1. Rally School 2012

2. General Info Run on open public roads in sections 2-10+ miles long
Sections timed to the minute and the target is an 30mph average speed
Competitors are given clues at the start of each section which they must solve in order to find the correct route
Route checks along the way are code boards

3. General Info The score is kept in terms of penalty points
Being fastest on the road is not the way to win a road rally
Missing a code board or passage control is penalised heavily compared with arriving early or late, so getting the route correct is vital

4. Navigator Never lose your place on the map
Give instructions and directions to the driver
Keep track of time and communicate with driver about what is an appropriate speed
remember to set watch to rally time at signing on!
Looks after paperwork - write down codeboards, make sure marshal has written the correct time in the correct box
Main person responsible for solving clues

5. Navigator - Equipment Map(s) Digital watch Pencils Light and magnifier
correct edition as noted in regs
set to rally time
Pencils
Light and magnifier
fairly dark (3B/4B) so they are easy to see
Torch or headtorch
Cardboard board
Travel sickness pills...
to lean on when drawing on map
Extra
Clipboard
ruler
leaning on and keeping paperwork together
tracing paper
calculator
Rubber
pencil sharpener
protractor - some higher level clues may use angle or bearings
Roamer
accurate reference plotting, good idea to have this on a piece of string so you don't lose it at a key moment

6. Driver Should be comfortable with the car
Either extend own insurance or take insurance offered through event organisers
Check car will pass scrutineering
Drive within their own abilities
Support and help navigator where appropriate
Watch for code boards and tell nav when you see them

7. Car Preparation
Able to pass an MOT

8. Car Preparation
Scrutineering usually takes about 5 minutes, it is a check to aid safety, not trying to catch you out
tyres should be in good condition with legal tread
lights working - dipped, main, fog, indicators, brakes
not excessively noisy
seats secure with working seatbelts
brakes working, including handbrake
battery secure and positive terminal insulated, no dodgy wiring
no significant fluid leaks - coolant, oil, brake fluid or fuel
remove or strap down lose objects that could move around and potentially cause injury
warning triangle in case of breakdown or accident
tax up to date
Remember to make sure you have sufficient fuel!

9. "to finish first, first you must finish"
Driving Technique
"to finish first, first you must finish"
The amount of time and penalties you might save by going a little faster is small compared to the amount of penalties you incur by missing a single code board, or the time it takes to be recovered from a ditch!
Drive at a moderate/normal speed and concentrate as a crew on getting the navigation right and spotting all the code boards

10. Driving Technique
Reading of the road by the nav can be useful to give the driver an idea of the corners ahead, however it is difficult to see every corner on the map and they are often quite inaccurate due to the small scale.
Obey the rules of the road at all times and drive sensibly
Remember at all times you are competing on open, public roads so around any corner there may be another competitor, a tractor, walkers etc, coming in either direction.
If there is a faster competitive car behind you – let it past!

11. Driving Technique
Due to trying to maintain an average speed on twisty roads there is often repeated acceleration and braking so be aware that brake performance can fall over time as they heat up.
Treat all give way junctions as stops - complete stop at the junction, failure to do so can result in heavy penalties if spotted by a marshal
'Quiet zones' are areas where competitors must make the minimum amount of noise in order to not disturb local residents.
Speeds less than 30mph in a high gear with dipped lights is required
Failure to do so can result in exclusion.
It is essential to be courteous to people who live near the rally route so that events can be held in the future.

12. Map Ordnance Survey Landranger series, scale 1:50,000
Map(s) used specified in regs
make sure you have the appropriate edition as some clues will not work with the wrong edition.
Highlight important features
every tenth grid line
spot heights
churches
maybe milestones and mile posts
Crease the edges so you can fold the map back on itself
The key on the right hand side defines all map features

13. Map References Plotted with a roamer Should be split to be plotted
eg >
Four figure - entire 1km grid square
Six figure - point within the square
Eight figure - very exact references, extra digits will only be 0 or 5 (or ½)

14. Map References
>

15. General Route Solving - Process
Check the clue you have been given is the right one for your class (it should say at the top of the paper)
Plot next control so you have somewhere to aim for (higher levels may not be given this). This also helps to make sure you end up in the right place as you solve the clue.
Calculate the time you need to be at the next control
Check whether it is CRO (coloured roads only), AR (all roads) or IGR (ignore gated roads)
You can either plot stationary or moving, I would recommend stationary to begin with
Keep the mileage for the section in mind as you plot
Don't forget the driver can also help with clue solving

16. General Route Solving - Process
Plot the clue as a continuous line close to the left of the road. Do not draw on the road itself as you will obscure it and make it more difficult to see features as you follow the route.
Once you have plotted the clue, tell the driver to move off and start giving directions
Keep your place on the map at all times, and tell your driver if you are unsure so they can slow down or stop to prevent you getting too far from the route.
Keep an eye on the time and adjust speed as necessary to arrive at the control at the correct minute
Don't forget to look for code boards - this should be mainly the drivers job as they are looking out at the road rather than down at the map. Make sure you write the code in the correct place on the time card
When you have arrived at the control hand over your time card to the marshal and say what time you are after. Make sure they write the correct time in the correct box

17. General Route Solving - Process
TC2
TC3

18. General Route Solving
NAM Triangles

19. Abbreviations AR = all roads MR = map reference B = brown
NAM = not as map
BK = black
PC = passage control
BL = blue
SH = spot height
CRO = coloured roads only (blue/red/brown/yellow)
SO = straight on
SR = side road
ETL = electricity transmission line
TC = time control
FL = fork left
TJ = T-junction
FR = fork right
TL = turn left
GL = grid line
TR = turn right
GS = grid square
W = white
IGR = ignore gated roads
XR = crossroads
km = kilometres
Y = yellow
m = metres

