|
The following sections establish
the rules and define the terminology and abbreviations used in DMVR's Rally
Championship Series. It is VERY important that you read and understand this
complete document, as well as any Supplemental Instructions for a specific
event which may modify or supersede portions of these general
rules.
Introduction
A road rally (sometimes also spelled rallye)
can take on many different forms, but in general it can be said that rallies
are a form of motorsport where cars leave a starting point individually and
are directed to follow a more or less complicated route to a finish point
where the competitors gather (or "rally") together again. They range from
the high speed events that comprise the World Rally Championship and SCCA
Pro Rally series, to just-for-fun "gimmick" events that are more of a parlor
game for adults played on a REALLY big board. While we too stage an occasional
"gimmick" event, the type of rallies used for the DMVR Rally Championship
will be limited to a combination of two classic forms of rally conducted
at legal speeds on public roads with normal traffic; T.S. (Time-Speed) and
Q&A (Question and Answer). Let us emphasize strongly that our rallies
are NOT races! Any moving violation citation or written warning received
by a participant, or any excessive speed or unsafe driving observed by rally
officials, is grounds for total disqualification.
As you begin the event you will be given a set
of Route Instructions that you will follow to complete the rally. These will
include numbered instructions which define the points at which you turn,
and the average speed(s) you are to maintain. This is the Time-Speed component
of the rally, and the object is to maintain your average speed(s) as closely
as possible so as to arrive at the final checkpoint at exactly the right
time; neither early or late. To discourage unsafe driving, cars arriving
before their scheduled time will suffer twice the penalty of cars arriving
after their scheduled time. Since stop signs, turns, other traffic, etc.
will affect your overall average speed, it's usually necessary to drive somewhat
faster than the average speed given in order to arrive at the correct time.
While in most instances the average speed will be below the posted speed
limit, there may be sections where the average will equal or exceed the posted
limit. In these cases there will always be a segment which follows where
the average speed is sufficiently below the legal limit to allow you to make
up time without breaking the law (and many of the roads used may be QUITE
well patrolled!). Between the numbered route instructions there will usually
be some questions and/or "fill-ins" that you must correctly complete based
on signs and objects that you see along the route. This is the Q&A component.
The winner will be the car with the lowest combined total points from time,
fill-in, checkpoint and/or Time Allowance penalties (See
"Scoring"). Remember, these are intended to be fun and safe
events. We would also like you to keep in mind that because of the scenic
nature of some of the roads we may be traveling that you will probably encounter
a number of pedestrians, children, bicyclists and/or runners along the way.
Please be alert and courteous.
The
Rules
1.
Entry Requirements
A. Teams
Des Moines Valley Region rallies are open to anyone, although
a current SCCA membership is required in order to compete in the Season
Championship. If a competitor chooses to join the SCCA during the course
of the season, their finish position in the previous event will be counted
toward the Championship. A rally team is comprised of at least two people;
a Driver and a Navigator. In order to compete for season Championship points
teams are limited to two people, although children age twelve or under with
properly signed Minor Release Waivers may also ride along without violating
this rule. If a team does not wish to compete for Championship points the
number of passengers is only limited by the seating capacity of the vehicle
entered. The Driver and Navigator must both fill out and sign the Entry Form
for the event, and all entrants and passengers must sign the SCCA Rally Release
and Waiver (#9719, 1/94 edition) at the registration table. Any minors in
the vehicle must also have properly signed Minor Release and Waivers (see
Section C below).
B. Driver
Drivers are required to certify that they hold a valid
automobile operator's license for the state in which they reside as of the
date of the event. For regional events such as this, a valid Learner's Permit
is also suitable as long as the legal requirements for its use are met.
C.
