|
Two people (a driver
and a navigator) in ordinary cars make up a rally team. A Road Rally
is traversed over public roads within the legal speed limit. The
challenge is to drive on time, arriving at points along the route
neither early nor late (it's NOT a race). Each team needs a simple
watch which can be synchronized to match official time, as well as
something to write on and with. Interior lighting (map lights, a
flashlight, etc) is also a good idea for night rallies.
After receiving and browsing the instructions, cars start at one
minute intervals. The first section, a short 10-15 mile route, is
called the "Odometer Calibration Zone," and is used to calibrate the
rally car's odometer to the official mileage used to measure the
course by the rallymaster. After this section, the competition
really begins, as you must follow the course using the route instructions, as well as the general instructions that govern
the rally. Meanwhile, you must also stay on time, based on the
average speeds given in the instructions at various points through
the routes.
At various points, unknown to
the competitors, timing controls (checkpoints) will be encountered.
Since the rallymaster knows the exact distance and speeds you should
have traveled to reach the checkpoint, the "perfect time" of arrival
can be calculated. You are timed at the moment you reach the
control, and will receive penalty points for arriving either early
OR late. You are then given information about the last leg, as well
as a time to start the next leg, and a clean start to challenge the
clock. This is a contest of precision, not a race, and each leg is
scored separately. If you are early or late at one control, you
cannot make up for it by being late or early at the next. At the
conclusion, scores for all legs are totaled, and the lowest score
wins (just like golf). Sound easy? Well, just as in golf, it takes
practice to get very good scores.
Regardless of how well you score, rallying is a lot of fun if you
like to spend time in your car, see some scenery and spend time with
congenial people. Rallies usually end at a location where munchies
and beverages are available. You can join the rest of the crowd in
discussing how the event went and how you did, while waiting for the
final scores to be calculated and trophies to be awarded.
General
Instructions (PDF)
Rally Schedule
Road Rally Forum
Road Rally Photo Gallery
Note to Minors
Rally Results
2008
SCCA photo Contest
|
