Road Rally 101
The Car
Any street legal, insured, reasonably reliable, car with a working odometer, is a good RoadRally car.
The Trunk
In the trunk: A spare (with air), A jack & lug wrench, Flares (for night events), a First Aid kit, some water and any other spares and tools you normally carry.
Preparation
Always start the event with an empty bladder, a full gas tank, a clean Windshield and some drinking water.
Rally Procedures
Every rally will begin with an Odometer Calibration Run. This is a measured run used to calibrate your odometer to match the official mileage. There are no speeds in the Odo run, instead you are given a time to complete the Odo run.
The instruction may look like:
1 00.00 Begin Odometer Calibration Run at the Orange Cone.
Zero your Odometer. You have 30 minuets to complete NRI 22
Your start time for the Odometer Calibration Run is the start time in the schedule plus your car # in minutes. (if the schedule says the start of the rally is 12:00 and you are car #12, your start time for the Odo run is 12:12.) The time allowed for the Odo run is always more than the time needed to complete the run. (at or near the speed limits.) This will give you at least 3-4 min. to make the calculations. It is not necessary to record your arrival time at the end of the Odo run.
When you arrive at the end of the Odo run, stop briefly at the marker, record your mileage and move foreword to the leg 1 Outmarker.
At the Outmarker……
Record your car #
Record your leg start for leg 1 (this is the start time of the first leg – NOT your start time for the Odometer calibration run!) This time will be specified in the route instructions.)
22 11.38 1.63 End Odometer Calibration run at “Speed Limit 35” Outmarker for Leg 1 is NRI 23, Keytime 1:30.
23 00.00 Left at Stop. Zero you Odometer.
This tells you that the official mileage for the Odo run is 11.38 miles from the start of the Odo run and you will start leg 1 at NRI 23 with a start time of 1:30 plus your car # in minutes. (if you are car #5, your leg 1 start time is 1:35) This is the time you would record in the Leg 1 Leg Start box. At each open checkpoint the control crew will record your leg finish time and your start time for the next leg on your score card.
Odometer Calibration
At the end of the Odometer Calibration run you will be given the official mileage for the Odo run. To get a correction factor for your Odometer. Divide the official Mileage by your mileage at the end of the Odo run. (if the official mileage is 11.38 and your odometer reads 11.5 your correction factor is .989) You would multiply your mileage at any point by this factor to get the official mileage. You would also multiply the stated CAS by this factor to get your speed. If your Odometer reads 36.7, The official mileage at that point is 36.29. If the CAS is 45, your indicated speed (your spedo) would be 44.5. If the official mileage is 9.62 your Odometer would read 9.7 at that point.
Checkpoints
There are three types of check points used, Open, Closed, and DIYC. The procedure for each is described elsewhere in the FAQ pages.
Navigation Equipment
Equipped Class
Any Equipment, including any mileage measuring device, computers, GPS, any time piece
Limited Class
Any Mileage measurement device and any timepiece as long as they are not connected. Any computing Equipment.
Stock Class (Also Novice Class)
Stock Odometer in the stock location, any timepiece, and a single memory calculator
Route Following
"WHERE BEFORE WHEN"
The most accurate timing system ever devised is worthless if you are off course
The Generals
To follow the route you must read and understand the PanAm RoadRally General Instructions. The Generals contain route following information not in the NRI's.
Numbered Route Instructions - NRI's
The detail route instructions which contai the route following instructions, as well as timing instructions, (speeds, pauses, etc). A further description of the NRI's can be found in the PanAm RoadRally General Instructions FAQ.
Some Helpful Hints..
The Quickets way to get a bad score (other than getting lost) is to overlook a speed change or a pause. If you will mark up your route instructions with different color highlighters before the start it is much more difficult to miss a critical oart of an instruction.
MAKE NOTES!! if you write your mileage and time at each instruction, you will find it much easier to get back on time if you get off course.
If you miss a turn, if you have made notes, you can go back to the last instruction where you know you were on course, find the correct turn and compute the time allowance which will put you back on time. As soon as you realize you are off-course, record the mileage where you turned around. The simple procedure below will get you back on time.
(A) Record the milage ast the last correct instruction
(B) Record your mileage where you find the correct turn
(C) Record the milage where you turned around
(D) Compute the off-crouse miles -- (B-C)x2
(E)_The corrected milage is then (B-D)-A
(F) the corrected time is (60xE)/CAS
(G) The Time you recoreded at the last good NRI
(H) The corrected time to the correct turn is G+F
(I) Pick a Departure time greater than H
(J) Your time allowance is I-H
(K) Set your calculator to your departure time & 0.0 miles
This may appear to be complex at first glace, but if you take notes and run through it a few times, it will be a quick qay to get back on time.
Timing
Timepiece
All RoadRallys are timed in 1/100th of a minute. A clock which displays the time in 1/100th is the easiest to use, however a timepiece in seconds can be used. To use a seconds timepiece you will need a seconds to 1/00th and a 1/100th to seconds conversion table.
EZ Calculator Method
A Simple method for RoadRally timing using a rate sheet and a single memory calculator (in "Stock"/"Novice" Class)
Clear Memory and Display
Get Min/.1 mile from rate sheet (.XXX)
Enter .XXX00001 store in memory
Clear Entry
Start Time = TT.TT (min & 100th) i.e. 45.50 is 45 min and 50/100th
Start Mileage = MMM (345.3 miles would be 453)
Enter TT.TT000MMM "+" "MR" + "="
Then each "=" gives the time (in min & 100th) for next .1 mile
Example:
Your speed is 30mph
Your Start time is 1:38
Your Odometer reads 421.4 miles
You would enter .20000001 add to memory and clear display
then enter 38.00000214 "+" "MR" "="
This will tell you the perfect time for 21.5 miles is 38.200 and 21.6 miles is 38.400 (in min & 1/100th)
For a pause the sequence would be
"+" TT "=" "+" "MR" "=" where TT is the pause in 1/100th minute
For an 8 digit calculator the entries would be: .XXX001 and TT.TT0MMM
For Speed changes along the route, you will need to reenter the information, so it is very important you keep notes!
Time Allowances
Time allowances are what will get you a good score, even if you get off course, or have a flat, or any one of many reasons you may be behind.
A complete explination of time allowances are in the PanAm Road Rally General instructions, elsewhere in this FAQ.
As an example, if you get hung up behind a wreck and when you get lear you are 8.2 min. late you would take a 8.5 min time allowance to get back on time. Time allowances must be recorded on your score card for that leg, and a time allowance form given to the next control crew.
For time computing, a time allowance is handled just like a pause.
