PLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR

THE COMPLEX CHALLENGES OF RALLY CO-DRIVING.

- EMMET WHITE

IT WASN’T CLOSING IN FAST on a tree as my driver made a last-ditch yank of the handbrake or going fiat out on a macerated tire that made me question my bucket-list idea to become a rally co-driver. Actually, those were some of the highlights. It was the tornadoes and forest fires surrounding our rally course through the Missouri Ozarks that threatened the race and the entire region. Riding shotgun in a 2007 Subaru WRX STI for the American Rally Association’s Rally in the 100 Acre Wood was, by comparison, a tame experience.

There’s something about the art of navigating from behind the scenes. I’ve long admired the dispatchers, the train conductors, the air traffic controllers, and all of those who quietly keep our world running. In rallying, that role belongs to the co-driver.

Co-driving had long been on my list, but having no car, no gear, and certainly no pace-note experience made for a triple caution that left this item in “someday” purgatory. A heartfelt story pitch to my editors for this Bucket List issue quickly changed that trajectory. The Road & Track production schedule lined up with the two-day, 17-stage Rally in the 100 Acre Wood, with just enough time before the race for a fire-hose learning session at Team O'Neil Rally School in Dalton, New Hampshire.