Blog
With Christmas out of the way and a distant memory, we entered the inevitable misery of January with empty wallets. And as sure as night follows day and precarious looking bank balances and optimistic gym memberships follow Christmas, January brings with it the bright light of the Monte Carlo Rally, marking the return of the WRC for 2019. A rally that throws up more variables than an iPod on shuffle, this year sees a wide range of new driver and car combinations taking on the irresistible Monegasque cocktail of snow, tarmac and ice, including an all new line-up of World Champion Sebastien Ogier and Esapekka Lappi at Citroen, Kris Meeke joining the mighty Toyota squad and the man who has broken all the records; Sebastien Loeb, joining Hyundai for a selected 2019 programme….for now. Excitement is building here in Ireland with the upcoming Galway International Rally in February opening the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, where they expect to have an entry that will include over 2 dozen R5 cars, notwithstanding the amazing modified men to add to the entertainment. Couple these with the National Rally Championship and the Irish Forestry Championship, which kicked off at the weekend in the South East and continues to go from strength to strength, it’s hard not to be like a child on Christmas morning for the upcoming rally season.
With all the excitement and anticipation of these upcoming events, we have decided to shine a light on the essential top 10 items for rally drivers and navigators; the folks who put on this great feast for our eyes and ears.
Top 10 Rally Car Related Products
10: Rotary Fuel Pump
As we all know, motorsport requires money and anything that can reduce wastage and increase efficiency is always 
welcome. The Rotary Fuel Pump allows rally service crews to safely fill the car with the required amount of fuel. The benefits are triple fold; greater accuracy when filling can be achieved for those using fuel schedules, the rig also reduces wastage of this highly valuable commodity and thirdly and most importantly, it reduces the risk of spillage of this most flammable of substances. While filing up with greater accuracy, always remember it’s better to have too much of the go-go juice than too little, but this has happened to the best before!
9 : Seats
So many drivers look for the extra advantage in the engine, suspension and tyres, but fail to see the advantages to be gained from simply being comfortable and having the correct driving position. By having the best seat you can afford, you are increasing your levels of comfort and safety. A good seating position allows you to be in better control of the car and to react to whatever the stages can throw at you. By being comfortable you can just concentrate on your driving and setting faster stage times. The most popular seats are the OMP HTE-R range and the Sparco Pro ADV range , as both ranges provide outstanding levels of comfort and protection, with the added reassurance of wraparound padding above shoulder level. These are the seats of choice for anyone serious about their rallying.
8: Harnesses
Good seats are no good without good harnesses. They are the one thing that is there to restrain you in the hopefully rare event of an accident. The latest harnesses from Schroth and Sabelt are designed to provide the optimum in driver comfort and protection, as they are designed specifically to be used with the almost worldwide compulsory FHR devices such as HANS and the Simpson Hybrid which we took an in-depth look at last week. The harnesses of choice would be the Schroth Profi 2x2 and the Sabelt Silver Series Saloon FHR Harnesses, but for those on a more modest budget, Schroth also offer the Schroth Clubman 2x2 FHR harness. They have all been designed to the latest FIA homologation and have 2” belts all around. This allows the belts to sit a lot more neatly over the HANS/Hybrid and thus enhance the comfort of the crew, to ultimately give them one less thing to bother them and to get on with the task of pulling 5 seconds back on the crew in front!
7: CL Brakes
While going as fast as you can between points A & B in the shortest possible time is the ultimate goal in rallying, it 
can prove useful to be able to slow down at certain parts in between, if only slightly!! CL Brakes have been at the forefront of braking technology at the top of the sport for the last few years. Any driver serious about finding an advantage has to look at enhancing their braking capabilities, as this is where there is a lot of time to be gained, especially on tarmac events, but also down to the simple fact that in rallying you never know what is around the next corner and need to expect the unexpected and jump on the anchors. CL Brakes come in 3 grades; RC5, RC6 & RC8, with each pad having a gradual friction coefficient increase as you go up the numbers. It is all explained very well here.
