Motorsport: Governing body watchful of illegal reconnaissance

Although not endemic within rallying, illegal reconnaissance is still a concern.

On all Irish tarmac rallies competitors are allowed to make pacenotes at a pre-defined time. In terms of one-day events, it is the day before the rally and, in two-day events, it is the previous weekend, or the two days prior to the rally. The exceptions are when crews cannot — for a valid reason — make those dates and, in such cases, they apply to rally organisers to carry out reconnaissance at another time. Such requests are subsequently displayed on the official noticeboard.

Illegal reconnaissance — where the competitors look at the route outside the permitted times — isn’t a recent phenomenon. In 2007, two competitors were prevented from competing in the Carlow Rally for an alleged breach of such regulations. That was at a time when rally organisers, in conjunction with the governing body, placed surveillance cameras at locations along the stages in an effort to clean up the sport. Such a scheme certainly reduced the practice, but it was also deemed expensive.