Rallying’s wild and nomadic nature is what makes it such a wonderful discipline of motorsport. As the old adage goes, a circuit racing driver sees one corner 1,000 times and a rally driver 1,000 corners once.
But this same thesis applies to the photographers out there capturing the action too. As one of the world’s best photography agencies, McKlein has been to some of the most exotic, stunning and dangerous places in the world in a pursuit to snap rally cars.
Here, Colin McMaster, Reinhard Klein and Tony Welam pick out their 10 favorite locations from the World Rally Championship over the years.
Muresk: Rally Australia. Colin McRae – Ford Focus WRC, 2002.
CM: The short 7km (4.3 mile) Muresk stage was quite out of keeping from the typical Western Australian forest stages. Run around the expansive grounds of an agricultural college, it featured a flat-out uphill section over a series of ridges that made the cars bunny-hop and bounce out of sync, testing their suspension to the limit. At the top of the hill, in sixth gear, a cattle grid served as a launch pad which made for some spectacular jumps. It was awesome for action photos. Richard Burns used to tell to me: “If there’s one stage in the world to take a passenger and show them exactly what a WRC car can do, Muresk would be my choice.
El Condor: Rally Argentina. Kris Meeke – Toyota Yaris WRC, 2019.
CM: Up in the hills above Córdoba, El Condor is probably the most scenic stage in the WRC, when there’s no fog. On its uphill section the stage follows two sides of a valley, the traverses made possible via seven steel-rope suspension bridges - this rock-strewn gravel road is unique. But it’s the atmosphere created by tens of thousands of passionate South American rally fans, clinging onto whatever rocky outcrop they can, that makes El Condor so special. Many of these fans camp out for two or three nights, just to be in prime position for the stage on Sunday. Rightfully this is now the powerstage for Rally Argentina.
Ouninpohja: Rally Finland. Tommi Makinen – Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V, 1998.
RK: Ouninpohja is a very fast road through trees, mostly quite wide, so you can choose the ideal line between the left and right side and it’s a great surface; very smooth with lots of grip. There are many roads like this in Finland but in Ouninpohja the 3D element is added. With all its jumps and crests on straights and in corners it’s a completely mad one. CM: There cannot be many stages that have four named locations along the route. On the full-fat Ounipohja you will find: The ‘Gardemeister/Sordo Rock’, ‘The Yellow House jump’. ‘The Amazon jump’ and ‘Kakaristo junction’. It’s the first road I look out for when Rally Finland announces its itinerary each year.
Meteora: Acropolis Rally. Ari Vatanen – Ford Escort RS1800 MkII, 1981.
RK: Around 1980 it was the former co-driver Henry Liddon, and not the Greeks themselves, who designed the Acropolis rally route. Henry had the idea of combining the rally cars and the famous Kalambaka monastery behind them in one photo. He recced the area and found the spot which was just 200 meters after a turn-off from a Tarmac road onto gravel. Henry loved photography, he added this road to the route and gave us these images.
Tai Forest: Ivory Coast Rally. Björn Waldegård – Toyota Celica Turbo, 1986.
RK: What a monster stage! At 600km long (373 miles), Tai Forest is one of the very few sections on a WRC event that I never drove in-full myself. It was all thick forest and sometimes fallen trees even blocked the road. Madness of an era when exploring things was part of the challenge of WRC and the organizers were happy to find the worst possible conditions for the teams. There was only one little access road on the northern end, just after halfway through, where an emergency service for fuel and tires was positioned. Normally I just went into the end of the section and waited for whoever, whenever and in whatever condition would come out.
Crater Lake Road: Safari Rally. Colin McRae – Subaru Impreza WRC, 1998.
RK: The climb from Naivasha going west up the Mau Narok escapement was used quite often and it was always a hard-packed road that could withstand the rain. The view from the top, especially just after sunrise, was a real thing of beauty, however the fast section alongside Lake Naivasha, which was quite fast, also brought us some great scenic action shots.
Col de Turini: Rallye Monte Carlo. Sébastien Ogier – VW Polo WRC, 2013.
CM: The Turini is the most famous stage in the WRC, and it epitomizes the Monte. For that reason alone, it deserves its rightful place in our Top 10. RK: In its classic version it’s a great road to drive for anybody in any car, just mad up and downhill. But then in winter, when the white-ice, snow, black-ice and slush is added to the mix, it’s not just the Col itself, but all the rest of it that becomes an epic challenge.
Whaanga Coast: Rally New Zealand. Marcus Grönholm – Peugeot 206 WRC, 2001.
CM: A very early morning start in Auckland: drive the Whaanga Coast road at sunrise, park up at your chosen spot, shoot the stage and afterwards go and eat brunch at the Tongue & Groove Café in Raglan. Rally days don’t come any better than this: you drive one of the best rally roads in the world and eat one of the finest bacon rolls in the Southern Hemisphere.
Fafe: Rally Portugal. Thierry Neuville – Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, 2018.
TW: My favorite stage is Fafe, but before all the windmills were built! But for me it’s not just about the big jump, but more about all the passionate spectators around the whole place. Even in the junction a bit before the jump, with two hills on either side of the road, the atmosphere is fantastic. People are singing from one hill and the other hill is answering. For a photographer the options for pictures on Fafe are almost endless.
Myherin: Wales Rally GB. Sébastien Ogier – M-Sport Ford Fiesta WRC, 2018.
CM: Myherin is Jari-Matti Latvala’s favorite stage in Wales, and he likes them fast. For me it’s the stunning scenery around Myherin that makes it so special. Across the A44 main road, on the other side of the valley, is the Sweet Lamb bowl. Every year Sweet Lamb is where all my WRC photographer colleagues go and stand next to each other, just like sheep! They don’t know just how great Myherin is. More fool them and long may that continue.
