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  Home > Specials > Rally glossary > Rally Glossary B
Rally Glossary B
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Balaclava
Fire-proof white garment drivers wear under helmet.

The Big Brother
Nickname for ISC tracking device installed on every works rally car. The only part of the system visible to the naked eye is small box installed on roof of the car. Initially, this was a bit larger silvery box on driver's side and besides the antennas, it also had small forward facing camera. This was discontinued in 2011 and now only small white disc antenna remains.
Purpose of the Big Bro is to track each car for two reasons. First one is safety as via GPS tracking organisers know exact location and speed of every car so rescue can be dispatched accurately if needed. Tracking is also used for split-timing and as a data feed for Virtual Spectator computer recreation seen in TV footage.

Blind rally
A rally where pre-event recce is not allowed. Instead of using notes, competitors are issued road maps. Blind rallies don't exist on WRC level any longer, even RAC Rally has allowed pace notes since 1989.

Blistering
Rally tyres have optimum working temperature and if this temperature is exceeded significantly, tyres can blister. When this happens, rubber loses its internal construction and begins to fall apart. This problem is encountered in hot tarmac rallies only.

Boost
Turbo-charger forces air into combustion chamber with pressure that is much higher than atmospheric pressure. On most road-going cars equipped with turbo, this boost is limited under one bar but rally cars go well beyond that.

Bottoming
When bottom of the car touches the ground. Normally occurs when car either has too soft springs or lands heavier than expected so that suspension travel can't cope with the load.

Boxer engine
Sometimes also called as "flat engine", boxer is an engine where two sets of cylinders are opposite of each others and entire engine block lies flat in horizontal position (as opposed to vertical standing position of a in-line straight engine). Boxer engine is short and very low, giving low centre of gravity but is also quite wide. This type of engine has been used in rally cars like Subaru Impreza, Volkswagen Beetle and various Porsches.

British Rally Championship (BRC)
Best of the national rally championship series, the british rally championship is open (ie. participants need not be british citizens) championship. BRC has been on decline for number of years.

Bull bar
A bar normally fitted outside the body of the car for frontal protection in collisions with large objects, mainly animals. Used only in African rallies.

Bush engineering
Not a political reference of any kind rather than a term meaning any kind of emergency repair in adverse conditions, often falling only slightly short of a miracle. Not much used in these days because all and any servicing must take place in service parks. When service vans followed rally cars everywhere except inte the actual stages, at times mechanics had to find ingenious ways to repair damage if one particular spare or most suitable tool was not carried onboard the van.

Colin wearing balaclava
Colin wearing balaclava
big brother
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The Big Brother Click picture to see larger version in a pop-up window
Bull bar
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Ford Escort with bull bar fitted. Click picture to see larger version in a pop-up window
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