Hi, I just posted this on the Wales Rally GB marshall forum, but it'd be good to get a fan perspective as well as a marshall one.

I'm long-time rally fan and have enjoyed coming to watch the stages in Wales for many year now. I've always enjoyed trying to find a decent viewpoint possibly away from the official viewing areas and am not sure how possible that is nowdays.

In the past few years the official/safe viewing areas have been immeasurably improved, but at the same time I have noticed it becoming more and more difficult to just head off and find your own spot.

I appreciate the reasoning for this, especially with incidents like the Carlos Sainz one a few years back - but I must admit one of the main attractions of the rally for me was to be able to walk to different sections of the stage and see the drivers taking different corners etc, rather than watching 100+ cars do the same bend.

Looking at the online rally guide this year, it looks like spectator access is blocked off at all points apart from the main viewing areas.

Am I allowed to walk through the forest and find my own spot? And if a marshal asks me not to, what can I do?

Whatever you do make sure you're out of sight/well off the stage when the official's cars and helicopter come past (red West heli) otherwise they may cancel the stage and that will make everyone else very pissed off indeed!

I'm like you in that I like to get away from people and enjoy my rallying in peace and quiet away from numpties with fireworks/chavs/screaming kids/people standing in idiotic places etc. In the past we've found that as long as we're well off the stage and in a safe spot we're ok. In our experience we've found that most marshalls are great, love their rallying, know what's going on, enjoy a chat, give helpful info, use common sense and will let you stand in a better spot once all the safety cars/heli have gone past, however these days it seems some are too busy videoing on their mobiles to notice you :mad: some are just there for the freebie and haven't a clue what's going on and some will bark orders at you regardless of common sense and the fact that you're a well equipped, sensible, long time spectator who's been to more rallies than they've had hot dinners. It's pot luck as to who you get. We usually get to our chosen stages very early whilst the marshalls are still having brekkie or a brew by their cars so well before they're out on the stages and if we want to move we wait until between stage runs. HTH ;) :)

And before some marshalls come on here and flame me for those ^^ comments these are observations made over years of spectating on rallies from clubman level up to WRC. On the Jim Clark this year there were a pair of marshalls opposite us who spent the whole time snogging, cuddling and generally pawing at each other despite being in front of a crowd. Yuk. BTW they were a male/female couple :lol1:

Anyway the official line is that you stay inside the spectator areas and obey the marshalls instructions. Like you say, some of the speccy areas are generally huge and therefore do have their quieter spots.

I agree with what Sally has said and would add one thing. Whilst most marshalls can distinguish between experienced and inexperienced specatators, they have to (appear to) apply the same principles to everyone.

So: if you arrive at the stage when there are already a good number of people around, and if you plan to walk out of the marshalled spectator area, do the marshalls a favour by not hoping they will turn a blind eye to you wandering off on your own when other people they might be discourage from doing so are around.

Also, if you are walking out of a spectator area, avoid walking down the stage, especially in sight of marshalls -- this too makes their job difficult.

i find if you talk to the marshals (not the 16yr kids in a safety hi vis) and explain where you want to go they will have no problem most of the time,just tell you to keep well of the stage.
if you do wander out of the pens just keep well back from the stage.
i remember last year seeing two lads 2 foot from the road on a long straight thinking they were safe untill seb came past then 2sec later you could hear the stone crack one of them on the side of the head needless to say that made them move.

Thanks all - I appreciate the feedback.:thumb: