Tag: Pirelli

If you are a motorsport fan, then it is likely that you have happened to stumble across the fantastic sport of rallying at some point. Rallying is one of the most affordable and enjoyable forms of motorsport there is in Britain – and who wouldn’t want to have a go at sliding a car around gravel, or between trees, at an incredibly high speed? Rallying is a completely different form of motorsport to traditional circuit racing, as in rallying you have to beat your competitor’s time, instead of overtaking them on the track. But, as is the case with circuit racing, the great thing is that there are a variety of must-see rally events in the UK, which are great fun for motorsport fans and their families. But there are also a variety of rally experience days, where you can experience the thrill of getting behind the wheel of a rally car for yourself.

There are multiple rally events which take place in the UK and perhaps the best of them all is the MSA Pirelli International Rally. This rally, which is usually held in the spring, is held around Carlisle (which is actually the home of the biggest Pirelli tyre plant in the UK). All of the stages are however held in the spectacular Kielder Forest, which is Europe’s biggest man-made forest, resulting in a fantastic, ultra-fast rally on a mixture of terrains, which is always a true test of both car and driver skill. The Nicky Grist Stages rally, which is held in Wales in July, is perhaps the most demanding rally in Britain and drivers compete on a mixture of surfaces, including some incredible Welsh forest stages. Both rally events regularly provide highly-entertaining and close competition, although as both rallies have many country stages, don’t forget your camera or your umbrella!

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After you have had the experience of watching a rally car going flat-out through demanding countryside in an attempt to beat the stopwatch, you will of course be desperate to try it for yourself. So where can you do this in the UK? Various venues offer experience days and tuition and costs range from approximately £150 to £300 and typically last 90 minutes or more in duration. For example, the Silverstone Rally School, which is based at the famous Silverstone Formula One Circuit in Northamptonshire, offer an excellent track day experience. For those who are interested in competition in the future, the London Rally School, which operates from two venues in Oxfordshire, offer a range of rally driving experiences. These range from one-off, casual, rally experiences, to personal tuition, driver coaching and even the MSA Licence exam which rally drivers require for competition. For those who live north of the border, the famous Knockhill racing circuit in Fife also provide a range of rally experiences. Knockhill also give you the option to combine the rally experience with karting, or skid practice. So what are you waiting for? Get out on the gravel today!