6: Lightweight Underwear
When spending up to 12 hours of the day in a rally car, it is inevitable that fatigue may set in at some stage. Hydration and diet go a long way to assisting a crew as they battle this cruel adversary in a challenging environment, but technology advances in fireproof underwear go a long way to fighting energy depletion while also protecting the crew and providing excellent levels of comfort. The latest lightweight fireproof garments from Alpinestars, OMP and Sparco often look more like something you would see a footballer or rugby player wear underneath their jersey. This is simply because the same logic is being applied, as these garments are treated as athletic wear for the driver, with enhanced breathability and moisture wicking properties. Simply put, they don’t make you sweat as much. As they also act as compression tops and bottoms, they enhance the fit of the race suit that goes on over it, making it glide on, in most cases. Personally speaking, I have used the Alpinestars ZX Top, Bottom and Balaclava and the difference is night and day. This added comfort and reduced fatigue in the intense environment of rallying can make all the difference when trying to find that advantage on the last stage.
5 : Fasttime CoPilote Stopwatch
There is nowhere to hide in rallying from one thing that tells the truth; the stopwatch. For a navigator, it is essential 
to have the very best watch you can afford to ensure that you are at the stage on time, exit service at the right time and record the stage times. The Copilote watch is the watch of choice of WRC champions and winning co-drivers such as Daniel Elena, Julian Ingrassia, Paul Nagle and Nicolas Gilsoul. This watch enables you to record your stage times and store them for later viewing, whilst also recording the time of day when you hit the stop button going over the flying finish; a very useful tool when disputing a time due to a potential event timing error. No navigator, either aspiring or professional, should be without one.
4: Co-Driver Bag
Not an over complicated item, but essential for holding the rallying bible; the pacenotes. The OMP Co-Driver Bag holds these ideally not to mention the other official documentation such as time cards and road books. They also hold tyre gauges, mobile phones and other essential items such as the hotel and hire car keys (do not leave those in the car). A larger version is also available that will allow you to carry other important items, such as bottles of water; the Co Driver Plus. These are not navigator specific items, but clearly items for the good of both the driver and co-driver as a team.
3: Stilo Intercoms and Headsets
As the market leader in rally helmet and intercoms, Stilo have provided every World Rally Champion of the last 
decade with the optimum tools of communication in the ultimate rally environment. Stilo intercoms are the product of choice for anyone serious about their rallying. The models to choose are the WRC DES 9V and the DG-10. These intercoms can be wired into the car to ensure that there is a consatant power flow to them, and eliminates every crews nightmare of having the battery go dead and losing communication in the car. The DG-10 also has Bluetooth functionality to link a mobile phone for calls back to the service crew on road sections and also to play a bit of music when you are waiting around and want to get yourself in the zone, as nicely shown here! Bothe intercoms also feature digital noise cancellation, to ensure that communication between the crew is optimised and that external noises and interference is eliminated, whilst still being able to listen out for any issues on the car. WRC DES headsets are the perfect accompaniment for these intercoms, as they allow the crew to communicate clearly without shouting to each other over the sound of the car on the many liaison sections between rally stages.
2: Simpson Hybrid Device
With the Hybrid Device, Simpson has moved the FHR device on to a new level. The added comfort to be gained from this has to be felt to be believed and if you don’t believe me, read my own personal experience of it here. The device provides all the safety and reassurance of the HANS device that preceded it, but with an unrivalled level of comfort. The Hybrid is worn on the outside of the race suit and is attached to the helmet via post anchors; either existing HANS ones or M61 quick release. For rally competitors, who need to remove the helmet between stages for road sections the quick release option is the one to go for as it allows the user to quickly take off the helmet with a minimum of fuss. Also available in a carbon variant, the Hybrid device is a no brainer for any rally competitor.
