Many millions of people across the world love the sport of rallying, a type of motorsport which involves driving what look like road cars over a range of challenging terrain. The terrain varies from dirt tracks to tarmac roads and tracks covered in thick mud. This means that every component of the vehicles used, from their rally mud flaps to their seats, is designed to maximise power and speed.
The sport of rallying comes under the control of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, more usually referred to as the FIA. This governing body sets tight rules and regulations about the kind of vehicles which can be used by the competing drivers and teams. The cars used may look similar to the one in which you drive to work or see around town, but underneath their shells they are very different beasts indeed.
FIA rules clearly state that any vehicle used in a rallying event must have the same outer body shell as a normal road car. For rallying though, this outer husk is rebuilt after being completely stripped down to the metal. All extraneous features, like mounting plates, are removed, as engineers look to keep the weight of the vehicle to an absolute minimum.
The next stage in the process of preparing a car for rallying comes with the welding into the shell of a tubular roll cage, manufactured from steel. This strengthening of the vehicle is a process which can take as long as 700 hours to finish. They are very effective though, with the newly strengthened vehicle able to support a weight equivalent to that of ten normal road cars.
Power output in the cars is limited to around 300bhp, a figure which is largely the result of a 34 milimetre restriction in the vehicle's air intake. There are more similarities with a standard road car in terms of the cylinder block and heads, as these components must follow the same specifications as road cars. Other components, like camshafts, cylinder linings and pistons, among other things, can be altered though.
Another difference between a rallying car and a standard road vehicle is in terms of the power that the engine can produce. A usual road car has a turbo boost of one bar, but rallying cars can attain four or five bar. Any-lag systems mean that a rallying car can achieve maximum boost even when driving from a tick over situation, and torque is often in excess of 600Nm.
As those less familiar with the sport might expect, the vehicles used in rallying have four wheel drive, essential for coping with the rough terrain they often race over. A sequential gearbox is usually fitted, along with a clutch. Drivers only rarely use this feature though, which is mainly utilised when driving off from a standing start.
There is nothing fancy about the interior of a rallying car either, with painted metal the order of the day. The two seats are made from carbon fibre, and are usually moulded to the individual specifications of the driver and co-driver. It can therefore be seen that everything, from rally mud flaps to the design of seats, is undertaken with speed and power in mind.
The sport of rallying comes under the control of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, more usually referred to as the FIA. This governing body sets tight rules and regulations about the kind of vehicles which can be used by the competing drivers and teams. The cars used may look similar to the one in which you drive to work or see around town, but underneath their shells they are very different beasts indeed.
FIA rules clearly state that any vehicle used in a rallying event must have the same outer body shell as a normal road car. For rallying though, this outer husk is rebuilt after being completely stripped down to the metal. All extraneous features, like mounting plates, are removed, as engineers look to keep the weight of the vehicle to an absolute minimum.
The next stage in the process of preparing a car for rallying comes with the welding into the shell of a tubular roll cage, manufactured from steel. This strengthening of the vehicle is a process which can take as long as 700 hours to finish. They are very effective though, with the newly strengthened vehicle able to support a weight equivalent to that of ten normal road cars.
Power output in the cars is limited to around 300bhp, a figure which is largely the result of a 34 milimetre restriction in the vehicle's air intake. There are more similarities with a standard road car in terms of the cylinder block and heads, as these components must follow the same specifications as road cars. Other components, like camshafts, cylinder linings and pistons, among other things, can be altered though.
Another difference between a rallying car and a standard road vehicle is in terms of the power that the engine can produce. A usual road car has a turbo boost of one bar, but rallying cars can attain four or five bar. Any-lag systems mean that a rallying car can achieve maximum boost even when driving from a tick over situation, and torque is often in excess of 600Nm.
As those less familiar with the sport might expect, the vehicles used in rallying have four wheel drive, essential for coping with the rough terrain they often race over. A sequential gearbox is usually fitted, along with a clutch. Drivers only rarely use this feature though, which is mainly utilised when driving off from a standing start.
There is nothing fancy about the interior of a rallying car either, with painted metal the order of the day. The two seats are made from carbon fibre, and are usually moulded to the individual specifications of the driver and co-driver. It can therefore be seen that everything, from rally mud flaps to the design of seats, is undertaken with speed and power in mind.
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