Preface

This booklet describes the basic rules for road rallies conducted in the Twin Cities metro area, so that the General Instructions can be kept as brief as possible.

Introduction

A road rally is a game that you play using your car. A road rally is not a race. It is a game in which precision driving and navigational skills are stressed. Each crew consists of a driver and a navigator. The object is to follow written instructions, maintain prescribed average speeds and arrive on time at checkpoints. Being early or late at a checkpoint is penalized. The sum of these penalties for each crew is their score for the rally, and the crew with the lowest score is the winner. Road Rallying is a sport, and thus demands good sportsmanship.

Registration

Registration for a road rally is usually held shortly before the start. At this time the crew pays the entry fee, declares a class, has their car inspected, signs a liability waiver and receives the General Instructions for the event. It is recommended that you arrive at the start point as close to the start of registration as possible. This will give you the most time to complete the paperwork and read the General Instructions. If the rally offers preregistration, be sure to take advantage of it. It will give you more time to study the Generals, and helps the committee plan for the event.

Safety

It is expected that the vehicle will be in good operating condition. Each vehicle will be inspected prior to the event to insure proper operation of the turn signals and brake lights. Car numbers will be applied to the front bumper by the inspector. No other identification is required. In no case shall anything be applied to any of the windows on the vehicle. Every participant is required to wear the seat belt and shoulder harness during the event.

Average Speeds

Average speeds will be given in miles-per-hour. In some places, the assigned average speed will exceed the posted limit. Do not speed in these areas. You will have ample distance or a pause to make up the lost time before you get to the next control.

Controls

Controls will be identified by a checkpoint sign on the right side of the road. You will be timed as your front wheels pass the checkpoint sign. Proceed past the sign and stop at the timing station. Roll down your passenger window and the nice workers will hand you a timing label to stick on your scorecard. Stick the label on your scorecard in the appropriate box, and then proceed to the outmarker to begin the next leg. The out-time shown on the label is the time to start the next leg and is applied to the outmarker. You may also be given a critique slip that explains what happened on the leg just completed. Hint: If you turn your lights OFF as you pass the checkpoint sign, the workers will know when to time you.

Glossary

The following terms are commonly used on road rallys. Terms included here, but intended to be used with different meanings, must be defined in the event's General Instructions.

at "In the vicinity of" for actions that direct a course of travel; "even with" for other actions, including speed changes, mileages, pauses, etc.

before In sight of and prior to the referenced navigational aid.

blinker A warning signal at an intersection or railway crossing which the contestant is obliged to obey. The blinker consists of a light or lights, usually red or yellow, operating in a fixed sequence of on and off. For rally purposes, only one blinker may exist at an intersection or railway crossing. The blinker may or may not be operating.

cast Change, continue or commence average speed to.

control The timing line of an open control as identified by a checkpoint sign or an observation control as identified by an OBS sign.

crossroad An intersection of exactly four roads from which a road goes to the left, a road goes to the right, and a road goes generally ahead.

divided highway A divided highway is a road whose opposing lanes of traffic are separated by a divider, median or neutral ground. Where a divided highway, whether referenced as such or not, intersects another road, the resulting configuration is considered as one intersection.

free zone A specified part of the timed rally route in which there are no open controls.

gain To make up a specified time during passage of a specified or implied distance. The gain-time is subtracted from the time required at the given average speed to traverse the distance.

intersection Any meeting of existent roads (without regard to route designation, surface condition or other characteristics unless such render the road non-existent) at grade level from which the rally vehicle could proceed in more than one direction without making a U-turn.

left Turn to the left.

leg The part of a rally route extending from one timing control to the next, or from an assigned starting point to the next timing control.

NRI Numbered Route Instruction

OIM Official Interval Mileage. OIM is mileage measured from a point along the route to the point specified by the OIM.

