General Instructions

Section I - Administrative Information

A. Introduction

Welcome to BRANDED's first rally of the 1994 season. This rally is meant to be enjoyable for the first-time rallyist as well as for the beginner, novice, and expert. The rally is 125 miles long and will take about 6 hours to complete. The rally course is in Montgomery, Howard, Carroll, and Frederick Counties. Approximately 8% of the rally course is unpaved, and appropriate speeds have been chosen for these sections. There will be a morning break, a lunch break, and an afternoon break to allow for restrooms and refreshments.

B. Start/Finish

The rally will start and finish in the Fox Chapel Shopping Center, Germantown, Maryland, East of Interstate 270 at Middlebrook Road and Route 355. To reach the start: From the South - take Interstate 270 North to exit #13 and exit East onto Middlebrook Road toward Route 355. At the intersection of Middlebrook Road and Route 355 turn right onto Route 355 and immediately turn left into the Fox Chapel Shopping Center. From the North - take Interstate 270 South to exit #15 and exit East onto Route 118 for 1/2 mile. At the intersection of Route 118 and Route 355 turn right onto Route 355. Proceed one (1) mile through one traffic light and turn left into the Fox Chapel Shopping Center.

After the rally is completed, we will relax with food and drinks at Zim's while awaiting the announcement of results and the awarding of trophies.

C. Registration

Registration will begin at 8:30 AM. You are required to check in at least twenty (20) minutes prior to your scheduled departure time, which is 9:30 AM plus your car number in minutes. If you fail to check in at this time your car number may be released by the registrar and you will be re-assigned a later car number. Route instructions will be handed out fifteen (15) minutes prior to your start time.

At registration each crew will be given an official scorecard and a competitor's scorecard. The official scorecard is to be used by the rally officials at the checkpoints. The competitor's copy is for your use. You will also be given one sticker with your car number on it. It should be placed on the upper right corner of the front windshield (navigator's side). The correct time of day will be available at registration.

All contestants are required to sign an insurance waiver form prior to the event. Additionally, your vehicle must be inspected for safety by a BRANDED member using the form in the registration packet. The safety inspectors will be available at registration. This safety check includes adequate tire tread, working horn, operating windshield wipers, presence of seat belts, working brakes, and operating lights. Both the safety check and signed insurance waiver must be turned in to receive the route instructions.

D. Regulations

This Class 2 Rally (C2R) has been organized and is being conducted in accordance with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Sports Car Club s Rally Championship Rules (RCR's), copies of which will be available for purchase during registration. Each of the classes will be per the RCR's.

E. Official Mileages

The rally was measured to a 1/100 of a mile in a 1990 Silver Miata using a TimeWise 526B Rally Odometer and Chronometer. The pickup was located on the front left (undriven) wheel. Mileages were measured as follows:

• Signs - Even with the sign
• Objects - At the beginning of the object
• Intersections - At the apex of the turn or at the center of the intersection, when straightest is indicated.

All timing calculations are based on these mileages. The overall elapsed time is then rounded off to the nearest 1/100 of a minute (12.345 minutes becomes 12.35, whereas 12.344 becomes 12.34).

F. Controls

This rally utilizes two types of controls (also called checkpoints): the Open Control and the Do-It-Yourself Control (DIYC).

OPEN CONTROLS

The timing line for an Open Control will be identified by a checkpoint sign (ˆ.) You will be timed as your front wheels cross the timing line. Proceed to the timing station and present the Official Scorecard to the control worker. If you are requesting Bought Time (see paragraph H) make certain that the control worker initials your bought time request. Your scorecard will be returned to you indicating your out time (time to start the next leg of the rally at the start marker) along with a checkpoint slip (information both official and unofficial regarding the leg(s) just completed). Official mileage at the start marker for all open controls is reset to zero. Remember to zero your odometer after each open control.

