Pro Rally is considered by its enthusiasts to be the purest form of racing. Essentially stock cars as they are delivered from the show room are fitted with safety equipment and shields to protect the car from road hazards. Additionally they are usually fitted with large driving lights since many events run at night. The events are run on public roads, which are closed to the public while the event is being run. Most times these are logging roads, but not always. Cars are sent down these roads one car at a time at one minute intervals. The object is to drive as fast as one can, and faster than the competition. If you can catch the car in front of you, you can pass it. Speeds on these logging roads can reach as fast as 150 MPH by some of the top cars. As such PRO Rally is best decribed by the saying "Real Roads, Real Cars, Real FAST." The time to traverse each closed road section or stage as it is called is added to your total. The winner is the competitor who has the fastest total time for all stages. Normally events are timed to hour, minute, and seconds. There are many classes, which offer the PRO Rally competitor a relatively inexpensive alternative to road racing.
Unlike Road Racing, one does not get to practice on the stages. Essentially the first time you see them, you are there. A PRO Rally team consists of a Driver and a Co-Driver. The Co-Driver reads the "Route Book" which describes the major hazards of the stage. However, the team must drive through many twists and turns that are unmarked, using things like tree lines to discern which way the road goes. Remember they are doing this while driving as fast as they can. This is truly team racing.
Pro Rallys are offered on a National and Divisional level, and require SCCA Membership and an appropriate Competition License. There are substantial opportunities for SCCA members to work at various Rally official jobs during these events as well. SCCA Home Page
(Note: This information stolen from the SCCA homepage, with (not enough) editing by myself where appropriate.)
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