Ceredigion County Council website

There are two main types of motor rallies – closed road, and open road rallies.

Closed road rallies

Close Road motor rallies may be authorised on public highways provided that the roads involved are closed to the public via a Temporary Traffic Order made or authorised by Ceredigion County Council (CCC). The organisers of these types of event pay the cost of this. This type of rally permits racing, or trials of speed between motor vehicles and/or against the clock.

Open Road rallies

Open Road motor rallies do not permit racing or trials of speed. The situation regarding motor rallies on open public highway is as follows:

1. CCC does not authorise this type of event. Consent is provided for events off public highway where a route make use of or crosses, any public right of way (under Section 33 of the Road Traffic Act 1988).
2. Provided that vehicles are taxed, insured, have valid MOT certificates where necessary, are road legal, and that drivers hold valid licences and have insurance, any member of the public may of course use any public highway at any time. Any member of the public is bound by any restrictions (e.g. speed limits, one ways etc.) and general regulations (e.g. Give Way, double white centrelines) on any section of public highway. Please note that any possible contravention of the above would be a matter for the police to consider, CCC has no powers in relation to enforcement of these.
3. Section 12 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 sets out that a person who promotes or takes part in a race or trial of speed between motor vehicles on a public highway is guilty of an offence.
4. However, it is possible to introduce a competitive element to Open Road motor rallies, by encouraging drivers to arrive at set waypoints/staging points at a particular time. No time or speed schedule must be imposed which requires or encourages competitors, while using a highway open to the public, to achieve an average speed between any two points that exceeds the following:

1. 1. 30mph for cars in the case of all highways other than motorways.
   2. for sections run on minor roads under 4m width during daylight hours the average speed may not be greater than 20mph.
   3. 25mph in the case of any class of vehicle subject to a lower national speed limit than a car (e.g. vans).
   4. 20mph for cars on neutral sections (sensitive, densely populated areas) except on A or B Class Roads.
   5. there must be no bonus for exceeding the average speeds specified above. Competitors must be given all necessary information to enable them to calculate the speed they are being asked to average in advance.