Regulations
These are the guidelines to govern the 2004-2005 Arrowhead Sports Car Club (ASCC) Winter Rally Series. They are generally consistent with the SCCA's National Touring Rally Championship regulations. They may be modified or amended by the individual event General Instructions.
There are no changes from the 2004 Regulations.
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Entry Requirements
Entry Form - Each participant in an ASCC Winter Rally Series event must submit a completed entry form, which will be provided at each event's registration.Liability Release - Each participant must also sign a waiver releasing all designated parties from any liability of any nature in connection with the event. This waiver may be included on the entry form.
Number of contestants per crew - Each vehicle shall have two occupants; exceptions are at the discretion of the individual eventmaster.
Driver's License - Each driver must be able to display a valid driver's license at registration. Learner's permits are not acceptable.
Proof of Insurance - Each vehicle registered must be insured, and proof of insurance must be available at registration.
Two-Way Radios - Two-way radios or radio-telephones (cellular phones) may not be used by competitors during competition phases of a rally, except in case of emergency.
Refusal of Entries - The ASCC reserves the right to refuse any entry.
Entry Fees (per event)
ASCC and/or SCCA members - $25.00
Non-members (guests) - $30.00
If either team member in a given vehicle is an ASCC or SCCA member, the lower fee applies. There may also be a discount for early registration.Higher fees may be charged to cover certain expenses such as sanctioning fees and insurance.
Vehicles
Any street licensed car or truck is eligible to participate in an ASCC rally. While front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive may seem preferable, the routes are quite passable by virtually any street legal car or truck (unless the suspension has been drastically lowered). Two-wheel drive pickup trucks have done quite well, despite the supposed handicap of RWD and little weight over the rear wheels. Adverse weather conditions, however, will make good snow tires and FWD or 4WD a much safer proposition on some of the roads used.Vehicle Inspection - Each vehicle entered in an ASCC Winter Rally Series event may be subjected to an inspection to determine the vehicle's suitability to compete.
Requirements - The following items will be checked at inspection:
Advertising - Commercial advertising is allowed on vehicles, providing it is in good taste and does not interfere with outward vision, subject to eventmaster's discretion.
- Headlights (high and low beams)
- Taillights and brake lights
- Turn signals
- Windshield wipers
- Tires (must have good tread, recommend 4 snows)
- Spare Tire (full size recommended)
- Jack & tire changing tools
- Seat belts (original equipment OK)
- Warning triangle
- Tow strap
Failure to Meet Inspection Requirements - Vehicles may be barred from competition if they do not meet these minimum requirements, or are generally deemed to be unsafe.
Classes
- A (Unlimited) - No limit is placed on the equipment permissible for use. If either team member has 25 SCCA lifetime rally points, the team must compete in this class. Teams using devices which perform both measurement and computation (i.e. rally computers) must compete in this class.
- B (Equipped) - Measurement by any device other than stock odo. Any computational device is allowed, provided it does not have a direct interface with the measurement device. GPS receivers may be used in this class.
- C (Unequipped) - Stock odometer(s) in stock location(s) with a non-varying drive. Any four-function calculator with a single memory is allowed. Curta mechanical calculators, hand-held computers and GPS receivers are not allowed in this class.
- D (Novice) - Neither team member has competed in more than five rallies. Class C equipment must be used.
- Classes may be combined if there are three or fewer entrants in a class.
- Event organizers may offer additional classes.
Official Time
Official time for all rallies will be WWV (National Bureau of Standards), 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.
Course measurement
All rallies will be measured to 0.01 (1/100th) mile. Each rally will begin with an odometer calibration (odo check) to allow you to compare your mileage to the official mileage. You will be given a specified amount of time to complete the odometer calibration, or a specified time to leave the end of it.
Controls
Open Controls - The timing line at an open control is marked by a "checkpoint" sign. Drive past the control vehicle, pull over safely and stop, and take your scorecard to a control worker. Your TIME IN will be recorded, and you will be given a TIME OUT to begin the next leg. You will also be given a critique slip for the just-completed leg. Proceed to the designated out-marker, zero your odometer, and await your TIME OUT. Mileage from the in-line to the out-marker is considered "dead" mileage and is not used in computing leg times.Do-It-Yourself-Controls (DIYC) - Calculate your TIME IN at a DIYC and write it on your scorecard in the appropriate space. To determine your TIME OUT for the next leg, drop the seconds from your TIME IN and add 2:00 minutes. Write this time in the TIME OUT space for the next leg. Don't forget to zero your odometer if instructed to do so.
Scoring and Penalties
Scoring will be to the second. Penalties are as follows:
0, 1 or 2 seconds off Official Time 0 points 3 or more seconds off Official Time 1 point/second Maximum Scoring Penalty at each control 60 points (1:00 minute) Stopping or Creeping in sight of an Open Control 30 points (except where required by traffic regulation or route instruction) Time Allowance (see below)If control personnel judge a competitor to be stopped or creeping (half CAST or less), they will wave the competitor into the control. If the competitor does not immediately accelerate to enter the control, the penalty will then be imposed.50 points
Ties will be broken by
If the tie remains, equal points will be awarded. Organizers may specify additional tie breakers for trophies.
