The nerve-centre of every rally is its service park which is equivalent to the paddock in circuit racing. It is here that the teams, motorhomes, service vehicles and technical staff, etc. are based.

The service park
The service park is the only place where the mechanics are authorised to work on the cars. Crews visit the service park three or four times each day.

Organisation
The factory teams seek to optimise the space they are allocated. In the centre is the place where the mechanics work on the cars. Parked around this area are the semi-trailer workshops and motorhomes, plus the VIP hospitality area. The top IRC teams take a staff of some twenty people to each rally.

The mechanics
Service teams are comprised of mechanics and engineers. The time crews spend in service varies from 10 to 30 minutes, which is generally sufficient to change a gearbox, brakes, suspensions, tyres, etc. Competitors incur time penalties if work on their car exceeds the allocated time.

Servicing and tyres
The service park is also the only place where fresh tyres may be fitted to the cars. Tyre choices are made in service parks for stages which can be located some distance away and covered many hours afterwards. It is consequently important to anticipate how the weather is likely to turn.