Rally Instructions
Contents
1. Procedures
2. Rally Route
3. Scoring
4. Ranking and Points System
5. Rally Types
1. PROCEDURES
1.1 Registration and Starting
Locate the registrar. Get a registration packet and complete the registration process.
- The driver must have a valid driver's license and carry minimum insurance coverage(s) as required in the state where the vehicle is registered.
- The driver must read and complete the vehicle self inspection portion of the registration form in its entirety and sign where indicated.
- Return the completed form and entry fee to the registrar.
- All participants (drivers, navigators and passengers) must sign the I-RALLY Insurance Liability Waiver form available at registration. Participants under the age of 18 must present a parent or legal guardian to the I-RALLY official who will witness the signing of the minor release form.
- Failure to follow these mandatory registration guidelines can severely compromise our sport. This may lead to disqualification and/or exclusion from any and all iRALLY events.
The registrar will assign your car a number for the rally. You will be given two cards. The first is a "checkpoint card." This card will have your car number on it, and will have a space for your mileage and another for your time. When you reach the checkpoint, you will write down your mileage from your trip meter, and give this card to the attndant. The second card is a "finish card." This card also has your car number printed on it. When you complete the rally, write down your mileage and give the card to the attendant.
Note the appearance of official checkpoint, and "odometer check" signs displayed near the registrar. Start times are in 30 second to 1 minute increments, and each vehicle will be timed independently by I-RALLY officials.
- Each team is responsible for providing their own on-board, lap timer. A stopwatch with multiple lap timers is best; however most cell phones have a stopwatch feature with multiple lap timers.
- Each team will also be responsible for providing their own flashlights, pens, paper, etc.
Attend the informational meeting approximately fifteen minutes before the first car is due out. Each vehicle will receive course directions immediately before passing the start cone.
1.2 Odometer Check
All vehicles come from the factory with a correctly calibrated odometer (the thing that tells you how many miles you have gone.) However, over time, and with modifications to the vehicle, larger or smaller wheels and tires, etc., the odometer can lose accuracy. It is important for the purposes of an i-rally event that each competitor's odometer be properly calibrated. If an odometer is out of calibration, adjustments must be made to ensure proper scoring.
Every I-RALLY course instruction sheet will have two columns to the far right of the sheet. These are labeled "Odometer Check" "Leg 1" and "Leg 2." As you travel along the course, you will encounter, at random intervals, odometer check signs. When you pass an odometer check sign, you are to write down your mileage from your trip meter in the box next to the street where you found the sign. Any signs that you encounter in Leg 1 (the first half of the rally) should be recorded in the Leg 1 column. Any signs that you encounter in Leg 2 (the second half of the rally) should be recorded in the Leg 2 column.
BE SURE TO RECORD YOUR MILAGE FOR EVERY ODOMETER CHECK. If no mileage is recorded, I-RALLY officials will assume that you missed the road section where the sign was placed, and you will be risk disqualifification.
1.3 Start Time
Every rally begins at the “start cone.” Cars will pull up to the start cone and will wait for instructions from the rally officials before setting out on the rally course. When instructed to do so by a rally official, competitors will set their trip meter to zero, start their stopwatch, and begin travelling along the rally course. Rally officials will record the "start time" for each car as well.
1.4 Checkpoint
A checkpoint is placed the end of the first leg of the course. The checkpoint sign indicates the end of the first leg of the course and the beginning of the next leg.
- Rally officials at the checkpoint will record your time as well
- Write down your mileage on your checkpoint card, and hand the card to the rally official.
- At the moment you reach the checkpoint and hand your card to the rally official, press the “lap” button on your stopwatch or write down you time.
- Once past the checkpoint you are to turn around and return to the start point. You are to follow the course in reverse, travelling along all of the road segments you have already used.
- Your goal in this leg of the rally is to duplicate YOUR OWN TIME, not the official course time. Your vehicle should cross the finish line in exactly the same amount of time that it took you to reach the checkpoint.
- There will be addition "Odometer Check" signs along the course on the way back. Be sure to record your mileage for each one.
1.5 Drive Safely
Contestants must obey all traffic laws and drive in a safe manner throughout the event. Contestants observed driving recklessly or in a manner which may imperil the safety of occupants of their own vehicle, other participants, or the public will be subject to disqualification from the event in progress and may be refused entry to any subsequent event(s). Any contestant cited by a recognized law enforcement agency for a moving violation during the event will be automatically disqualified.
It will not be necessary for any contestant to violate any traffic law to successfully complete the course since no traffic laws were violated in the official timing of the course.