1: Stilo WRC DES Helmet
As the helmet of choice for all the top WRC crews, the pedigree of the Stilo WRC DES helmet speaks for itself. Available in Composite and Carbon variants, it uses the experience gained from over a decade of unrivalled success at the top of the sport and passes it on the customer. An extremely comfortable helmet, it is compatible with Stilo’s WRC 03, WRC DES 9V and DG-10 intercom systems. In rallying , communication in a tem is key and the WRC DES provide the best possible communication with its fixed intercom boom, leaving no doubt on bumpy sections whether your team-mate will hear you inputs from either side of the car. Further first hand experience information on this world class product can be found here and also, why not, for the upcoming weekends that are coming, perhaps just sit back and watch the helmets and intercoms being pushed to their absolute limit on the WRC stages, or in a Mk2 Ford Escort on the limit on one of the ultimate Irish rally stages; Killarney’s Molls Gap. Enjoy!!
Till next time!
Tommy Hayes
welcome. The Rotary Fuel Pump allows rally service crews to safely fill the car with the required amount of fuel. The benefits are triple fold; greater accuracy when filling can be achieved for those using fuel schedules, the rig also reduces wastage of this highly valuable commodity and thirdly and most importantly, it reduces the risk of spillage of this most flammable of substances. While filing up with greater accuracy, always remember it’s better to have too much of the go-go juice than too little, but this has happened to the best before!
9 : Seats
So many drivers look for the extra advantage in the engine, suspension and tyres, but fail to see the advantages to be gained from simply being comfortable and having the correct driving position. By having the best seat you can afford, you are increasing your levels of comfort and safety. A good seating position allows you to be in better control of the car and to react to whatever the stages can throw at you. By being comfortable you can just concentrate on your driving and setting faster stage times. The most popular seats are the OMP HTE-R range and the Sparco Pro ADV range , as both ranges provide outstanding levels of comfort and protection, with the added reassurance of wraparound padding above shoulder level. These are the seats of choice for anyone serious about their rallying.
8: Harnesses
Good seats are no good without good harnesses. They are the one thing that is there to restrain you in the hopefully rare event of an accident. The latest harnesses from Schroth and Sabelt are designed to provide the optimum in driver comfort and protection, as they are designed specifically to be used with the almost worldwide compulsory FHR devices such as HANS and the Simpson Hybrid which we took an in-depth look at last week. The harnesses of choice would be the Schroth Profi 2x2 and the Sabelt Silver Series Saloon FHR Harnesses, but for those on a more modest budget, Schroth also offer the Schroth Clubman 2x2 FHR harness. They have all been designed to the latest FIA homologation and have 2” belts all around. This allows the belts to sit a lot more neatly over the HANS/Hybrid and thus enhance the comfort of the crew, to ultimately give them one less thing to bother them and to get on with the task of pulling 5 seconds back on the crew in front!
7: CL Brakes
While going as fast as you can between points A & B in the shortest possible time is the ultimate goal in rallying, it can prove useful to be able to slow down at certain parts in between, if only slightly!! CL Brakes have been at the forefront of braking technology at the top of the sport for the last few years. Any driver serious about finding an advantage has to look at enhancing their braking capabilities, as this is where there is a lot of time to be gained, especially on tarmac events, but also down to the simple fact that in rallying you never know what is around the next corner and need to expect the unexpected and jump on the anchors. CL Brakes come in 3 grades; RC5, RC6 & RC8, with each pad having a gradual friction coefficient increase as you go up the numbers. It is all explained very well here.
6: Lightweight Underwear
When spending up to 12 hours of the day in a rally car, it is inevitable that fatigue may set in at some stage. Hydration and diet go a long way to assisting a crew as they battle this cruel adversary in a challenging environment, but technology advances in fireproof underwear go a long way to fighting energy depletion while also protecting the crew and providing excellent levels of comfort. The latest lightweight fireproof garments from Alpinestars, OMP and Sparco often look more like something you would see a footballer or rugby player wear underneath their jersey. This is simply because the same logic is being applied, as these garments are treated as athletic wear for the driver, with enhanced breathability and moisture wicking properties. Simply put, they don’t make you sweat as much. As they also act as compression tops and bottoms, they enhance the fit of the race suit that goes on over it, making it glide on, in most cases. Personally speaking, I have used the Alpinestars ZX Top, Bottom and Balaclava and the difference is night and day. This added comfort and reduced fatigue in the intense environment of rallying can make all the difference when trying to find that advantage on the last stage.
