Regularity Rallies
WHAT ARE HISTORIC REGULARITY RALLIES?
A regularity rally is a historic motor racing test (vehicles over 25 years old) that is usually carried out on roads open to traffic , so at all times, the rules of the Highway Code must be respected, and which consists of traveling a series of pre-established sections in a route at the speeds imposed by the Organization, prioritizing the accuracy in passing through the controls.
The route of the test is secret and before the start the organization will give the contestants a Route Book ( Road Book) in which they have marked and measured the itinerary to be followed, with the different changes of direction, roads and junctions (the route) and the average speed at which each of the sections must be carried out, both the Timed Regularity Sections (TCR), in which secret timekeepers are placed that will control, at the second, the passing time of each vehicle, as in the Link Sections (TE), without secret controls.
If the participant goes ahead or falls behind in his theoretical hour of passing through a control, he will penalize as many seconds as he goes ahead or falls behind.
In summary :
- Regularity consists of maintaining the speed indicated by the organization and making a route defined by a road book.
- If the participant goes ahead or falls behind in his theoretical hour of passing through a control, he will penalize as many seconds as he goes ahead or falls behind.
The general and basic features are:
- Average speed less than the speed limit
- Highway open to traffic
- Participants must respect the General Traffic Regulations
- Vehicles with a minimum of 25 years old
BASICS OF A REGULARITY RALLY
Travel
Normally the route is secret, and at the beginning of the test or some time before, a Roadbook is given to the participants. It will include the route of the Rally from its beginning to the end of the test.
Test
The Test is made up of Stages, Sections, Sectors and Regularity Sections.
Stage: Each of the parts of the route separated by a stop of at least nine (9) hours.
Some places call these legs. On a rally such as LeJog the 9 hours of rest part is ignored.
In Rabbit, several stages can be created but if the RBK file is used its all one Stage.
Section: Each of the parts of the route separated by a stop of between one (1) and four (4) hours.
For our use I think I would say a Section is a part of the route separated by a break.
Sector: Each part of the route comprised between the departure of a section and that of its first timed section,
or between the exits of two consecutive timed sections,
or between the departure of the last classification stage of a section and the arrival of this.
Sectors are any Link or Speed. So if a regularity consists of 3 speeds, each of them is a sector.
Timed Regularity Section (TCR): It is the part of the sector in which the regularity of the contestants is measured, penalizing both the advance and the delay on the imposed average.
Link Section (TE): It is the part of the sector in which the regularity of the contestants is not measured.
Average speed
It is the speed established by the organization that must be maintained throughout the entire route, always less than the posted Speed Limit.
In the timed sections, the speed is established by the organization and may be varied in each of them or within them, but always less than the speed Limit. In the link sections the speed is free, but never higher the speed limit.
Controls
Throughout the test, we will have a series of controls, which the Organizer will use to know where we are at all times as well as to be able to score and reflect it in the Final Ranking:
Secret Controls: They are those used along a Timed section and that serve to see the gap, both for advance and for delay that the participant takes on the theoretical time of passage. They are secret and can only be made public once the section is finished. We have been calling these CP or PC
Regularity Self Start Controls (RSSC) : These indicate the start of a TCR.
Mandatory Pass Controls (CPO): They are used to check that the participants pass through a certain point on the route. In it, they simply seal or sign the Control Card, penalizing according to the regulations in case of not having it sealed. These are usually called passage controls. Rarely used here.
Mandatory Pass (CHPO) Time Controls: These are controls similar to the previous ones but in which the participant has to enter at a certain time, indicated in the Control Card. They are normally used at the exit (CHS) and at the arrival (CHLL) of the different sections and serve to avoid crowding of vehicles along the route. We have been calling these TC. Their main purpose is regrouping so contestants don’t get too spread out.
Calibration Section
It is a section, published sufficiently in advance by the Organization, and which serves to adjust the measuring devices of our car and make them coincide with the measurements made by the Organizer.
Roadbook
It is a set of information that will indicate the route that we have to do and respect throughout the test.
It is divided into bullets, each of which will present us with different information that will guide us through the route of the Rally:
· Total Distance : Indicates the total distance from the start of the Corresponding Sector.
· Partial Distance : Indicates the distance from one bullet point to the next.
· Graphic Description : Visually indicates the direction to take or passing reference at the indicated point.
· Additional Information : It gives us additional information about the vignette (caution at crossroads, take direction ..., sign, potholes, etc).
Bullet is an interesting term. It’s meaning is more impressive in Spanish but it is basically an item in a list.
One of the basic rules to keep in mind when we come across a junction that is not indicated in the roadbook is “continue main”, that is, continue on the same road we were driving on without deviating to another.
Specifics
MONTE-CARLO DEPART IN REGULARITY ZONES
When starting regularity zones, there will be no Time Control. The teams will not have a fixed start time and can start to the regularity sector when they consider it appropriate.
The start time in a regularity zone should always be in the second 00 (full minute).
The timing system MiRally SmartControl will take note of the start time automatically when the car drives 100 meters from the starting point and it will not be possible to start the stage again due to any type of error made by the participant.