Northwest Rally Council

TSD Rally Home of the Pacific Northwest

3 Lefts & A Right!

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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

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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.

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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. 

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April Is The New May

The Season Begins! Opener Gets Postponed To 5/12

Coming Friday, April 14th May 12th, get an introduction to the Richta GPS checkpoint system when FOOTZ presents “Appetizer” to kick off the 2023 NWRC Friday Nighter series. Rallymaster Mike Daily has put together a fun route with no traps, so teams can get acquainted with the Richta system. The rally ends in Maple Valley at Farrelli’s Pizza.

You’ll need to have the Richta “Competitor” app on your iOS or Android smartphone. Do yourself a favor and get it installed ahead of time. We put together a short guide to getting and using the Competitor app. The guide can be found in the Documents section here on our website and while you’re there, grab the April May Supplemental Generals. April May (and beyond) will run under rules modified to use the Richta checkpoint system. The May ‘Supps’ include changes that were not in the April Supps.

The Friday Nighter Championship is back. The 2023 Championship will track NOV and SOP participants. 

NWRC Friday Nighters start at the Eastgate Park & Ride, 14200 SE Eastgate Way, Bellevue WA 98007.

Registration is open from 6:45pm-7:15pm. The cost is $30, payable by cash only at registration. There is no online registration or electronic payment portal. If you plan to run the May Friday Nighter and would like to pre-pay electronically (via Zelle), please email michaeldaily@earthlink.net with Appetizer in the subject line.

You can download a registration form here. Any minors participating in the event will need to bring a completed minor waiver as well. These forms will also be available at the registration vehicle on site.

Come on out and join us. Bring your friends!  

https://nwrally.org/1054-2/