5 : Fasttime CoPilote Stopwatch
There is nowhere to hide in rallying from one thing that tells the truth; the stopwatch. For a navigator, it is essential to have the very best watch you can afford to ensure that you are at the stage on time, exit service at the right time and record the stage times. The Copilote watch is the watch of choice of WRC champions and winning co-drivers such as Daniel Elena, Julian Ingrassia, Paul Nagle and Nicolas Gilsoul. This watch enables you to record your stage times and store them for later viewing, whilst also recording the time of day when you hit the stop button going over the flying finish; a very useful tool when disputing a time due to a potential event timing error. No navigator, either aspiring or professional, should be without one.
4: Co-Driver Bag
Not an over complicated item, but essential for holding the rallying bible; the pacenotes. The OMP Co-Driver Bag holds these ideally not to mention the other official documentation such as time cards and road books. They also hold tyre gauges, mobile phones and other essential items such as the hotel and hire car keys (do not leave those in the car). A larger version is also available that will allow you to carry other important items, such as bottles of water; the Co Driver Plus. These are not navigator specific items, but clearly items for the good of both the driver and co-driver as a team.
3: Stilo Intercoms and Headsets
As the market leader in rally helmet and intercoms, Stilo have provided every World Rally Champion of the last decade with the optimum tools of communication in the ultimate rally environment. Stilo intercoms are the product of choice for anyone serious about their rallying. The models to choose are the WRC DES 9V and the DG-10. These intercoms can be wired into the car to ensure that there is a consatant power flow to them, and eliminates every crews nightmare of having the battery go dead and losing communication in the car. The DG-10 also has Bluetooth functionality to link a mobile phone for calls back to the service crew on road sections and also to play a bit of music when you are waiting around and want to get yourself in the zone, as nicely shown here! Bothe intercoms also feature digital noise cancellation, to ensure that communication between the crew is optimised and that external noises and interference is eliminated, whilst still being able to listen out for any issues on the car. WRC DES headsets are the perfect accompaniment for these intercoms, as they allow the crew to communicate clearly without shouting to each other over the sound of the car on the many liaison sections between rally stages.
2: Simpson Hybrid Device
With the Hybrid Device, Simpson has moved the FHR device on to a new level. The added comfort to be gained from this has to be felt to be believed and if you don’t believe me, read my own personal experience of it here. The device provides all the safety and reassurance of the HANS device that preceded it, but with an unrivalled level of comfort. The Hybrid is worn on the outside of the race suit and is attached to the helmet via post anchors; either existing HANS ones or M61 quick release. For rally competitors, who need to remove the helmet between stages for road sections the quick release option is the one to go for as it allows the user to quickly take off the helmet with a minimum of fuss. Also available in a carbon variant, the Hybrid device is a no brainer for any rally competitor.
1: Stilo WRC DES Helmet
As the helmet of choice for all the top WRC crews, the pedigree of the Stilo WRC DES helmet speaks for itself. Available in Composite and Carbon variants, it uses the experience gained from over a decade of unrivalled success at the top of the sport and passes it on the customer. An extremely comfortable helmet, it is compatible with Stilo’s WRC 03, WRC DES 9V and DG-10 intercom systems. In rallying , communication in a tem is key and the WRC DES provide the best possible communication with its fixed intercom boom, leaving no doubt on bumpy sections whether your team-mate will hear you inputs from either side of the car. Further first hand experience information on this world class product can be found here and also, why not, for the upcoming weekends that are coming, perhaps just sit back and watch the helmets and intercoms being pushed to their absolute limit on the WRC stages, or in a Mk2 Ford Escort on the limit on one of the ultimate Irish rally stages; Killarney’s Molls Gap. Enjoy!!
Till next time!
Tommy Hayes