In not-so-short answers, we’ll explain that, as a first step, the cars must leave the Service Park, where, as the name suggests, they are tuned up or repaired after the competition ‘loops’ (or ‘sections). From the moment they set off, the cars travel on public roads and must therefore comply with the traffic laws of each country.
The route section between the service park and the timed stages – such as the stretch from the end of one stage to the start of the next, or from the final stage back to the service park – is called the “Liaison”. Once the cars reach the timed stages, that is when the real competition begins.
In rallying, cars start individually at intervals set by the Clerk of the Course, which are generally around two to three minutes for cars in the higher classes, and one to two minutes for the lower classes. Naturally, the winner is the driver who completes the stages in the shortest time, and the rally is decided by who achieves the best cumulative times.
Now, 357,64 kilometres (in the WRC ueno Rally del Paraguay) might lead some to think that this requires covering so many sectors that no corner of Itapúa is left untouched. Right? Here we come to what are known as the ‘loops’ or ‘sections’.
A rally of this distance (or shorter) takes place over a minimum of three days following the format outlined above, with an intermediate service before repeating a series of special stages. Put simply, it would be:
Service (out) → Liaison → Special Stage 1 → Liaison → Special Stage 2 → Liaison → Special Stage 3 → Liaison → Service (in) → Regrouping
This constitutes one loop, and the number of special stages in a day may vary; sometimes there may be just two stages, or four as on our Friday leg. On occasion, there may be an odd number with an extra stage contested in either half of the day’s schedule, often at the end of it, such as the ‘Paseo de los Teros’ on Saturday. If necessary, a Refuelling Zone may be introduced between any of these points.
What we call the ‘second loop’ is an exact repetition of the route, and this completes the competitive part of a rally day.
Upon making their second entry to the service park and completing the permitted repairs, the cars must proceed to the ‘Parc Fermé’ (Closed Park), where they may not be touched until the following day, when, according to the starting order published by Race Control via the official virtual board (in our case, hosted on the Sportity app).
This schedule is repeated throughout the days of the competition, and once the winners have been confirmed and their respective prizes awarded, the event is deemed to have concluded. A result can only be overturned if subsequent reports reveal irregularities that result in a breach of the sporting regulations.
