Why join a club?
This is by far the simplest part to get out of the way. It's not negotiable, you need to do it, for the
simplest reason that to get a license you need to be a member of an MSA-affiliated club, so stop putting
it off and join one now. Even if you're not entirely sure you want to start the rallying malarky, your
local motor club is a good source of information and should be able to help you with any basic questions.
Go along to their
club meets, meet like minded people, find out what REALLY goes on at stage events. It's much better
than sitting in front of your PC all night reading this, because you can drink beer and talk cars at
the same time!
Finding Your Club
So how do you find out where your local MSA-affiliated motor club is? Well, that's simple. Take a trip
to the MSA's website www.msauk.org and take a look at their
Club Directories section. This should guide you towards a suitably local motor club, and one that's centered
around rallying as much as possible. Remember there's little point in joining a sprint-oriented club if you're
only interested in doing stage rallying!
Source of Advice
You should be joining your club well in advance of actually starting your rally 'career'. Motor Clubs generally
offer friendly advice, usually in the form of monthly club meetings at the local pub. Most clubs also put
together regular newsletters (monthly or quarterly). Being a member of a club tends to offer other advantages
too - other members may be able to arrange cheap deals on competition parts, for example.
Organising Rallies
Clubs also may arrange and organise their OWN rally events. Being part of the club means you get to play
an active part in the other side of competition - organising as well as competing. There is always a need
for marshalls and event officials. Being a member of your club and contributing to this side of the sport
is worthwhile - put something back into the sport, rather than just competing all the time!
Step 3
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