TimeSpeedDistance DAYTIME rally on Sunday, 08/26/07. Registration from Noon to 12:30, drivers meeting at 12:30, first car off at 1pm. Cars leave in 1 minute invtervals from your car number, so first come first start. Should be about 2-4 hours (usually 3ish). You need TWO people (driver and navigator), and $20 per car ($10 each). Recommended: a pen, something to write on on the nav’s lap (like a clipboard), a basic calculator (or a nav who likes math), and a watch/clock with seconds that you can easily reset to the rallymaster’s time. Rally computers, GPS systems, and lights above headlight level not allowed. Trophys for the winners of each class.
What is it? A TimeSpeedDistance (TSD) rally has an “average speed” that you should follow through the rally. Its set BELOW the speed limit. The rally instructions are very tricky and you’re looking for stuff at night (ie: make 3rd left after the word “STRINGS”, or make second acute right, etc) so you’re going to make a few bad turns. After you figure out you’re in the wrong place you have to backtrack to the correct turn without getting lost, then speed up to get back to your “average speed” (where you would be if you didnt get lost). There are hidden signs along the course you need to mark down, and hidden checkpoints where you pull over and they record what time you came in. Points are given for every second early or late to each checkpoint, and for each sign missed or put out of order. Lowest points win.
So questions like “is this illegal” or “dude this is awesome I’m gona go 175mph” or “wont we all get arrested” are silly since thats not what the rally is about. Some people do it in minivans with their kids in the backseat helping look for turns. If you make a wrong turn or get lost, its up to you if you choose you catch up slowly and safely and risk hitting a checkpoint and getting lots of points, or if you drive like an ass and risk getting pulled over by a cop or taking risks so you can make up time as quickly as possible and get a better score. There will be mostly twisty hilly backroads where you probably will never see a cop, but they are also public roads and you take any risks on your own. I can guaranty you will enjoy them a lot more in a sports car “taking a few risks” than a minivan full of kids tho. Some people will choose to have a nice ride down some twisty windy backroads in the dark, some people will get way lost and come into checkpoints late and gets lots of points, and some people will choose to drive in a manner to make up time each time they get lost and have a blast down some twicked roads. Its all up to the drivers. The roads are awesome and usually including some dirt and gravel roads, but nothing a lowered car couldn’t handle.
40 cars entered. I think only 21 made it to the last checkpoint. There was a questionable instruction 1/4 of the way in and a lot of people never got past it. I know I was stuck there for 30 min trying to figure it out. Then once I got through (only by luck) we were driving like assholes at 9/10th the whole way through trying to make up time. That means we only saw 7 of the 50 signs hidden on the route (they’re there to make you slow down and drive sane so you dont miss them, we werent).
The roads were fucking amazing. Insane twisties, a few gravel, a few dirt. Some roads you could go extremely fast on, most you couldnt go more than 30mph raking the wheel back and forth.
At one point we came up on a Ford Explorer who was going fast, and my nephew passed him in a really evil way (nephew was driving, I was navigating). Then we a blind turn and a stop sign on a main road and it was a bad merge. I knew any second a big ass Explorer was going to come barrelling around the blind turn pissed that he got passed only to find us sitting at this stop sign so I’m like “gogogo just go” to my nephew. I’m looking right to make sure no cars were coming, and I totally marked my rally instructions and skipped one instrction. We were only supposed to be on the main road a few hundred feet and then turn back into the woods, but I’m on the wrong instrction so we miss the turn, and then the next 4 instructions all worked out so we got way way way lost AGAIN. Turns out the Explorer made the right turn, and then the next turn was a side road that was dirt and had 3 houses on it and a 15mph speed limit sign. Also turns out a police officer lived on that road. After 20 cars zooming by his house on this 15mph dirt road that didnt go anywhere, he got pissed and went outside with his badge and started waving cars to pull over. He pulled over 4 rally cars and yelled at them and told them he was going to block the road with his car, but it took me and my nephew 30-40 min to figure out what turn we missed and we blew by there and never saw anything. So I guess he just went back to watching TV knowing he couldnt do anything.
Pretty funny.
I know we did horrible in terms of points, and almost didnt make it to the end because of those two big fuckups, but its all about the driving. Even tho I was a passenger for this one the roads were incredible.