1.6 Finish Card and Rally Course Instruction Sheet
At the finish, write down your mileage on the "finish card" and hand it to the rally official. Also, hand the official your rally course instruction sheet.
2. RALLY ROUTE
2.1 Rally Course Instructions
All I-RALLY course directions will consist of individual instructions for each “road segment.” Each set of instructions will include the following information:
- Course Correction: This will be a change from your existing course such as “right turn,” “left turn,” etc.
- Street name
- Time: This is indicated as a "running time," and allows you to determine if you are where you should be along the course at the proper time.
If you reach a road segment and the street name is not the name indicated on the rally course instruction sheet you can assume that you are “off course.” Immediately return to the last named street to get back on course.
2.2 Rally Roads
A rally road is a public through road. A rally road may be paved or unpaved. Roads marked “PRIVATE”, “KEEP OUT”, “NO OUTLET”, “DEAD END”, “ROAD CLOSED”, “NO THROUGH TRAFFIC”, etc. will never be a part of the rally course. Roads that are visibly barricaded or impassable will never be a part of the rally course. Roads having illegal entry or roads requiring an illegal turn will never be a part of the rally course.
2.3 Course Markers
I-RALLY uses named streets as course markers. Unlike other rallies, I-RALLY does not provide the mileage you are to travel on each road segment. Therefore you must be diligent to watch for the If you reach a road segment that does not have the name indicated on your rally course instruction sheet, you may assume that you are off course. Immediately return to the last, named road section and correct your previous error to stay on course.
3. SCORING
3.1 The Goal
I-RALLY scoring is not based on completing the rally course in the fastest time. The goal of all I-RALLY events is to duplicate as closely as possible the course and time established prior to the event by I-RALLY officials. Scoring for the event is based on how well each team accomplishes this task. To do this we use a method called "deviation scoring."
3.1 Deviation Scoring
Deviation Scoring is a method by which a team’s score is calculated based on its “deviation” from the “official course time.” Every rally course has an official course time, established prior to the event. This is the time that all teams are trying to duplicate. Every second faster or slower than the official course time is considered a “deviation” and each second of deviation is worth one penalty point. Therefore, completing the course 30 seconds too fast would result in a 30 point penalty. Completing the course 30 seconds too slow would also result in a 30 point penalty.
3.2 Leg Scoring
Every rally course is divided into two “legs.” These legs are separated by a checkpoint marker. The total score for a rally is based on the accumulated scores of the, individual legs of the course. Deviation penalty points are assessed for each leg individually and added together at the end of the rally.
It is important to note that once a leg has been completed, this time is fixed. If a team completes the first leg too slowly, it cannot make up that time by going faster on the second leg. This will merely compound the problem since they will receive a deviation penalty for going to quickly on the next leg and the two penalties will be combined at the end of the rally. The only effective method of turning in good times is to be as accurate as possible on each and every road segment. Accuracy on individual road segments will translate into accuracy on the entire leg.
3.3 Missing a Checkpoint or Odometer Check
While the chekpoint is always located at the end of the rally course, the odometer checks are not indicated on the rally course instructions sheet. It is possible, therefore, however unlikely, to run the entire rally but miss an odometer check. If this happens, you will not realize it until you reach the end of the rally.
Missing a checkpoint almost certainly means that the team did not travel down the road segment where the checkpoint was located. Since this is one of the methods used to ensure that each team actaully travels along the prescribed route, having no mileage listed for an odometer check can result in disqualification.
It is possible that something could happen to one of the signs. It could be knocked down or even intentionally removed. If this happens, none of the drivers who pass that location after the sign has been removed would have a record of it. In such a case, I-RALLY officials would evaluate the situation and most likely remove that odometer check from the scoring program.
3.4 Timing Device
Each team is responsible for providing a timing device. This device will be used to compare their course time to the official course time, and to record their time from the start cone to the checkpoint. This is important since they will need to duplicate this time on thier return trip. Failing to time the first leg of the rally will mean that the team has no idea what their return time should be.
4. Ranking and Points System
4.1 The Goal
I-RALLY employs a ranking system for all contestants. Once you have completed a rally event you will be able to go to the I-RALLY website and find your ranking among all other I-RALLY contestants worldwide. This ranking system is obviously useful in identifying which teams have bragging rights and the best of the best but, it also enables I-RALLY to select teams to compete in a year-end Top Gun Rally. A portion of the entry fees from every rally, everywhere in the world go into the prize pool for this year-end rally.
The ranking system considers a variety of factors which enable a competitor in one rally to compare their performance to a competitor in another rally anywhere in the world.
There are three separate categories worth 50 points each for a maximum score of 150 points. Only a team’s 10 best event scores are averaged to calculate their ranking. This means that after completing more than 10 events, the worst scores can be dropped and replaced by better scores.
