In a rally you drive around public roads and try to follow some sketchy directions that lead you over a confusing route to an unknown destination. In some rallies you are supposed to make good a specified average speed, but in a gimmick rally, time/speed/distance (or TSD) aren't used; instead you have to answer trick questions about what you see as you go along, sort of a motorized scavenger hunt.
You will need the following equipment:
1. Your Corvette (if it is a Corvette event) or any street legal vehicle.
2. A driver and a navigator (two people are needed) more usually won’t fit if the event is for Corvettes.
3. You will need something to write on like a clipboard, and a handful of pens or pencils to write with; some maps of the rally area; maybe binoculars to spot elusive clues. The more you rally, the more you will add to your kit.
Read the event announcement and drive out to the start a little bit before the first car is due to start. Fill your gas tank on the way there. Some rallies use roads where gas stations are infrequent. At the start you will find somebody handling registration; they will take your money and get you signed up. Typically at registration you will need driver’s license (for Driver and Navigator) and proof of car insurance. Then you'll get some "General Instructions;” they tell you the rules for this specific event. Pay attention to them. You will then take your car through a simple tech inspection to make sure that features such as turn signals, horn, and stop lights are working. You do have to wear your seat belts. Make sure you have your driver’s license, current registration, and proof of insurance.
Someone will get all the cars lined up in the order they start. Note: you usually can pick the approximate position you want to start in. As you grow more experienced, you can start closer to the front. A good place for novices is to start somewhere between 5th and 15th place. In that position you'll have cars both ahead of you and behind you, so that when that "hopelessly lost" feeling comes over you there may be another rally car go by for you to follow back to the route. We don't recommend running near the back of the pack as clues may get removed during the course of the rally, like kids come out and give you wrong directions, etc. Also at the start you may have to seal your drivers' licenses in an envelope (so you can be disqualified if stopped by the police) and you will be handed some more sealed envelopes called "panic packs." They tell you where the checkpoints are in the event you really get confused (OR LOST). If you open one you will earn a penalty, but you'll have a chance to get back into the rally. Try not to use them.
Cars leave the start at about 2-minute intervals so they don't create a big parade on the road. Immediately before you pull out you'll get your Route instructions, which are the heart of the rally. As soon as you are started, check your route instructions to be sure they are complete and readable.
**A NOTE - After leaving the start, pull over in a safe location and spend a few minutes reading and reviewing your instructions. REMEMBER, typically most rallys are not time/speed/distance regulated. So you should have plenty of time.**
After your short stop, follow the route instructions in order and keep your eyes open for clues that will tell you the answers to the scavenger-hunt type questions, filling them in as you find them. If you miss one, go back and look harder until you get it.
Again, as soon as you are started, check your route instructions to be sure they are complete and readable. They will look something like:
Right out of start.
Left at second STOP.
How many shutters at 5727? _______________
(SOL) __________ __________ Welding Company
Bear R at RIP "Used Cars"
Straight at crossroads. MBCU. Who rebuilds engines? ____________________The idea is to follow the route instructions in order and keep your eyes open for clues that will tell you the answers to the scavenger-hunt type questions, filling them in as you find them. If you miss one, go back and look harder until you get it.
At the end of each leg of the rally you will come to a checkpoint. The workers there will give you more route instructions, and may have you draw cards for a poker hand or ask you Corvette (or other) trivia questions as tie-breakers.
You would do well to carry a copy of The Corvette Black Book in Corvette rallies to be sure of the answers. The types of questions are like these:
· Straightforward: What was the first year for Corvette Fuel injection? (1957)
· Obscure: What automotive product was Duntov associated with before the Corvette? (He made Ardun as in ARkus DUNtov... overhead valve conversions for Ford flathead V-8's.)
· Traps: What was the year the Corvette returned to two headlights? (1992)
· What was the first year for a 12-voltelectric system? (1955)
· What was the last year for 6 volts? (Also 1955; the few sixes produced that year kept the 6-volt system.)
· Miscellaneous: What is Ronald Reagan's middle name? (Wilson)
That's about it. See you at the rally.