20. Clue type: Map References
Plot references accurately
Pass through or avoid as directed by the clue
At novice levels they will be given in order, may not be in order at higher levels
Always take the shortest possible route

21. Clue type: Map Features
Spot heights give height at the point
Can use any features on the map such a bridges, churches, ETL etc. The map key will show what symbols are used.
Over and under – these normally refer to a bridge, although the bridge symbol may not be shown in the clue
Other features may also be on the road
writing such as place names
Pass the features using the shortest route
Also get spot height totals - normally higher level clues

22. Clue type: Grid Lines or Squares
Pass through grid squares or cross over grid lines
Be aware of the difference between touching and crossing
You may get two options and have to look ahead to work out which to use

23. Touching vs Crossing
Definition of a road crossing or touching a grid line, electricity transmission line etc:
A road that touches a line, as defined above, is deemed to cross it TWICE

24. Clue type: Coloured Junctions
Each block denotes a junction eg YBBY
Enter a junction on the first colour
Ignore the middle colour(s)
Leave on the last colour
May have to look ahead to eliminate options
Look for crossroads (4 letters)
YBBY

25. Clue type: Directions and Clock Face
Junction direction
leave junction in given direction
keep in mind whether you are including white roads and/or gated roads
eg. SRTR = side road turn right

26. Clue type: Directions and Clock Face
Compass directions
may mean leave grid square in given directions (will say in clue at novice level)
eg. NW = leave the junction on the road heading north-west

27. Clue type: Directions and Clock Face
enter junction on the hour, leave on the minute
eg. 11:10

28. Clue type: Tulips Each tulip represents a junction
Enter on the ball, leave on the arrow
Can be seen as on map or always pointing up
At higher levels there may be no ball and/or no arrow

29. Clue type: Herringbone
Route as a straight line, with short lines showing what roads are missed
(CRO)

30. Clue type: Codes Clues may use a code
eg. A = 1, then used to write junction direction ( for XRSO) or to write grid lines (BD FB for 24 62)
eg. a codeword that is 10 letters long with the letters representing the numbers 0-9

31. More Advanced...
There are variations on the clues at harder levels. It is best to get out and get as much experience with different clues as possible.

32. Time Cards It should show control locations and section times
Usually space for you to use to work out your due time
Code boards should be recorded on your time card
A marshal will sign the card at each control

33. Time Cards

34. At a Time Control
Enter control from the right direction - penalties for wrong direction
You can ask for either the minute on the clock or the next minute - recommend entering on your minute to avoid any confusion
If you are early, wait before the board
If you are late, ask the marshal for your minute
or 'earliest please'
Be polite, the marshal's word is final

35. Timekeeping
Always be aware of what time you need to arrive at the next control and try to have an idea whether you are on time, late or early.
Timing is done in whole minutes, so both 22:45:01 and 22:45:58 are considered as 22:45
If you end up running late, aim to stay running the same amount late rather than racing to catch up. Basically, keep to the time for the section, not overall.

36. Timekeeping
Rally time = all marshals and competitors watches should be synchronised to an agreed time which will be on display at signing on
Lateness = how far you are behind your scheduled time. If you keep arriving late at controls you will increase your lateness.
OTL = outside total lateness, gives the limit of how much lateness you are allowed to accumulate. Limit is usually 30 minutes. If you book into a time control OTL then it doesn't count, as if you never visited it at all
if you are running late and the next two time controls are close to each other than you could miss a time control and so be on time for one of them. However you risk missing all codeboards and arriving at the control from the wrong direction. These both give heavy penalties.

37. Penalties Arriving later than due time at a TC = 1 per minute
Booking in before scheduled time = 2 per minute
Missing a code board = 15
Arriving at a TC in the wrong direction = 15
Failing to visit a TC = 30
Minor infringement eg failing to stop at a give way = 30
Major infringement eg speeding = exclusion
To count as having finished the rally, you have to visit a certain number of time controls, normally around two thirds (eg. 6 out of 9 TCs). There are certain controls which you must visit, normally the start, finish and any point at which time cards are collected such as a regroup.

38. Licences
Everyone in the car needs to be a member of a MSA club - such as EUMSC!
To compete in a 12-car rally you do not need a licence. The Training Rally will be a 12-car and most events have a 12-car class.
To compete in non 12-car a licence is needed as necessary for the class 

39. Navigational Scatters
There are a number of control points at various locations on the map
Visiting each one is worth a varying amount of points depending on how hard they are to find
You receive a sheet of navigational information for the control points at the start - map references or clues, which may require information you obtain by visiting another control point first
eg. if the board at the last control was yellow follow instructions A, if it was white follow instruction B
There is no obvious way to visit all controls but you must decide how much time to allow for plotting before heading out and plan a route to maximise your score.
Most control points are not manned and require you to note down a detail off a road sign or house name

40. Regs and Final Instructions
These will give you key info about the event so read carefully!
map needed
start and finish venue
scrutineering times (start and finish)
signing on time deadline
time that the first car starts
list of abbreviations
entry list, and your car number
quiet zones
phone numbers for the organisers - make sure you have a note of these whilst competing so you can contact someone in the case of an incident

41. At the Event
Fill out an entry form and give to organisers along with entry fee (sort out between the crew how this is split)
Organise with your driver/nav where to meet and arrive in plenty of time
Scrutineer and sign on when you arrive at the start venue
Get your car number and display it where directed
Make sure you know your start time, and where the start control is
Get your map and paperwork ready – plot start control
Start and finish control can be plotted before the event as they are given in the regs
Remember: if you are ever unsure of where you’re meant to be or what you’re meant to be doing just ask, there will be plenty of people who are happy to help!