Editing Rallying (section)

=== Driver ===
The driver is the person who [[Driving|drives]] the car during the rally. Regardless of the type of rally, a driver needs a [[driver's license]] issued by a competent authority. No prior experience of rallying is necessary and a debutant can hypothetically compete with a world champion on unfamiliar roads even in speed competitions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rallying - Motorsport UK - The beating heart of UK motorsport |url=https://www.motorsportuk.org/get-started/types-of-motor-sport/rallying/ |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=Motorsport UK |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Event Entry |url=https://www.americanrallyassociation.org/competitors |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=ara-rally |language=en}}</ref>

Unless the car is in a scheduled service, only the driver and co-driver can repair or work on the car during the rally with no external assistance allowed. Spectators assisting a crashed car is technically a breach of the rules but is usually overlooked. Driver's and co-drivers often have to make running-repairs and have to change punctured wheels themselves.<ref>{{Cite web |last=admin |date=2018-11-17 |title=What Happens at Service Park {{!}} Beginner's Guide to Rally |url=https://www.skoda-motorsport.com/en/what-happens-at-service-park-beginners-guide-to-rally/ |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=Škoda Motorsport |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Colin Mcrae+Travis Pastrana+Ken Block.jpg|thumb|left|Rally drivers [[Travis Pastrana]], [[Colin McRae]] and [[Ken Block]]]]

Often, a distinction is made between so called 'works' drivers and [[Privateer (motorsport)|privateer]] drivers. The first is one who competes for a team, usually that of a manufacturer, who provides the car, parts, repairs, logistics and the support personnel. Most of the works drivers of the 1950s were amateurs, paid little or nothing, reimbursed their expenses and given bonuses for winning. Then in 1960 came arguably the first rallying superstar (and one of the first to be paid to rally full-time), Sweden's [[Erik Carlsson]], driving for [[Saab Automobile|Saab]]. Contrarily a privateer has to meet all the organization requirements and expenses involved in competing and usually competes for the enjoyment rather than using the sport as a means of promotion or contesting a full championship.
A ''specialist driver'' is used to describe a driver who may have the skills and aptitude to win a rally of a certain surface but not on another. In the World Rally Championship which consists of different surfaces, a tarmac specialist driver may be employed by a team for example, on only the tarmac rounds. A privateer snow specialist may only enter the snow rounds. Some examples of specialist drivers are [[Gilles Panizzi]], who obtained several victories on asphalt in the WRC while on gravel never passed fifth place; [[Shekhar Mehta]] won five editions of the Safari Rally however he never aspired to win the world championship and the Swede [[Mats Jonsson (rally driver)|Mats Jonsson]] achieved his only two victories in the world, in the Rally Sweden. Historically, manufacturers always used local drivers due to their experience which ensured a certain result.
Unlike in many other sports, rally has no gender barriers and everybody can compete on equal terms in this regard, although historically there were cups and trophies only for women. One of the first prominent names was that of the Brit [[Pat Moss]], sister of F1 driver [[Stirling Moss]], who won several rallies in her time. Later, Italy's Antonella Mandello, Germany's Isolde Holderies, Britain's Louise Aitken Walker and Sweden's Pernilla Walfridson stood out. The most notable was France's [[Michèle Mouton]] who with co-driver, [[Fabrizia Pons]], became the first women to achieve victories in the world championship, in addition to the championship runner-up slots in 1982. As co-pilots in addition to the aforementioned Pons, the French Michèle Espinos "Biche" stood out, the Swedish [[Tina Thörner]], the Venezuelan [[Ana Goñi]] or the Austrian [[Ilka Minor]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-20 |title=Vinayak: Privateer who held his own against factory teams in tough Safari Rally of yore |url=https://nation.africa/kenya/sports/motorsports/vinayak-privateer-who-held-his-own-against-factory-teams-in-tough-safari-rally-of-yore-4830738 |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=Nation |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Carverhill |first=Geoff |title=The Rootes Story Vol. II - the Chrysler Years |date=2023 |publisher=The Crowood Press |isbn=978-0-7198-4179-8 |edition=1st |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Turner |first=Stuart |title=My life in motorsport |publisher=David & Charles |year=1999 |isbn=9781845845315}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Gifford |first=Clive |title=The Kingfisher Motorsports Encyclopedia |publisher=Kingfisher |year=2006 |isbn=9780753413821}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2001-11-06 |title=Panizzi: Asphalt expert |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/1117048.stm |access-date=2025-03-20 |language=en-GB}}</ref>