4.2 Category 1
The first category is based on a competitor’s final position in the rally. The actual number of points varies based on the number of cars in the rally. The formula for this portion of the score is as follows:
C1=(50/F)x(F-P+1)
Where C1=Category 1, F=number of cars in the rally and P=place finished
4.3 Category 2
The second category is based on a competitor’s position in each leg of the rally. Again, the actual number of points varies based on the number of cars in the rally. When a score for each leg has been determined, those scores are added together and the total is divided by 2 (the total number of legs.) The formula for each leg of the rally is the same as above:
C2=(L1=(50/F)x(F-P+1), L2=(50/F)x(F-P+1))/2
Where C2=Category 2, L1=Leg 1, L2=Leg 2.
4.4 Category 3
The third category judges how well a competitor performed compared to others in the same rally. It is a weighted score that awards more points for doing well in a rally where many did poorly, and fewer points for doing well in a rally where most others also did well. The formula for category 3 is as follows:
C3=(((AD-D)/AD)x25)+25
Where C3=Category 3, AD=Average Deviation and D=Deviation of competitor.
It is possible to have a negative score in Category 3. A negative score will be added to the total and will result in a deduction from the first two categories.
5 Rally Types
5.1Standard Rally
This is the most common of all I-RALLY events. Participants pay an entry fee, usually $35.00 per car. The top ten percent of competitors will receive a portion of the prize money. The size of the prize pool will vary somewhat from rally to rally depending on the number of cars entered in the rally and the entry fee. A standard rally would normally consist of a field of 50 cars, each paying an entry fee of $35.00 per car. The prize pool (total prize money awarded) for such a rally would be $1,000.00. To better understand how the number of cars in a rally effects the prize pool, see "Prize Structure."
5.2 Satellite Rally (Stage Rally)
Satellite Rallies are run exactly the same as a Standard Rally. The only difference is that instead of awarding cash prizes to the top teams, these teams are entered into the next stage of the competition. Unless otherwise stated, a Stage 1 Satellite Rally will have a field of 50 cars. From this field, the top 4 finishers will advance to the next stage, Stage 2. Stage 1 Satellite Rallies will continue to be run until a field of 52 teams has advanced to Stage 2.
When 52 teams have advanced to Stage 2, these teams will compete in a Standard Rally with the top 5 teams earning cash prizes. The advantage of a Satellite Rally is that for no more than one would spend entering a Standard Rally, teams can win significantly larger prizes.
Some teams may wish to compete in only the upper stages or even the final stage without starting in a Stage 1 rally. It is possible to bypass any of the satellites and proceed directly to a higher stage or to the final stage. Winning a position in a higher stage of the rally is the same as winning a cash prize equal to the entry fee for that next stage. Therefore, it is possible for a team to simply pay the entry fee to compete in the next or final stage.
5.3 Mini Rally
Mini Rallies are usually held immediately following a standard rally and are open to the teams who competed in the preceding standard rally. These rallies are much shorter than a standard rally, about 20 minutes and cover portions of the previously run rally.
The biggest advantages of Mini Rallies are that they are fast and cheap. Mini Rallies usually have entry fees of $15.00 per car. It is also important to note that Mini Rallies count toward the required 5 rallies necessary for consideration for the year-end Top Gun Rally.
5.4 Points Rally
Points Rallies are, as the name implies, all about the points. It is necessary for a driver to complete a minimum of 5 rallies to be eligible for entry into the year-end Top Gun Rally. Some drivers may choose to run points rallies instead of standard rallies. Since no prize money is awarded for points rallies the entry fee is significantly less. Entry fee for a points rally is $15.00 per car.
5.5 Shoot-Out Rally (Last Man Standing)
These rallies are run exactly the same as standard rallies. The only difference being that instead of awarding portions of the prize money to the top ten percent of finishers, all of the prize money goes to the single team with the best rally score.
5.6 Top Gun Rally
The Top Gun Rally is a year-end, invitation only rally. A portion of the entry fees (2.5%) from every I-RALLY event throughout the year are set aside to be part of the Top Gun Rally prize pool. Based on overall scores, teams from all over I-RALLY are invited to compete for their share of that prize pool.
To be eligible, teams must have competed in a minimum of 5 I-RALLY events. The 50 teams with the best scores will compete.
If there is insufficient funds available to pay for airfare and hotel stays for all of the teams that would compete in this year-end rally, the prize money will be divided among the top 5 teams using the following percentages:
First Place 50%
Second Place 25%
Third Place 12.5%
Fourth Place 7.5%
Fifth Place 5%
