The R.A.C. Rally

The Royal Automobile Club will organise the first International Rally of Great Britain from the dates of June 4th to 9th, 1951. This will be an event of primarily a touring nature, but it is intended that it shall be a serious competition of as severe a character as is practicable considering the road conditions of Britain.

The route will cover approximately 1,800 miles and will include a high-speed test, a hill-climbing test, a regularity test, and various other tests designed to discover the suitability of competitors and cars.

Competitors will depart from four starting controls, all in England, on the morning of June 4th and all routes will converge at the R.A.C. Silverstone circuit on the afternoon of that day where a high-speed test will be conducted. Thereafter all competitors will be required to pass through the same control points and this will involve their passage through Scotland and Wales and return to England. Competitors will be allowed night stops for the nights of June 5th, 6th and 7th. 

The finishing point ot the Rally will be at Bournemouth, where competitors will arrive during the afternoon of Friday. June 8th. On Saturday, June 9th, final tests wIll be conducted at Bournemouth.

Tim Rally will be open only to production type ears of which at least 50 have been sold to the public prior to April 1st, 1951. Competitors on making an entry will be required to furnish a catalogue and full specification of the car being entered and no change from the manufacturer’s specification will be allowed, except in respect of: 

1. Compression ratio.
2. Electrical equipment. 
3. The fitting of additional equipment for the comfort of the crew. 

During the Rally it will not be permissible to change any major component of the car and penalties will be imposed for any damage sustained by the car or any failure of specified items of equipment. No organised outside assistance will be permitted during the Rally.

Competing cars will he divided into four general classifications of equal status. These will be: Open cars with an engine capacity exceeding 1,500 c.c., open cars with an engine capacity of less than 1,500 c.c., closed cars with an engine capacity exceeding 1,500 c.c., and closed cars with an engine capacity of less than 1,500 c.c.

Awards will total £1,500 in value in addition to trophies, and there will be a special Ladies’ Award, and Team Award for three cars of the same make. 

Entries will be limited to a total of 300 and not more than 100 competitors may depart from any one starting control. Entries will admitted in the following manner: 100 British entrants will be given preferential selection by the Royal Automobile Club; other National Automobile Clubs will be asked to give preferential selection to a total of 100 foreign competitors to the following numbers: France 25, Holland 15, Sweden 10, Italy 5, Denmark 5, Norway 5, Portugal 5, Belgium 5, Switzerland 5, other nationalities 20. The remaining 100 competitors will be selected by a ballot among all remaining entries of any nationality. 

The Entry Fee will be £15, which fee will include insurance as required by the laws of Great Britain, and specified personal accident insurance up to a limit of £2,000 for the occupants of each competing car. 

Entries will close on April 30th, 1951. Full regulations will be published on March 19th, 1951, and may be obtained by intending competitors by applying to the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall, London, S.W.1.