TSD night rally in Mount Kisco NY Saturday 11/20/10

NYSpeed Automotive
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http://www.wscc.org/flyers/2010TurkeyTourFlyer.pdf

TimeSpeedDistance night rally on Saturday, 11/20/10. Registration from 5pm to 6:30, drivers meeting at 6:30, first car off at 7pm. Cars leave in 1 minute intervals 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), a small light like an LED so the nav can read the instructions and write, 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.

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This is a scavenger hunt rally then? I don’t have any knowledge of rally so don’t rag on me but is this how its done sometimes?

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You’re scored on two things: How early or late you come into each checkpoint (60 seconds early or 60 seconds late is the same 60 point penalty). Then there will be reflective white signs with a picture of a turkey and a symbol on it, at random places all throughout the rally. Its always nailed to something on the right side of the road facing the car. The navigator has a sheet of paper and needs to write down the symbols in order. Anytime you miss a symbol, write them in the incorrect order, or put down an “off course” symbol (if there is a place they know most people will go the wrong way, they put a turkey sign there to see if you forget to erase it after you figure out you went the wrong way) you get penalty points for, usually about 30 seconds worth.

So you need to drive at the average speed so you hit the checkpoints at the right time, then calculate how much faster or slower you need to go if you never got lost and you’re early or if you made a wrong turn and got lost of 1.4 miles for 13 minutes, etc. And as you’re looking for the clues in the road for your turn, you need to look for the turkey signs. If the navigator has to keep doing math or looking down to figure out something, now you have two eyes looking for turkeys instead of 4. If you screw up bad and are now driving very fast, you have a lot less time to see a turkey sign blowing by you at a high rate of speed.

Thats how it work. This isnt a scavenger hunt where you need to find or record things, or a poker rally where you get cards or random numbers and get scored on how lucky your “poker hand” or numbers are like a bingo rally.

The last rally (Halloween) was a Q&A thing where mixed in with the directions were questions about stuff you’re driving by and you got scored on how well you found the answers to the questions. This one isnt like that.