A-Z of Rally Ireland
From 29 January to 1 February the world's best rally drivers will battle it out through 350km and 19 gruelling stages taking place through seven counties in the North West: Cavan, Leitrim, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Sligo, Donegal and Roscommon.
Don't know one end of a rally car from another well this handy guide will ensure you can easily become the all-knowing rally expert.
A is for Asphalt: Asphalt tarmac is the type of road surface that the rally drivers will encounter at Rally Ireland. Other countries on the World Rally Championship (See W) circuit that are on asphalt are: Monte Carlo, Germany, France and Spain
B is for Border: Rally Ireland is the only WRC event that is officially taking place in two countries, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
C is for Co-Driver: The co-driver's job is to navigate, by reading off a set of pacenotes (See P) to the driver. The co-driver tells the driver what lies ahead; where to turn; the severity of the turn; and what obstacles to look out for. Co-drivers are also often called on to perform maintenance on the car during road sections such as changing a wheel.
D is for Designated Time: If the Stage (see S) is disrupted and a number of competitors are unable to complete the route, those affected will be given a 'designated time' that is deemed to be fair on the basis of performances recorded before the problem occurred.
E is for Engine: A normal 2.0 litre engine is turbo-charged and fitted with a 34mm inlet restrictor so that it produces 300bhp and abundance of torque. A WRC-spec engine costs in the range of €110,000 but repetitive rebuilds required throughout the season can add additional costs of over €220,000.
F is for FIA: Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, the Geneva-based governing body for worldwide motor sport which regulates and controls the World Rally Championship.
G is for GPS: Every car is fitted with a GPS transmitter to allow organisers to track competitors' progress and monitor their speed.
H is for Homologation: This is a legislative system used by the FIA to define which cars are eligible for which categories, WRC, Group A, Group N, Super 1600 and so on.
I is for Intercom: The radio system that allows the navigator to read out the pace notes to his driver above the engine noise.
J is for Junior World Rally Championship: The JWRC is a series for Super 1600 drivers who are less then 29-years-old. They have to be registered officially with the FIA to be eligible. Seven rounds of the WRC count towards the JWRC.
K is for Kit Car: Kit Cars are built Group A regulations but must adhere to specific guidelines i.e. Front wheel drive, two litre engine
L is for Loeb: Sebastian Loeb is the sport's most successful driver. In 2008 he won an unprecedented fifth consecutive WRC title. He comes to Rally Ireland looking to add to his record 47 WRC wins.
M is for Marshals: The unsung heroes of any WRC event. It is their job to ensure the safety of all spectators attending. Up on 3,000 marshals will be patrolling the roads for Rally Ireland in January.
N is for Notes Crew: In the past, each competitor had a Notes Crew who went through each stage about two hours ahead of the rally. It was a last minute opportunity to adapt Pace Notes to suit prevailing conditions
O is for Overalls: Also known as a Race Suit, overalls are more of a safety feature than a fashion accessory, as they are the first line of protection against fire. Tailored in a number of layers of flame resistant Nomex cloth, overalls are guaranteed to stand up to flames for between 15 and 17 seconds, a potentially life-saving lapse of time.
O is also for Oversteer: The effect of the rear tyres passing their traction limit and the car taking a wider radius course than the driver intended.
P is for Pace Notes: The navigator's hand-written notes made during a course 'recce' (see R) and used during the Special Stages to alert the driver about the terrain, corners and the likely speeds he can drive at during the rally.
Q is for Qualification: Rally Ireland earned qualification to the WRC circuit in 2006 after two successful trial runs in 2005 and 2006. Rally Ireland 2007 was the first time that a WRC event was held on these shores.
R is for Reconnaissance (or Recce): Before tackling a rally's Special Stages, competitors have an opportunity to do a reconnaissance run. This usually takes place on the Tuesday and Wednesday before an event. All roads remain open to everyday traffic and speed limits have to be obeyed. Crews are limited to two runs through each stage. During this exercise, co-drivers create Pace Notes by listening to their drivers' detailed comments.
S is for Stage: Also known as a 'Special Stage', these are the competitive sections of the rally - where the drivers and navigators drive as fast as possible to achieve the quickest time.
T is for Time Control: The Time Control (or TC) is a point on the rally route at which crews must check in at a predetermined moment. If they arrive too early or too late they will be handed a time penalty
T is also for Toni Kelly: Toni Kelly is the only female driver taking part in Rally Ireland 2009. The 20-year-old Donegal native has been rallying since she was 17 and will hoping that she can bring home her Honda Civic home in one piece.
U is for Understeer: The effect of the front tyres passing their traction limit and the car taking a wider radius course than the driver intended.
V is for Victory: If a driver is victorious in any WRC event, they will receive 10 World Championship points. The driver with the most World Championship points at the end of the season wins the World Rally Championship.
W is for WRC: If you see the initials WRC near your home, you know the World Rally Championship is coming to town. Race down there and join in the turbocharged excitement.
X is for Xsara: The Citroen Xsara is the car Sebastian Loeb won his first three WRC crowns from 2004 to 2006. In 2007, Citroen developed and raced the new C4, which they still use. Petter Solberg will race one at Rally Norway.
Y is for You: From 29th January to 1st February, you, the rally fan, will get to see the most awesome, high-speed motor sport event on earth on your own doorstep for free.
Z is Zero Car: The organisers send cars of their own through each stage before the start to make that all necessary safety measures are in place. Known as triple zero, double zero and car zero, they set off respectively 30, 20 and 10 minutes before the first competing car takes the start.