- dropping the 0 points window (less than 3 seconds off O.T.), then
- the number of legs won.
Time Allowance
Time Allowance Requests will be acceptedbut will be assessed a 5 point penalty per usagewithout penalty. Time Allowance must be submitted in writing to the control crew before accepting your TIME IN. Time Allowance must be requested on the half minute only (0:30, 1:30, 2:30...) up to a maximum of 9:30 (9-and-a-half minutes) per leg.The purpose of Time Allowance is to allow teams that have gone off course or fallen behind on time to run competitively without trying to make up the time lost on a leg. The requested Time Allowance will be subtracted from your leg time. There is no need to exceed the posted speed limits.
Route Instructions
Course direction will be by Tulip Diagram. Examples appear below:Left at Crossroad
Right at Tee
Straight on unpaved
A sample page of Route Instructions in Adobe Acrobat format can be downloaded here.
Cautions - Those NRI's with possibly hazardous directions are denoted by caution marks as follows:
! Caution - Speed reduction may be necessary to maintain safety. !! Extreme Caution - Slow Down. Unsafe unless taken at less than CAST. !!! Danger - Be prepared to stop. Unsafe unless taken at very low speed.Roads - Only public roads will be used. Roads marked DEAD END, ROAD CLOSED, NO THRU TRAFFIC, etc., are not to be considered unless specified otherwise, but they may be referenced or shown in a tulip diagram. A mileaged NRI may require a turn into a parking lot or onto a road marked DEAD END, etc.
Winter Rally Series Championship Points
Winter Rally Series points are awarded as follows, based on class finishing position. There will be no differentiation between drivers and navigators, points will be awarded to individuals. (Note: In past years there were separate awards for drivers and for navigators, but some individuals participated in both positions during the season. In order to recognize that flexibility, a single championship was recommended by the members of ASCC.)Winter Rally Series points are independent of any other points-awarding systems.
Position in class / # of points Position Overall / # of points 1st 5 1st 5 2nd 4 2nd 4 3rd 3 3rd 3 4th 2 4th 2 5th & lower 1 5th 1First overall will get a total of 10 points, 5 for overall plus 5 for first in class. This will recognize better overall placings by competitors in all classes.
Workers - Rally organizers and workers will be awarded points as follows:
Eventmaster 5 Checkout 2 Controls 2
Glossary
Following are some definitions of commonly used rally terms:Acute (Left or Right) - Turn of from 100 to 179 degrees
At - "in the vicinity of" to direct a course of travel; "even with" for speed changes, mileages, pauses, etc..
Bear (Left or Right) - Turn of from 10 to 80 degrees.
Before - In sight of and prior to referenced landmark.
CAST - Change, continue, or commence Average Speed To
Control - The timing line of an open control, referenced by a "checkpoint" sign, or a DIYC as identified in a NRI (numbered route instruction).
DIYC - Do-It-Yourself Control.
Free Zone - A specified part of the timed rally route in which there are no open controls.
Left - Turn to the left of from 10 to 179 degrees.
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. OM is the distance from the most recent zeroing point to a point along the rally route given to within 0.01 mile.
Paved - A road having a hard surface such as asphalt, concrete, brick, etc.
Quiet Zone - Part of the rally route, usually through a residential area, in which competitors should travel at less than 30mph and be alert for non-rally traffic. Maintain low beam headlights.
Right - Turn to the right of from 10 to 179 degrees.
Straight - To proceed upon the road most directly ahead at an intersection.
Tee or T - An intersection of exactly three roads having the general shape of the letter "T" as approached from the base by the contestant. It is not possible to execute the instruction straight at a tee.
Traffic Light - A fixed signal light alternating green, yellow 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.
Transit Zone - Part of the rally route in which there are no timing controls, and 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.
Unpaved - A road having a non-hard surface such as gravel, dirt, sand, etc.
Special Information
- Seat belt use is mandatory by law in the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
- Studded tires are illegal for use on the roads in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
- Headlight use is required, even during daylight portions of rallies.
- Winter rallies have several hazards which do not exist at other times of the year. Hunters, logging trucks, deer, moose, snowmobiles (yes, on the roads!), snow and ice on the road, widely-plowed shoulders (ask Al Taylor or Gary Starr), black ice, frozen mud, etc. are all very real concerns for the winter rallyist.
- Roads are not closed like in a Performance Rally so non-rally traffic may be encountered at any time. Don't take chances.
- Partaking of alcohol or narcotics (non-prescription) before or during a rally, receiving a moving violation during a rally, and unsportsmanlike conduct may all result in the disqualification of the team at the discretion of the eventmaster.
Return to Winter Rally Series 2005 page
[ ASCC Home ] Posted on 15 Nov 2004
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