Where there’s a Will... Rutherford finds the way

Just ask Guernsey’s own two-time English champion navigator, Will Rutherford, who is putting in plenty of hours as the important home rally looms.

Rutherford is set to co-drive Dale Crowsley’s Mazda MX5 as a first-time combination in the hotly-anticipated Comprop Guernsey Rally, which unfolds between 25-26 February and has them at No. 2 behind serial champions Ross Le Noa and Domonic Volante of Jersey.

And although the demands faced by drivers are clearly apparent, it is no easy ride for the navigator.

Rutherford describes rallying as a ‘team sport’ in outlining how important the role is.

‘People naturally look at it and think that it’s down to the driver – obviously, the skill of keeping the car on the road is,’ he said.

‘But without all the different members of the team – mechanics, co-drivers, drivers – without all of them, you wouldn’t do it to the best.

‘You can straight away tell when a driver is really zoned in and doing well, and the other way around – if a driver feels the confidence from a co-driver, they’ll push harder.

‘Getting that trust in each other makes you quicker.’

The 36-year-old speaks as a competitor with plenty of experience, having developed his interest through his family – his late father, Bob, will be fondly remembered by the international rallying community following his death last year.

He has experienced a wealth of events, notably co-driving Julian Wilkes to back-to-back MSA English Rally Championship titles in 2012 and 2013.

Yet contesting a home rally comes with its own appeal.

It has grown considerably since Rutherford’s sole previous outing at the inaugural edition in 2018, giving him and others plenty to look forward to.

‘It will be good fun and, for me, it’s amazing being able to sleep in your own bed and go rallying for the day.

‘The opportunity for it to be on our doorstep is great and to be able to show people of Guernsey what rallying’s all about, I think that’s fantastic.’

Regardless of level, there are so many more components to co-driving than may meet the untrained eye.

It goes far beyond simply delivering instructions on the timed runs – there are plenty of hours’ work beforehand, while what happens between stages is a critical factor that the average Joe may overlook.

‘People see cars on stages and don’t think about what’s in between – that is really, really important.’

There is constant movement between stages, plus to and from rally HQ at Les Beaucamps, and both timing and navigation matter hugely. One without the other is hopeless.

Getting timings right – as shown on time cards – is essential, as is following the prescribed organisers’ route on the open roads between stages.

The stages themselves demand that information from pace-notes can be delivered effectively.

Pace notes are an important piece of the paperwork and are supplied to the crews well in advance, condensing each stage into brief instructions.

Bend indications are a critical part – for example ‘TURNSqR’ is a square, or 90 degree, right-hand turn – and are linked by numbers giving distance in yards, with no shortage of other abbreviations to learn.

Crews will perform a route recce – or reconnaissance, a slow drive around the stage – before the rally and usually amend notes to suit their own perception.

Between Guernsey’s six stages, Rutherford has allocated around four hours of total recce time, whereas in large international events this can take up to two days.

When the rally begins, it is all about delivering this information how the driver wants it.

‘Some people want lots of information really early, and some people want it just before they get in there.

‘Some drivers want to know two bends ahead, but other drivers don’t, because it’s too much to be taking in while focusing on driving.’

Similarly, learning how to maintain the driver’s morale is critical, especially when you are spending many hours in the car with them.

Rutherford’s new partnership with Crowsley is no different.

‘We’ve already joked that we have to have our awful dad jokes prepared, because that’s what’s fun.

‘The second it’s not fun, why are you doing it?

‘Sometimes you just have to manage and make sure that people aren’t getting overstressed – there’s a lot going on, even within the car, and there’s a lot going on to make sure you’re here on the right time, to make sure you drive the right way on the road section.

‘You only need one farmer to suddenly move his cows, the road gets blocked and suddenly you’re running late and you get stressed.

‘It’s about controlling everything around you – and the preparation helps with that.’

Then there is that A word – adaptability.

‘You don’t know at what point something’s going to happen – from a puncture to a car breaking down. You have to be able to change and adapt quickly to whatever’s around you.’

Doing one’s homework, specifically learning the rules, helps.

‘There’s a huge, huge rulebook and knowing that rulebook is really important, because you can use it to your advantage or sometimes you need to focus on other aspects and need to be confident with specific regulations so that you don’t get caught out.

‘The regulations for each individual rally could change the rules slightly, so it’s making sure you know exactly.

‘Someone said to me when I was a beginner, when I was a lot younger, the most important rally is the next one.’

Another nugget of rallying wisdom? ‘To finish first, first you have to finish.’

That is, Rutherford says, simply the biggest reminder you can give to any driver when things are getting serious.

There are plenty of other small jobs – helping prepare the car, making sure it passes scrutineering checks, and setting up at the service area beforehand.

‘There are still hours of preparation ... all of that is really important. If you’re stressing at the start of the event and you’re not ready in time and unprepared, it will affect your event.’

Failing to pass scrutineering could even mean disqualification.

In their push for top spot, one aspect of Rutherford’s preparation has so far avoided mention – a good rain dance.

‘The car isn’t as powerful as some of the Escorts that we are around, so we’re desperate for rain because the more slippery it is, the more they struggle to get the power down.’

Friday’s night stages provide tough new dynamics, and not just for drivers, as the navigator must find the right amount of light to illuminate paperwork while avoiding causing distraction.

A particularly intimidating Saturday stage takes crews to Petit Bot and Rutherford believes the hairpins at the top could be a ‘deciding factor of the rally’ – that is not to mention the steep and slippery downhill on the eastern side.

It is clear that winning his home rally would mean a lot to him.

‘Dale and I are so determined to be as competitive as we can be that we want everything right – that makes it more of a pressured scenario.

‘I’m not saying that we’d be disappointed to be second, but we don’t want to be second. We want to give it everything to try and take it to those pesky Jersey crews.

‘To take it to them on our home event is very important – to be ready to just give it everything.’

He is not referring solely to the reigning champions, but other daunting rivals like the improving Dave Oliveira.

‘I think there’s a good three or four who could really shine, but we’ll have to see on the day.’

Pressure is a recurring theme of Rutherford’s role – but that is little concern, for he claims that is his favourite thing about co-driving rallies.

‘You’re on the go all the time as a navigator. It might look like we’re just sat down reading a piece of paper, but in the stages you’re reading pace notes, straight out of the stage you’ve got to make sure you get the right time written on the time card by the marshal, then you’re straight onto navigating to the next stage.

‘All that time, the driver’s asking you, “What time did I do on this stage?” and “What position are we overall?” and the demands are huge – everybody wants information and you’ve got all that information somewhere.

‘What I enjoy about it is that pressure.’