OM Official Mileage. Official mileage is the distance from the most recent zeroing point to a point along the rally route given to within 0.01 mile.

opportunity A place at which the specified action could be executed.

pause To delay a specified time at a named point or during passage of a specified or implied distance. If no named point or distance is given, the pause should be executed at the first opportunity. The pause-time is added to the time required at the given average speed to traverse the distance.

paved A road having a hard surface such as concrete, brick, macadam, etc.

right Turn to the right.

sideroad An intersection of exactly three roads where a road goes generally ahead and another road goes to the left or to the right, but not both.

start Begin at the specified time plus your car number in minutes. If no time is specified, begin at the out-time given at the previous control.

stop An official octagonal stop sign at which the rally vehicle is obliged to stop.

straight Proceed upon the road most directly ahead at an intersection. A straight can only be executed at a sideroad or crossroad.

T An intersection of exactly three roads having the general shape of the letter T as approached from the base by the contestant.

traffic light A fixed signal light alternating red and green (and frequently including yellow as a transition between green and red) used at an intersection to regulate traffic and which controls the rally vehicle. For rally purposes, only one traffic light may exist at an intersection. A traffic light may be set to operate as a blinker, although it will not be referenced as such, or may not be operating.

transit zone A part of the rally route in which there are no timing controls and in which no specific speed need be maintained. Either an exact time for passage or a restart time from the end of the transit zone must be given.

turn Change direction at an intersection. It is not considered a change of direction to take the road generally ahead at a sideroad or crossroad.

u-turn Change direction 180 degrees. A u-turn is never required without specifically stating such in a route instruction.

unpaved A road having a non-hard surface such as broken stone, gravel, dirt, etc.

Y An intersection of exactly three roads having the general shape of the letter Y as approached from the base by the contestant. It is not possible to execute the instruction straight at a Y.

yield An official triangular yield sign at which the rally vehicle is obliged to yield.

Official Time

Official time for all rallies will be WWV, with the hour corrected to local time. Because rallies require precise timing, it is important that you adjust your watch to agree with the official time at registration.

Licenses and Insurance

The driver is required to have a valid driver's license. The rally vehicle must be properly registered by the appropriate state. All contestants are required to have valid liability insurance. All participants will be required to sign a liability waiver at registration.

Classes

Class A This class has no equipment restrictions. Anyone may participate in this class. If either crew member has 25 SCCA lifetime rally points , the crew must compete in this class. Crews using devices which perform both measurement and computation must compete in this class.

Class B (Equipped): If you have any measuring device other than a stock odo, you must compete in this class.

Class C (Unequipped): Stock odo, any computation-only device allowed.

Class D: Two rallys or less as of January 1 of the current year.

Awards will usually be presented to the top 10% of the finishers in each class, if there are more than five vehicles entered in the class.

Issuance of Route Instructions

Route instructions shall be issued at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the rally.

Course Measurement

All road rallies will be measured to the nearest 0.01 mile. Each rally will begin with an odometer calibration, to allow you to compare your odometer to the official mileage. You will usually be given a specified amount of time to complete the odometer calibration, or a specified time to leave the end of it.

Priority List

The event's General Instructions must specify the mechanism for following the rally route at each intersection. The priority list will usually consist of numbered instructions and the main road rule. The event's General Instructions must explicitly cover how they interact.

Numbered Route Instructions

Numbered instructions will be used to direct the course and specify timing. Instructions are listed in ascending numerical order, and must be executed in the order listed. Skipping an instruction or executing an instruction more than once will get you lost. The easiest way to keep track of which instructions you have executed is to write down the mileage from your odometer next to the instruction number when you execute it.

Instructions accompanied by an official mileage in the left margin must be executed at that official mileage. Exceptions to this rule should be considered traps, and must be explicitly covered in the event's General Instructions.

Material enclosed within parenthesis, such as (at 121), is intended to be helpful or informative, but is not required in order to complete a route instruction.

Material enclosed within quotation marks, such as "40 MPH", refers to the text of a sign. Instructions which reference a sign are executed when your front tires are even with the sign.