Minor Release and
Waivers
If the driver or navigator is under the age of eighteen
then they must have an SCCA Minor Competitor Release and Waiver (#9724, 6/92
edition) which has been signed by each parent/guardian with custody of the
minor. A new Minor Competitor Waiver must be filled out for each event. If
other minor(s) are to be present at the event or passengers in the entrant's
car, but not actually competing, then they must have a current SCCA Minor
Release and Waiver (#9717, 6/92 edition) on file or filled out at the event,
again signed by each parent/guardian with custody of the minor. This waiver
remains in force until the form is revised by the SCCA. The minor(s), or
the person(s) responsible for them, must also sign the Rally Release and
Waiver at registration on behalf of the minor(s). Both types of Minor Release
and Waivers are free of charge and may be obtained in advance of the event
by contacting the DMVR Rally Events Director.
2.
Vehicle Suitability
Since DMVR Road Rallies are conducted at legal speeds
on public roads almost any street legal and properly insured passenger motor
vehicle in good operating order (other than two-wheeled motorcycles) is suitable.
The type of vehicle has little bearing on a team's ability to compete, and
DMVR events have been won by everything from classic two seat sports cars
to pick up trucks, vans and large sport utility vehicles. However, the rally
committee and/or Rally Safety Steward shall have the right to refuse entry
for any vehicle that would, in their opinion, be incapable of negotiating
the course safely. In rejecting such an entry the committee and/or Steward
must give the entrant immediate notification along with the option of securing
a suitable vehicle.
3.
Vehicle Inspection
A. Requirement for Vehicle Review
Each vehicle entered in an SCCA Road Rally shall be subjected
to a review of vehicle suitability and compliance with insurance requirements
within the 24 hour period immediately preceding the start of the event, usually
during registration on the day of the event. Such review may be by physical
inspection or warrant by entrants, or a combination thereof.
B. Failure to Meet Inspection Requirements
Any vehicle failing to meet the standards required shall
be banned from participating or be disqualified. The entrant of any vehicle
initially failing to meet the requirements prescribed by the rally committee
shall be allowed to remedy any deficiency and to re-submit the vehicle for
inspection as the committee may direct.
C. Minimum Inspection Requirements
1) The inspection shall be conducted in accordance with
standards prescribed by the rally committee. As a requirement, the following
vehicle equipment shall be in proper operating order:
a) Headlights (high and low beams) and parking lights
b) Taillights and stoplights
c) Horn, windshield wipers and directional signals
d) Rear-view mirror
e) Footbrakes and parking brake
f) Tires (inspected for condition of sidewalls as well as tread)
g) Seat belts, securely installed for all occupants
2) In addition it is recommended that each car have on
board, in an accessible location, the following items:
a) First-aid kit (Johnson & Johnson Auto First Aid
Kit or equivalent);
b) Fire extinguisher of at least 2 B:C rating;
c) Tow rope or chain; and
d) Emergency warning triangles or road flares.
3) Car numbers shall not be placed on the windows of the
car. The organizers shall not require any contestant to place any event or
organization related material on any window. It is not necessary for competitors
to remove any SCCA decal previously applied to side car windows.
4.
Insurance
A. Event Insurance Requirement
All SCCA-sanctioned events must be insured for Event Liability
and Participant Accident coverage by the SCCA Event Insurance Plan. Coverage
details can be found in the current copy of the SCCA Insurance Handbook,
on the Insurance Poster and Certificate at registration for an event, or
by contacting the SCCA Risk Management Department. The Event Chairperson
shall not let the rally begin until assured by receipt of an appropriate
insurance certificate that the insurance requirements have been met.
B. Insurance Application Procedures
The rules for completion and submission of SCCA Master
Plan Event Insurance requests are found in the SCCA Insurance Handbook, and
on the reverse of the Insurance Request form. Forms and Handbook are available
from the Regional Executive, the Rally Events Director, and the Risk Management
Department.
C. Competitor Insurance Requirement
Each owner/entrant must have a valid auto insurance policy
covering the entered vehicle(s) with liability limits not less than
$20,000/$40,000/$10,000. Entrants must warrant that their coverage meets
required limits, and that the policy is in force on the date of the event.
