Northwest Rally Council

TSD Rally Home of the Pacific Northwest

What’s more fun than a discussion of rally minutiae? Many things. Since we’re on the topic of Many Things…

By 21 Comments

Extensive waffling and editing has taken place since this post first appeared 5/28. As of the evening of 5/29 some things are completely different. It might be worth reading it again.

While writing a checkpoint slip, I suddenly realized one (ha!) of the route instructions might be faulty. It passed the sniff test initially, but as I retraced the logic and checked specifics in the rules, my confidence in it wavered. What concerned me even more was that I used similar instructions earlier without incurring any doubt. Something was critically different this time, but what?

There are still a lot of holes in the NWRC Generals. When I fell into TSD rally, the entirety of the NWRC Generals fit on a single, double-sided page. Today it fits on four, with much of the increase due to larger font size and formatting. That’s still pretty thin for rules that support course following events. I don’t have any problem with a thin rulebook. My focus is where the rules get vague or leave a gap that is open to multiple interpretations.

Today’s soapbox is about route instruction actions and ACTION POINT(s).

  • [A] All route instructions have one or more actions to be executed, whether or not an action is explicitly stated.
  • [B] All route instructions have one or more ACTION POINT(s) where actions are executed.
  • [C] Multiple actions within a route instruction may occur at one ACTION POINT.
  • [D] An action may consist of several sub-actions occurring at different ACTION POINT(s). The sub-actions may be implied.

These statements are not found in the NWRC Generals but can be derived from the rules therein and stand up in practice.

Section 4.1 only says that an instruction may have multiple actions and it may have multiple ACTION POINT(s). That an instruction must have at least one action and ACTION POINT comes from section 4.3 telling us that an instruction can only be executed at an ACTION POINT.

  • 77. R AT STOP, CAST 25

NRI 77 has two actions at one ACTION POINT. This conforms to [A] & [B], demonstrates [C], and [D] does not apply.

  • 78. L AT “STOP”, CAST 25

This is less obvious. You could make a case that NRI 78 has three actions and two ACTION POINT(s). Is there an implied action to OBSERVE “STOP”? In this instance, I think there is no need to visually note and pass “STOP” before taking other action because AT places the REFERENCE in the vicinity. NRI 78 has two actions at one ACTION POINT. This conforms to [A] & [B], demonstrates [C], and [D] does not apply.

  • 79. OBSERVE “TRUCK ROUTE”

This is the easy one, in case you weren’t paying attention. NRI 79 has one action and one ACTION POINT. This conforms to [A] & [B], while [C] & [D] do not apply.

  • 80. “CONGESTION”

WTF (words, too few). Lazy Rallymaster? Saving toner? This is the previously mentioned implied OBSERVE. One action and one ACTION POINT. The instruction must be executable, and section 4.3 tells us it must have an ACTION POINT. The appropriate action is OBSERVE, although it is not explicitly stated in the NRI. While there is nothing in the Generals about implied actions, they must exist for 4.3 to hold up. The ACTION POINT is at the REFERENCE. Once again, this conforms to [A] & [B], while [C] & [D] do not apply.

  • 81. L AFTER “TUNNEL”

Two actions and two ACTION POINT(s)? Nope. There is no implied OBSERVE hiding here. The AFTER requires that you pass the indicated REFERENCE before you can execute the L. This is just another one action, one ACTION POINT instruction when written as above. I would consider it two actions with independent ACTION POINT(s) if it was worded OBSERVE “TUNNEL” THEN L. Both ways conform to [A] & [B], while [C] & [D] do not apply.

Now let’s jump ahead a few chapters and get this over with.

  • 119. R AFTER 2ND “TRAIL CROSSING”, CAST 25, WATCH FOR HORSES FOR 1 MILE

Are there five actions? Three, maybe four ACTION POINT(s)? Perhaps multiple implied OBSERVE(s)? That was my thinking, too. But there is nothing to support that position in the NWRC Generals. The foundation established with NRIs 78 and 80 above means the AFTER kills off thoughts of an implied OBSERVE action. The first ACTION POINT has three actions – R, CAST, WATCH FOR HORSES FOR 1 MILE. We don’t have terms for the situation where (or when) the start and end of an action occur at different points. The instruction is readable and logical, so I maintain there must be another action and ACTION POINT. At that first ACTION POINT, the three actions are actually R, CAST, and [Start WATCH FOR HORSES FOR 1 MILE]. The final action – [End WATCH FOR HORSES FOR 1 MILE] – and second ACTION POINT occur one mile later. This NRI effectively demonstrates all of the concepts [A]-[D].

