The 2010 Washington DC Road Rally Series
In the main, Road Rallying is a contest of precision. Contestants follow a prescribed route at prescribed average (legal) speeds. Along the route, the contestants visit checkpoints where their passage is timed. Scoring is based on matching the speeds/times from checkpoint to checkpoint.
For many, the ongoing WDC Regional rally program has been a secret. This has not been intentional; rather it has been a product of poor publicity on the part of the Washington/Baltimore road rally community. This is the year we fix that! To that end, we plan the following:
The road rally section of the WDCR website has been activated and contains the 2010 schedule. We plan to post event flyers there as they become available.
Similarly, we have opened the door to the ‘Straightpipe’ for articles about the program and the posting of results.
We will have both a Novice Class for newcomers and a Seat-of-the-Pants class for those who enjoy driving the route, but don’t wish to bother with the fine details of timekeeping.
A rally school will be held in April for newcomers and those wishing to dust off old skills or improve their results.
A Regional Championship with year-end awards has been established which recognizes three basic groups:
Serious rallyists may compete in the three basic SCCA classes combined for year-end awards:
Equipped – a class for computers that integrate distance and time.
Limited – a class for cars equipped with auxiliary odometers capable of precise mileage measurement.
Stock – a class for ‘pencil and paper’ timekeeping utilizing a basic calculator, tables and a stock odometer.
MGs of Baltimore, a local marque club that had been holding road rallies for classic cars since 1991, joined the SCCA road rally ‘family’ in the late 90s. So, there are classes for enthusiasts who wish to rally their classic MG, Porsche, Triumph or other.
For newcomers and ‘recreational’ competitors are also considered:
Novice – a class for those with less than 10 events who have never trophied
Seat-of-the-Pants – a class for those who wish to compete without recourse to computers, special odometers, calculators or tables.
The most important feature of the program is that there is a place for everyone. There is no reason for anyone to be intimidated by equipment or experience. There is a home for everyone. For one thing, you will not get lost. It is not unusual for Junior High School students to navigate their parents to a solid finish. It is a great opportunity for parent/offspring automotive activities. Participation by minors does require a special permission form signed by both parents.
Safety is always a concern, but it is not a problem for WDC Region Road Rally events. For one thing, they carry SCCA insurance. The events are prechecked by SCCA Safety Stewards for both accuracy of the route instructions and for safety.
We hope to see many of you at the rally school and at our events!