D. Incident Reporting
The driver (or owner) of a vehicle participating in an
SCCA Road Rally which is involved in an incident resulting in personal injury
or property damage of any kind must report the incident to the Event Chairman
or designated representative before the end of the event or as soon as practical
thereafter. The Event Chairman or a designated representative is charged
with the submission of the completed SCCA Incident Report and/or Blue Card
and should file the report within 10 days of the incident with the SCCA Risk
Management Department.
5.
Event
Administration
A. Registration
Prior to the start of the event, registration will be
conducted at the designated starting point of the rally. Please make sure
that you arrive early enough to allow time for completion of registration
prior to the advertised starting time of the rally. Registration shall consist
of: completion of the event Entry Form by the Driver and Navigator; signing
of the Rally Release and Waiver by all participants and passengers; payment
of designated Entry Fees; verification of Minor Release and Waivers where
necessary; verification of compliance with Vehicle Inspection Requirements
when required; distribution of Event Supplemental Instructions when applicable;
and a mandatory Safety Meeting for all participants. A copy of the SCCA Insurance
Poster, the event Insurance Certificate, and the Rally Safety Steward's
evaluation form for the event shall be posted at registration for inspection
by participants.
B. Starting Procedure
Each vehicle will be assigned a starting time with a minimum
interval of one minute. It will be at the discretion of the
event organizers whether the participants begin under the control of
a worker or at their own discretion. All occupants of the rally vehicle must
have seat belts fastened throughout the event.
C. Odometer Check
All DMVR events will begin with an odometer check which
will allow the teams to compare the odometer in their vehicle with the odometer
used to calculate the official times for the event. This segment will provide
a final mileage figure as well as interval mileages. This segment will be
conducted as a Free Zone with a specified time to complete, rather than at
an average speed.
D. Checkpoint(s)
All Checkpoint(s) for the rally, including the rally finish,
will be indicated by a checkpoint sign, an example of which will be displayed
at registration. Upon encountering a checkpoint sign the driver should slow
and park as close as possible beyond the sign and any other vehicles already
there, then wait for further instructions from the checkpoint crew. Checkpoints
will close 30 minutes after the last car is scheduled to arrive. Stopping,
or slowing to the point where the entrant constitutes a hazard to traffic
(in the opinion of the checkpoint crew), within sight of a checkpoint is
forbidden and the entrant's time will be taken at the point at which they
stop or slow.
6.
Scoring and
Penalties
All cars begin the rally with 0 points. Penalties will
be assigned as described below. The winning vehicle will be the vehicle amassing
the lowest total penalty points, with the other finishing positions being
determined by an ascending order of their total penalty points.
A. Time Penalties
One penalty point will be assessed for each second you
are late, two points for each second you arrive early.
B. Time Allowances
Due to the possibility of delays caused by vehicle or
rail traffic, errors in course following, accidents, break downs, construction,
or by the desire of one of the people in your car to take a "pit stop" for
whatever reason, each car will be given the option of declaring a Time Allowance
(TA). A TA form will be supplied with the Route Instructions for an event
. TAs may be declared in one minute increments beginning with one-half minute
(e.g. :30, 1:30, etc.) up to 15:30. The TA form must be completed prior to
arriving at a checkpoint and must be immediately handed to the checkpoint
worker. A TA will NOT be accepted for stops conducted within sight of, or
at, a checkpoint. A penalty for use of a TA will be assessed which will be
additional penalty points equal to the final time penalty points for that
leg after the finish time is adjusted by the TA. For example: A team submits
a TA for 3:30. If they had actually been 4:00 late, then their adjusted time
for that leg after the TA would be :30 late, resulting in 30 time penalty
points. Therefore their TA penalty would be an additional 30 points.
