Racing test – what it that?

[Alex Nakhapetov]

How racing teams do trainings for their performances? An answer is obvious – there are racing tests. But is it known how they are done, what tasks the organizers, crews, technical staff have to solve and is there a legislation regulating these trainings? RallyRUS went to Peno region to see how Evgeniy Vertunov's team prepairs to rally Sardegna and rally Akropolis!

http://www.rallyrus.spb.ru/eng/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1179236918&archive=&start_from=&ucat=&

[Ramore]

That's what I call a professional training. But what if you have few people and small budget. How do you train then?

[Alex Nakhapetov]

We can talk about rally training in Russia, and of course, not only big rally teams have trainings. By the way, there are two types of preparations to competitions: tests are works with cars, and trainings - studying for pilots and co-drivers. But usually both tasks are solving in the samre time.

The problem is that there are no recomendations of how to organize rally tests and trainings, because teams use ordinary roads. Few days ago one of rally teams from Moscow (from Club rally series) had bad accident not far from Vyborg (at rally Russia roads). The car went off the road and crashed to a tree. The driver died at once, but the co-driver was badly wounded. There were no medical car, so it took some time to find them on the road in the forest...

The idea is that teams could have big or small money, but some items of tests and trainings organization must be held anyway. That's why RallyRUS plans to visit tests of some Russian and Estonian teams to show how it is.

[Jarek Z]

That's what I call a professional training. But what if you have few people and small budget. How do you train then?

A good idea is to join forces with some other team. For example Tomasz Kuchar very often organizes trainings with other drivers, like Czopik, Beltowski, Piatkowski. It's also a chance to share opinions and experiences.
Here a few photos of Kuchar and Piatkowski training on the snow:
http://www.rallyonline.pl/g.php?1&pg_[desc]=+DESC&modex=pokaz&T[id]=1325

[Alex Nakhapetov]

By the way, rally team's tests are good training for... rally photographers! I usually take my journalists to tests or organize special RallyRUS phototests - we take place at BMW Driving school for 1 or 2 hours, invite some partner-teams and discuss with them the tasks. For example, in February 2 Lancers of our partners took part in our phototests - they were training in drifting on ice sirface, and photographers were studying to take pictures on long shutter speeds... In result we did article about BMW driving school, about tests, about our partners, and from the gallery we printed pocket calendars... :)

[Alex Nakhapetov]

By the way - here there is the tests report with photos:

http://www.rallyrus.spb.ru/eng/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1171324511&archive=&start_from=&ucat=&

Thank you!

[MartijnS]

Dutch drivers are often testing at a German airfield.