If you had a day to spend along the shores of Lake Maggiore in northern Italy, would you spend it on a long leisurely lakeside walk? Perhaps you would take a boat trip on the lake and take in the surrounding mountain scenery from the water? If you were looking for something livelier, you would jump in a Renault Clio with Andrea Crugnola or Matteo Roncari and head for tight twisty mountain roads learning how to rally race with the Vittorio Ceneva Rally School.
Speed Journal Principal Jeff Francis found himself in Italy and opted for a dynamic day. Crugnola and Roncari picked up Francis from his Luino hotel and drove immediately out of town and up the steep, tight, winding road to 3000 feet above sea level. The outdoor classroom was a ribbon of tarmac laid across the mountain. Racers would compete in a Special Stage for the Rally dei Laghi on the same piece of road only a few weeks later.
The magic of tarmac rallying is that every corner is different. Natural terrain and road construction determine the curves rather than a designer with a wide-open landscape. Every corner is unique and they come quickly at speed. There is little time to reset, regroup or look ahead. From the outside, rallying looks violent. As the driver’s frenzy of arms and elbows moves the wheel back and forth, the car jumps, pivots and skips across the road. Inside the cockpit, however, the driver knows that steering angle costs time. The goal is to use as little steering angle as possible every time the car turns. The more the car turns, the more the car is braking and killing speed.
To help manage this challenge, a co-pilot feeds a steady stream of information to the driver about what awaits around the next corner. The driver must think about the next corner while pushing through the one before. On tight and twisty roads, corners are blind so the notes tell the driver what the driver cannot see. Professional rally racing only allows a reconnaissance run or two before the racing runs start. This is a big difference from many other road racing forms of motorsport where drivers log simulator time before arriving at the track and then make dozens of practice laps before qualifying and racing. Memorizing each feature of every part of every rally road is impossible.
Co-pilot instructions are a specific language. They are a demonstration of lingual efficiency – what information is relevant and how can it be communicated in the fewest and clearest of words? It is a code that would make sense nowhere else. Corners to the left or right, corners that are sharp or shallow, corners with multiple apexes, and elevation changes and dips in the road all require different approaches and offer opportunities to gain or lose time.
A hairpin corner to the right requires a different instruction than a hairpin to the left. Slowing for a blind corner that could otherwise be taken flat out costs time. Every move requires absolute clarity from the navigator and faith from the driver. In professional competition, co-pilots compile their notes on reconnaissance runs. Scribbled letters and numbers on a pad of paper become the difference between winning and losing.
Tarmac rallying on mountain roads also often involves narrow roads with guardrails or steep drop offs along the side. There are no gravel traps and rarely run-off areas if the driver oversteps the limits of friction. The Italian mountain road for Francis’ rallying day would be called single lane by American standards – perhaps a lane and a half for a small European car. Extracting time requires full commitment in an environment with little to no margin for error.
Modern rallying has taken cues from other parts of motorsport through telemetry tools. Data traces on a tablet after a charge up the mountain tell the tale. They show braking points, steering wheel inputs, acceleration points, and how they blend in the pursuit of a quick time. While there are many corners, breaking down each corner into its component pieces tells the story.
Francis had the benefit of passionate instructors. Lead instructor Andrea Crungola not only picked up his student at the hotel, he drove two hours to get there after arriving home in the early hours. What kept him so busy? He was racing and winning a rally of his own, the Rally Terra Valle del Tevere Arezzo. Crungola began racing in 1997 and has an Italian rally championship and race wins to his credit. In a country surrounded by mountain roads, Italians are drawn to rallying and Crungola is no exception.
Matteo Roncari started rallying in 2011. His aerospace engineering studies gave him a useful mental skill set for rallying. Much of his background is desert racing in the US and Baja which is a long way from tarmac rallying in the Italian mountains, but he has worked as the director of the Vittori Caneva Rally School in 2020.
The format for the day was two hours of driving, a lovely lunch, and another two hours of running the Renault Clio in the afternoon. Crugnola explained the relationship with rally notes – there is a point when the driver becomes more comfortable relying on the notes. A beginner must pass that threshold to have a chance at reaching an intermediate skill level. Plunging tentatively into a blind corner can be lucky or unlucky. Pace notes remove the gamble but requires the driver to work with information beyond their own eyes. Notes are so critically important that the school offers classes specifically geared to co-drivers.
A paradox of rallying is that slow is sometimes fast. Being patient to wait until the right time to turn is mandatory. Turning too early scrubs speed and a slow speed through the corner means a slow speed at corner exit which compounds from there. Explaining the academic transcript is one thing, but seeing the evidence of progress in the data trace is another. Sometimes the car felt fast but the telemetry told another story. Other times, a run that felt fast proved to be fast. Corners come so quickly that the driver has little time to think – the technique needs to be instinctive.
The day was enjoyable on many levels. Driving, learning, improving, talking, and sharing. Crungola and Roncari were fully invested. They shared their knowledge, their personal experiences, and provided coaching, feedback, and encouragement. They represented the type of person that gravitates to rallying. A successful run for one was a victory for all.
Francis opted for the advanced course. The school also offers a beginner course. Prospective students will find greater success in the advanced course if they are equipped with fundamental driving skills and knowledge. Basics of weight transfer, braking, corner entry and exit, and sight lines are tough to pick up quickly. For those interested in competition, a pro course is available. The school also offers course options on gravel and snow/ice.
Danger literally lurks around every corner in the form of walls, guard rails and hillsides. Mountain rally racing is rewarding but also requires intensity and focus. It is a long way from a leisurely stroll along the lake or a boat ride to passively absorb the scenery. If you are looking to learn why rally racing drivers are among the most impressive pilots in any form of motorsport, spend a day with the Vittorio Ceneva Rally School. Andrea Crugnola or Matteo Roncari would love to share their rally passion with those who want to learn.
