Liaison Stage

A Liaison Stage is an untimed section of a rally race that connects the competitive racing portions, allowing drivers to travel between different parts of the course on regular public roads.

Think of liaison stages as the "getting from point A to point B" parts of a rally. While the special stages are where drivers race flat-out against the clock on closed roads, liaison stages are simply about transportation. Drivers must follow normal traffic laws and speed limits, just like any regular driver on public highways.

Even though these transport stages aren't timed for competition purposes, rally teams can't just take their time. Organizers give each crew a specific schedule to follow, with exact arrival times at checkpoints. Arriving too early or too late results in time penalties that hurt their overall standing in the race.

During liaison stages, the co-driver becomes the team's timekeeper and navigator. They monitor the clock to ensure the car reaches each checkpoint precisely on schedule, while also preparing pace notes for upcoming competitive sections. This requires careful planning and steady driving.

These connecting stages serve several practical purposes in rally racing. They allow competitors to travel from overnight camping areas to remote racing locations, return to service areas where mechanics can work on cars, and move between widely separated competitive stages that might be dozens of miles apart.

For example, after finishing a morning special stage in a forest, teams might use a liaison stage to drive 50 miles on public roads to reach an afternoon stage in the mountains. Throughout this journey, they must maintain their precise schedule while conserving their car and energy for the next competitive challenge.