I hope that all made sense. When the Generals talk about actions/ACTION POINT(s), whether or not a REFERENCE is needed/used, and determining execution or completion of an instruction there are some places that could use improvement.

3 Lefts & A Right!

By 14 Comments

Next Friday Nighter just two weeks away, on 6/9.

Next up on the NWRC calendar is our June Friday Nighter.

3 Lefts & A Right is presented by the Fraternal Order of the Zero.

Will use the Richta GPS Checkpoint system again! Get the Introductory Quick Guide to the Competitor app.

Will run under additional/altered rules. In addition to the NWRC Generals, be sure to get the June supplemental generals.

Leg format will be slightly different from Appetizer (the May Friday Nighter). Checkpoints will not be identified in the Numbered Route Instructions. The Competitor app will make a warbling tone or announce your score when you pass the checkpoint. Pull to the side of the road as soon as possible. Open the checkpoint slip by tapping that line on your device’s screen. The slip will tell you when to start the next leg and where it begins (the SNOCONE).

Example:

In the example above, you will need to execute NRI 84 between the checkpoint and the SNOCONE. Next NRI: 84 means If you were still looking for NRI 83 when you reached the checkpoint, skip ahead to NRI 84 to continue. Likewise, if you executed NRI 84 after CP8 but before reading the checkpoint slip, do not repeat it. There may be official mileage (OM) noted for an NRI or REFERENCE between the CHECKPOINT and SNOCONE for checking your odometer. If no good reference was found there, OM for a previous NRI might be provided. If the previous sentence seems confusing, you’re not wrong and it doesn’t apply to you. The Out Time adder can vary. It will be sufficient to travel the route segment at legal speed and provide 2-3 minutes to read the critique and prepare for the next leg.

(This post has changed extensively, so older comments may appear out of context.)

Appetizer Launched On (Re)Schedule

By 1 Comment

Seven teams roamed the Issaquah, Hobart, Ravensdale, Maple Valley area on familiar roads while becoming acquainted with the Richta GPS Checkpoints system. The Rallymaster promised no course following traps so that full attention could be placed on seeing how the Richta Competitor app worked and integrating it into the team’s workflow. Overall, it was successful and well received. A series of posts on this website and emails sent to the member clubs delivered a large amount of preparatory information but until you run a GPS event, it all feels very theoretical. Comments at the finish were generally positive, with teams liking the immediate score feedback and the app’s simplicity of use.

Appetizer was intentionally short, at just about 1:45 total time, including the odometer check. The missing CP numbers (1,2,7,12,16) in the chart above were all Restart points, similar to an Outcone with an assigned out time, each followed by a handful of marked passage controls. The passage controls were scored point to point using what the Richta community has dubbed the Evansville scoring method. With Evansville, your out time from a passage control is your in time at that control (meaning you leave each control on perfect time.) Evansville is intuitive and easy to adopt for all paper class competitors. Equipped and unlimited class teams have to adjust their workflow slightly. The format was chosen specifically to provide a relatively large number of checkpoints, allowing teams to develop some comfort and confidence with the Competitor app.

Thank Yous go out to Bill and Charles Aggenbach for check-out of the event, Charles again for driving the pace car, and Barry S for use of the images in this post. The June event will use the Richta system again but will be a more traditional format. The June supps were posted last week and have a few additions to the April/May foundation. Each checkpoint will likely be followed by a pause to process checkpoint slip information and a physical reference for starting the next leg. Constructive feedback is welcomed.

4 Days Left and Counting. Are You Hungry Yet? Appetizer, Friday 5/12.

By Leave a Comment

Sent the following to NWRC club reps for distribution to their memberships, but also posting here to for all to see.

Read the post “Another Richta Tip” which has details about a sample event that allows you to test some of the Competitor app functionality. When done testing, unregister from the sample event!

Competitors will only need the Competitor app. The Scoreboard app will not be useful to you.

Checkpoints and scoring are defined in the May Supplemental Generals. The May Friday Nighter will use Evansville style scoring (see section 9.1.2). Upon passing a checkpoint, regardless of score there, you’ve begun the next leg on time.

After passing a checkpoint, you may access details about it by tapping on the checkpoint in the list. The checkpoint slip will include official mileage at the checkpoint (measured from the RESTART). Although competitors are not required to do so, it will likely be helpful to zero the odometer at each RESTART.