These are far more expensive than road rallies, with more emphasis upon car preparation, speed and driver ability, rather than navigational skills.
Most famous rallies are special stage events, like the Rally of Great Britain , Britain’s round of the FIA World Rally Championship .

At a national level the British Rally Championship is the most significant challenge and incorporates rounds across the country. The basis of such events – the special stage – is a stretch of road closed to all other traffic, which must be covered at a high average speed.

In most of Great Britain (the exceptions are Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Isle of Mull, the Channel Islands and the roads used by the Jim Clark Memorial Rally), public roads are not available for this purpose, so special stage events use private land, frequently Forestry Commission roads or disused airfields.

Linking the special stages are sections of public road, where the required average speed is low (usually 30mph or slower). Because of these sections, all competing cars must be properly taxed, tested and insured.