This penalty may be waived at the discretion of the organizers
in situations where the entrants can prove that the delay was caused by external
circumstances beyond their control such as railroad traffic, road construction,
or traffic obstructions caused by, or assistance at the scene of, accidents
not involving the rally vehicle. Mechanical failure of the entrant's vehicle,
voluntary stops, or course following errors by the participants are not grounds
for waiver of the penalty.
C. Fill-in Penalties
60 Points will be assessed for each incorrect fill-in
(equivalent to one minute late), 30 points for a partially correct or misspelled
fill-in.
D. Checkpoint Penalties
600 points will be assessed for missing, or failing to
stop at a Checkpoint.
E. Panic Envelope
If you become hopelessly lost or confused, a "panic" envelope
is stapled to the back of your instructions which gives the location of the
post-rally gathering point. Opening the panic envelope incurs a penalty of
10,000 points.
F. Disqualification
1) If a contestant is judged by the rally committee to
be guilty, or cited or given written warning by a law enforcement agency,
of any of the following offenses, that crew shall automatically be disqualified:
a) driving while intoxicated;
b) consuming alcoholic beverages and/or controlled substances
prior to or while participating;
c) exceeding the legal speed limit; and/or
d) dangerous or reckless driving.
2) If a contestant is judged by the rally committee to
be guilty, or cited or given written warning by a law enforcement agency,
of any of the following offenses, that crew shall be disqualified or otherwise
penalized:
a) in-motion traffic violations other than those described
above;
b) being at fault in an accident; and/or
c) detrimental or unsportsmanlike conduct
Terms
and Abbreviations
| " "
|
Words, numbers, letters or symbols enclosed within
quotation marks will refer to the text of a sign. The items within quotes
may be all, or only part, of the text of a sign. Type style, capitalization,
punctuation, exact spacing, vertical or horizontal order of words, and case
are considered irrelevant. Spelling, however, is QUITE relevant and must
exactly match the spelling as typed in the Route Instructions. Items in
instructions without quotation marks can generally be assumed to be objects
or landmarks. All such signs, objects or landmarks will be be visible somewhere
in the range between straight ahead and
900
to the side. You will never have to look backwards to see a referenced object.
Referenced signs, objects and landmarks may or may not be on, or apply to,
the road you are on. |
| ________ |
Fill in the blank(s) with the information requested,
or with the missing word(s) from a sign when the blank is surrounded by quotation
marks. When the blank is within quotation marks you must spell your response
EXACTLY as it appears in order to avoid a partial penalty. There will be
one space provided per word, but the relative sizes of the underlines do
not necessarily correspond to the relative size of the words. There may be
some instances where a fill-in cannot be completed correctly as typed. In
these cases the correct response is to leave it blank. A word of warning
- some of the fill-ins may occur at or very shortly after a numbered route
instruction, some may be difficult to see, some may not exactly match spelling
or be on the wrong side of the road and therefore may not "exist" (See
"Special Notes on
Turns"), and some signs may have even been
physically removed, so it's a good idea to always read a few instructions
ahead so that you don't miss additional fill-ins or route instructions while
looking for something you've already missed, or is non-existent by the terms
defined in these instructions |
| After |
Do not execute the instruction until the rally vehicle
has passed the referenced item. |
| At |
"In the vicinity of" for actions that direct a course
of travel; "even with" for other actions, including CASTs, pauses, mileages,
etc. |
| Before |
Execute the instruction within sight of, but at the
last opportunity prior to, the referenced item. |
| BFZ and EFZ |
Begin Free Zone / End
Free Zone. A Free Zone is a portion of the rally which you
will be given a specific amount of time to complete, rather than having to
maintain an average speed. You will also be given an approximate distance
for the length of the Free Zone. The rally will begin with a Free Zone to
allow you to complete an odometer check. |
| CAST |
Change, Continue or Commence
Average Speed To. The next average speed will take effect
at the point where the associated numbered instruction is executed. |
| Hwy. |
Highway |
L (Left) or
R (Right) |
When used by themselves these indicate a turn in the
specified direction of between 10 and 179 degrees. (See also
"Special Notes on
Turns") |
| Lights |
Refers to electrical, red/yellow/green
traffic signal
lights that affect YOU. (As in "R at
Lights") |
| MBCU |
May Be Considered
Unnecessary. There may be a point or points in the rally where it
may not be readily apparent that a turn is required due to other conditions,
as in “Special Notes on Turns, # 2”. In such an instance we will
supply the turn instruction with the notation MBCU to indicate that
the instruction should be executed at that point, regardless of whether the
turn would be required anyway. |
| OL |
On Left. All signs, fill ins, landmarks,
etc. used in this rally will be on the right side of the road or straight
ahead unless the instruction is marked OL, in which case they will
always be found on the left. All signs, markers and objects found on the
left side of the road DO NOT EXIST unless you are specifically told otherwise.
