your own vehicle super well, which, luckily, most car enthusiasts do! Having a firm understanding of how your car should behave will alert you towards any potential problems before you truly hit the road. We usually bring along some of our friends, including Modern Image and HG Performance, to ensure all our cars are in tip-top shape.
Keep Conditions in Mind
What kind of weather is outside can change how you drive, and checking in on the day’s weather conditions can be helpful. As a car club in Southern California, the climate is rarely a factor in our rides due to the good fortune of near-constant beautiful weather.
However, the days that are plagued by smog, extreme downpour, or natural weather occurrences like wildfires and earthquakes can pose very real dangers. While some of these things can’t be predicted, you should check the weather and be as prepared as possible. It’s also helpful to know what to do should something like an earthquake occur while you’re on the road. There are certainly some tougher driving conditions that can still be navigated — like rain — but keep in mind that they will change the handling of your car.
Take Racing to the Race Track
Car rallies are not races, and there’s no need to race on casual streets and civilian freeways. Rallies are distinct from races in that speed is not a factor. These types of events have very different atmospheres, with road rallies being far more safe and casual.
If the itch to race is one you need to scratch, hit up a local racetrack — we’d be happy to join! Thermal, Barona Drive Strip, and the Vegas Raceway are commonly-frequented racetracks by members of our club. In fact, we went to Barona and Vegas just last year! Whether you prefer rallies or races, we at Fast Lane know the best ways to get involved and stay safe at your preferred place of driving.
Fast Lane Drive’s Safe Rallies
Our exclusive car club knows that safety is paramount, and putting it first is what ensures we’ll be able to drive iconic and scenic routes over and over again. When you join Fast Lane Drive, you learn even more about how to keep your driving fun, exhilarating, and safe. We love car rallies just as much as other car enthusiasts, and we are constantly looking for more ways to make them even better.
Our car club members have been driving for years, and this close-knit community is always happy to share our passions and know-how with fellow car lovers. To become part of our family and get in on exclusive parties, rides, and friendship, visit the homepage of our website and complete the form for becoming a member!
