Get a 4WD car from the UCD, tune it up to 245hp, make it as light as possible, and buy all the suspension and drivetrain parts, and set the torque thingy to 50/50, then just practice practice practice. And make sure TCS is set to OFF.
I found them pretty easy. I used the FT-86 on the beginner, a slightly modded older Impreza on the next one and a C4 rally car on the last. Make sure to turn the traction control off too.
Turn all assists off, such as traction control and skid recovery force etc. This allows your car to slide sideways around corners, keeping the power down. Just remember to brake enough to shift the weight of the car forward to flick out the back end and put power on tentatively until you get the feel for the style of driving.
used audi tt coupe for the first one, subaru impreza (the new one from premium dealer) for the second and citroen (that s.loeb one) for the third one. all three worked pretty good for me. just make sure to turn off abs and tcs in rallyevents, so your car turns sideways when you hit the break slightly.
loved to do rally. one of the best specials in game. unfortunately you only get rewards one time. i´d be driving rally only if there´d be some kind of a-spec event to repeat.. :/
And after winning beginner, upgrade the prize car SLIGHTLY so that you can be at the edge while under the limit. Then after winning intermediate, use the rally car for expert. Buy a bit of the upgrades if necessary, but I only recommend buying tires for the rally cars.
Make sure the car you buy doesnt go over the BHP limit when adding a turbo ... youll need a turbo so you do not lose seconds wheelspinning off the start line 👍