How to get into Wales Rally GB

[topwelshman]

I fancy having a crack at some rallying and wondered how you go about entering something as big as a WRC round, more specifically the Wales Rally GB. I'm presuming that I can't just enter? Do I need invitations or qualify through entry in championships that have entry slots? Where can I find help and advice

[flagwaver]

You have to have a licence of the correct grade, and lots of money.
To start with you have to apply for a licence from the MSA (the sports governing body in this country)
Visit the MSA's website, this will tellyou exactly what you need to do. but basically you have to get your licence signed at so many events to go to the next. then this is repeated until you get to Rally international grade. That is the grade you need to compete in a WRC round. The entry fee for the Wales Rally round, I think starts at about £2500 pounds

[Icycool]

Join your local car club, I think SWAC are in Cardiff, get involved with them and then have a go at a smaller event and go from there.

[Anuauto]

The days of private entrants on WRC rounds have gradually disappeared as events have got shortened. The shorter the event, the less chance for a reliable private entry lacking "sprint" speed to do anything other than make up the very small numbers now allowed. There are claims that the private entrant is to be encouraged again but it is largely meaningless compared to the days when 250 cars ran on the then RAC Rally.

[topwelshman]

Anybody know how many signatures you need for the International Licence? ARKS is not a problem, is it really just a case of getting signatures and then paying your money?

[leonidas]

The best way to start is probably through the BRC 'Stars of the Future' series - you do shortened British Rally Championship events (usually one day) and only need a national B stage licence to start. (You still need to pass the mandatory rally school test but that should only be an afternoon job - the failure rates are apparently very low).

The news is that next year the last round of the BRC series will be Wales Rally GB - so in theory you should get to compete on some of the same stages as Loeb et al.

The cars are limited to (I think) 1400cc and 1600cc classes so they are obviously much cheaper than your Grp. N Subarus etc. There are also restrictions on kit cars to keep down costs. Details should be on the BRC website.

[topwelshman]

Don't really want to start as such, would like to do enough rounds to qualify purely to enter this awesome event and do something other than circuit racing, anybody know the min requirement for an International licence?

[silver bullet]

The MSA changed things a couple of years ago you now have to do a BARS test to get a stage rally nat'B', unless you held a competition licence before that rule came in (sorry I can't remeber when )
To upgrade from a stage rally nat 'B' to nat 'A' you have to complete four nat 'B' events or three and the BARS test.
To upgrade from A to International you have to complete one nat 'A' or two nat 'B' rallys.
I'm sure there are shortcuts as international race drivers seem to be able to compete on world rallys as one off's.

[topwelshman]

Ok, going to do some research and go for the licence asap and look for a cheap 205 or something and get some signatures under my belt