Road rally drivers?

There are several different types of road rally - TSD, Q/A (gimmick), lime bag/fun to name a few.

The most technical is TSD - you're given a set of route instructions which include average speeds and you're timed at various points along the course. Too early or too late gets you penalty points, fewest accumulated points wins. Usually there are different classes based on vehicle equipment and driver/navigator experience. That type of rally can have straightforward route instructions or trick/trap-type where part of the challenge is figuring out the instructions themselves.

Q/A rallys ask you to find answers to questions along the route. These are more likely to be trick/trap-type, and the scoring is based on number of correctly answered questions and usually also by distance traveled (some of the traps make you vary from the proscribed course). They can be fun if you enjoy puzzles/tricks/traps, frustrating otherwise.

Any car should be suitable as long as it has working odometer/speedometer and enough range to finish the course. Participants are usually limited to a driver and navigator per car, hopefully someone you get along with and communicate well with. That can change as a rally progresses.

 

Ah - these are "autocross" events, which are different from road rallies. A road rally is held on public roads at legal speeds, whereas this is held on a closed/private course, and speed is 'as fast as you can go'. Cars are divided into classes based on performance so a Corvette isn't competing directly with a Mini (for example). There are safety regulations as well, as a minimum you would need a helmet that meets whatever their current standards are. For stock classes you don't need roll bars/cages or 5-point harnesses, but there are classes that do.

 

Yes, runs are timed and there are additional penalties for not following the proper route through any cones they set up (they can make a row of cones you have to slalom through, or corners of varying radii, etc. I will warn you it can be habit-forming (and hard on your tires!). But it will help you learn the limits of your car. One significant help is to over-inflate your tires (beyond recommended, probably up to near max) to reduce sidewall rollover in hard turning.