Main Road Rule

The Main Road Rule is used to define the course at intersections where a numbered instruction does not apply. When more than one Main Road Determinant is used, they must be listed in order of priority. At an intersection the applicable determinant of highest priority determines the Main Road.

Main Road Determinants

It shall be considered sufficient to list in an event's General Instructions one or more of the following approved Main Road Determinants by their title only. In order for a Main Road Determinant to apply at an intersection, it must uniquely define a single course leaving the intersection other than the one upon which the contestant approached the intersection.

Onto The main road, as determined by this determinant, is the road that a numbered instruction has directed the contestant to travel upon by (1) use of the term onto and (2) the designation (name, number, or letter(s)) of the road. The designated road is the main road at each intersection where this main road determinant is applicable until a numbered instruction causes the contestant to leave the main road.

Curve Arrows The main road, as determined by this determinant, is the road leaving an intersection as determined by official highway black on yellow, single-headed curve arrow sign(s). These signs are to be used with the same intent as that of the erecting agency.

Protection The main road, as determined by this determinant, is that single road leaving the intersection and having no stop sign or yield sign at that intersection. Contestants are required to recognize (possibly from the back side) the stop signs and/or yield signs.

Paved The main road, as determined by this determinant, is the road leaving the intersection that is paved.

Left at T The main road, as determined by this determinant, is the road that goes to the left at a T, where T is as defined in the glossary.

Right at T The main road, as determined by this determinant, is the road that goes to the right at a T, where T is as defined in the glossary.

Left at Y The main road, as determined by this determinant, is the road that goes to the left at a Y, where Y is as defined in the glossary.

Right at Y The main road, as determined by this determinant, is the road that goes to the right at a Y, where Y is as defined in the glossary.

Straight As Possible The main road, as determined by this determinant, is the road that appears to go as directly ahead as possible through an intersection. This main road determinant can apply at a slant T or an unequal Y. The determination of which road is nearly directly ahead is made at the intersection in question; roads are judged on their merits as you enter the intersection, not on how they look as you approach the intersection.

Roads

Only public roads will be used. Unless otherwise specified in the event's General Instructions, both paved and unpaved may be considered. Roads marked Private, Keep Out, No Outlet, Dead End, Road Closed, No Thru Traffic, etc. do not exist. Roads which are visibly barricaded or otherwise impassible do not exist. Roads having illegal entry or roads requiring an illegal turn do not exist. Any road which clearly ends in a garage, plant entrance, parking lot, etc. does not exist.

Road Identification

Street signs identify the road must nearly parallel to them and in both directions, unless an arrow on the street sign indicates otherwise or other street sign identifies the other road as something else. Square or rectangular signs are used to identify some roads. These signs may be accompanied by an arrow. They may be located a short distance down the road they identify. In this case they identify only the road they are on and only in that direction. Examples of road identification are shown in the Appendix on page 8. Prefixes, suffixes, spacing and punctuation are irrelevant for identifying roads in route instructions or for the onto main road determinant. Spelling is relevant.

Landmarks

A sign used to identify a landmark may or may not be attached to the landmark, but the identification will be obvious. Landmarks may be referred to in the plural form or by ordinal modifiers, such as first, second, third, etc. without such identification on the sign or within the definition. Any referenced landmark must be identified by a sign or referenced to an official mileage, unless it is defined in the Glossary.

Signs

Signs may be referenced in full or in part. Type style, capitalization, punctuation (including hyphens and apostrophes), exact spacing, and case are considered irrelevant. Parts of words, parts of numbers, etc. will not be referenced. A drawing of a sign shall be a reasonable representation of the actual sign. Names or numbers on mailboxes, utility pole numbers, and other signs of similar character (frequently recurring and difficult to read) will not be used, unless such a sign is accompanied by a mileage reference. Where a route instruction references any quoted sign in less than its entirety, such reference shall include a prominent portion of the sign and shall not omit any words, numbers, or letters, which fall between the first and last of the referenced material. Signs painted on or attached to vehicles will not be used. Signs painted on the road surface will not be used.