There may be instances when a fill-in or question can only be completed with
something on the left. If the instructions do not say OL the correct response
would be to leave this question or fill-in blank. Conversely, if you are
directed to look OL, items on the right do not exist. |
| Onto |
If you are directed "onto" a specific street, road
or highway you should continue on that roadway, even if it requires turns,
until you can execute the next numbered route instruction. |
| Opportunity |
See
"Special Notes on
Turns" |
| STOP |
Refers to a standard, red, octagonal stop sign which
requires YOU to stop. (As in "R at STOP") |
| T |
Refers to an intersection having the general shape
of the letter "T" when approached from the base by the rally vehicle. It
is not possible to go straight at a T. |
| Y |
Refers to an intersection having the general shape
of the letter "Y" when approached from the base by the rally vehicle. |
Special Notes On
Turns:
1. For purposes of our rallies; driveways,
park roads, private, unpaved or gravel roads, roads which are barricaded
or otherwise impassable, roads which have an illegal entry or require an
illegal turn, roads which clearly end in a parking lot, plant entrance, or
garage, as well as roads marked "Dead End", "No Outlet", "Not a Through Street",
"Pavement Ends", or "Road Closed", DO NOT EXIST and should be ignored
unless you are specifically instructed otherwise (as in R into Park)
2. An "Opportunity" to turn is any
paved public roadway (other than those listed above) that you may make a
legal turn onto, in the specified direction, from the road you are currently
on. For example, if your instruction reads simply L then you would
turn onto the first paved public through street or road which intersects
your road from your left. If your instruction reads R 2nd Opportunity
then you would turn onto the second paved public road to the right, etc.
3. Turns mandated by traffic regulations,
or where you have no other option are not specified in your instructions
and are to be assumed. For example, if your next instruction reads "R at
T" and you are confronted with this situation:
You would turn right, but this would not count as your
"R at T" since the gravel road doesn't exist. (See note # 1 above). You would
continue to the next all paved "T".
4. At no point will you be asked or
expected to do anything in violation of traffic laws.
5. All route instructions are to be completed
in numerical sequence, regardless of fill-ins or questions. For example,
if your instructions read:
32. R at T
"________________ Tire Company"
33. L 2nd Opportunity
You would turn left at the second paved public road after
your turn at the T, not the second paved road after the tire company.
This is critically important to remember!
6. The execution point for an instruction
that is referenced to a numbered route instruction will be as follows:
A) For instructions involving turns it shall be
the point where the rally car initiates the turn.
B) For instructions (such as CASTs) which reference
an object without requiring a turn it shall be the point where the front
tires of the rally vehicle pass the referenced object.
Course Following
Priorities
You should make course following decisions based on the
following sequence of priorities:
1. Obey the law.
2. Obey an emergency instruction from rally organizers.
3. Execute a numbered route instruction.
4. Continue on a road, street or highway you have
been directed "onto".
5. Proceed as straight as possible on a paved,
public road.
|