DO-IT-YOURSELF CONTROLS (D-I-Y-C)

Each DO-IT-YOURSELF CONTROL will be noted in the route instructions by the abbreviation DIYC (e.g. DIYC at "BRANDED"). This point is also the start of the next leg. You are required to write your arrival time (in hundredths of a minute) in the next TIME IN box of your scorecard. Add EXACTLY 2.00 minutes to your time and write that time in the next TIME OUT box. This information must be filled out prior to reaching the next OPEN control or you will be scored as missing the DIYC control. There will be no controls within the next 1.00 miles after a DIYC. The official mileage reverts to zero at a DIYC. The checkpoint slip for a DIYC will be given out at the next open control. Remember to zero your odometer after each DIYC.

CHECKPOINT SLIPS

The following items will be included on checkpoint slips:

OET Official elapsed time
OMC Official mileage to the control timing line
OMS Official mileage to the start marker
INS - Next NRI Numbered Route Instruction you are attempting to execute as you leave the start marker
INS - Active LRI Active LRI's
SPD Official average speed to leave the start marker
Official Information Information necessary for the proper performance of the next leg.
Notes Unofficial information relating to the just completed leg
LOG Timing log for the leg just completed

G. Scoring, Penalties, and Disqualification

The following penalties will be assessed at each control:

1 point - For each 0.01 minutes early OR late up to three(3) minutes
300 points - For an error of three(3) to thirty (30) minutes early OR late
600 points - For missing a control or arriving more than thirty (30) minutes early or late
100 points - For failure to wear a seat belt (first offense), disqualification for the second offense
100 points - For stopping or taking evasive action (unless directed by a route instruction) within sight of a control. Also for creeping (driving at less than 1/2 rally speed) and then subsequently failing to respond to a wave-in from the control crew by immediately accelerating to rally speed.

Disqualification This will result from receiving a moving violation noted by a police summons, driving while intoxicated, consuming alcoholic beverages during the rally, using a two-way radio except in an emergency situation, unsportsmanlike conduct, or a second instance of failure to wear a seat belt.

Bought Time

Bought time provides a method of safely recovering from instances of running late. The amount of time that one buys is subtracted from the elapsed time for the leg on which time is bought. Time can be bought in increments of 1.0 minutes from a minimum of 1.5 minutes to a maximum of 29.5 minutes. No more than 29.5 minutes total can be requested between time of day restarts (morning and afternoon). If the crew is more than thirty (30) minutes late at a control, it may not buy time. The penalty or "cost" for the bought time is equal to the timing error remaining at the control. For example:
If a crew is running 3 minutes late, pause 0.5 minutes and buy 3.5 minutes. If at the control, it is determined that the crew was exactly 3.45 minutes late, then the remaining timing error is .05 minutes, and the penalty is 5 points. Therefore the score at that control is 10 points - 5 points for being .05 minutes late from the Official Elapsed Time and 5 points for the penalty assessed from the residual timing error. If the remaining timing error were 0, then the penalty would be 0. This is called the disappearing bought time penalty. The minimum bought time penalty is 0 and the maximum is 50 points per leg. The penalty for bought time plus the remaining timing error cannot exceed 300 points for any leg where the timing error is thirty (30) minutes or less.

The bought time request should be completed before reaching a control and must be entered on the score card in the appropriate block in ink and initialed by the control personnel before receiving leg review information from the control personnel. It is the contestant's responsibility to insure that the bought time request has been initialed. Bought time requests not submitted in accordance with this section will not be considered.

I. Time Delay Allowances

Penalty-free time delays may be granted for time lost on the rally course in certain circumstances which are beyond the contestant's control. Examples include: road blockage due to fallen trees, livestock in the road, on-grade train crossing, and the rendering of assistance to an accident. Slow moving vehicles, heavy traffic, problems with the contestant's car and similar occurrences are not included.

The procedure for requesting Time Delay Allowance is the same as for requesting Bought Time. It must be submitted at the next Open Control following the situation. A written follow-up explanation must be submitted to an official at the end of the event.

J. Questions and Claims

Written questions received by Friday, April 29, 1994, will be answered formally and the answers will be posted at registration. Questions should be phrased such that they can be answered with "Yes", "No, or "Does Not Occur". Send all questions to the rallymaster: David Perlmutter, 9137 Tulip Grove Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20879.
If something is not understood or if an error is suspected either in the instructions or on the rally course, see a rally official at the finish. If necessary, the rally official will explain the procedure for filing a written claim.