So, you want to rally for free?

There is a way.

It is called rally navigation.

Over the years a tendency has been established in rallying, where the driver would traditionally own the car, team, transporter and workshop.

Technicians and mechanics traditionally get paid or they are very close friends of the driver.

Navigators tend to fit in there somewhere, but in most cases they do not contribute to the team in financial terms, rather trading their specialised knowledge for the ride in the car.

And, specialised knowledge it certainly is, these days.

Rally navigators are currently more aptly called “co-drivers”, with their duties far exceeding just the finding of rally routes.

Depending on the level of competition, a navigator these days reads pace notes, describing the on-rushing stage roads to the driver in exact detail.

That apart, they need to find the route between stages and service areas, see that the car is clocked into checkpoints at exactly the right times and that it leaves service parks at exactly the right times.

Navigators who can do all of that well are always in demand, and can generally join rally teams without helping to pay bills.

Still interested, but worried about the skills required?

This is where Greg Godrich comes into the picture.

Godrich, a vastly experienced national championship contender and multiple title holder, will host a special stage rally navigators course at the Rallystar Academy in Bapsfontein on Saturday, November 30.

The course will cover everything a navigator needs to either start rallying and or continue rallying at a higher level.

Greg recommends that currently competing navigators should bring their drivers with so they too can grasp the concept of what navigators go through, plus understanding calls and making pace notes.

Greg has trained many champions over the years and successfully introduced dozens into the world of rallying.