EIM at the Roads Scholar Road Rally -- Jun 7th
 

**Initiating this thread to encourage EIMers to complete their registrations NLT mid-May -- it will ensure mail receipt of formal instructions from the organizers**

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A road rally is a competitive contest held on public roads. The object is to arrive at checkpoints precisely on time or collect information along the way to prove you followed the correct course. Winning requires teamwork but win or lose, the goal is to provide an enjoyable motoring experience and have fun. No special equipment or vehicle is needed to achieve this. If you enjoy driving your car on country roads, give road rally a try.

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EIM will join many other area MINIs and friends for the Roads Scholar Road Rally on Sunday, June 7th. This will be a 110 mile, 4 hour drive starting in Verona, WI and passing through the beautiful country roads west of Madison towards Spring Green and Dodgeville. MINI of Madison is a co-sponsor of this event so there should be a great MINI presence!

Rally teams are composed of 2 people - a driver and a navigator. You'll receive a set of route instructions that describe how to follow the predefined course that begins and ends at Gray's Tied House Restaurant/Brewpub in Verona. No prior rally experience is required. In fact, this rally is specifically designed to introduce sports car enthusiasts to the sport of rallying.

Each road on the rally course is assigned an average speed and your goal is to follow the course using the provided route instructions (some people call them "clues") and maintain the assigned average speeds. Every 15 miles or so there will be a checkpoint where you'll be timed when you arrive. Penalty points are assigned for being either late or early at each checkpoint. This is not a race and the assigned average speeds are always at or below the posted speed limits. It is a sport of precision driving and clear thinking, not of speed. Cars are spaced out at 1 minute intervals so you won't be driving in a pack. Trophies will be awarded to the teams with the fewest penalty points at the end of the rally. There is a "New to Sport" (NTS) class available for all of the first-timers. There will also be an individual trophy for Best MINI. :)

This is a sport that allows you to drive your car on great country roads and enjoy the spectacular scenery in western Dane County and Iowa County. In addition to the challenge of staying on time, the organizers will throw in some tricks in the route instructions to see if you're paying attention and following the directions. If you like driving and enjoy games and puzzles, you'll enjoy this sport.

Two weeks prior to the rally, a set of General Instructions will be mailed out to all participants that explain the details of how the rally works. You won't need any special equipment, just your car, pens, paper, a digital watch, and a clipboard. *Please be sure to register in time to receive this mailing.*

The cost to run is $15/person and two people are required in each car. Pre-registration is required. There are two different ways to register:

1. Fill out the attached entry form and mail it in with a check (**Note: this mail-in procedure is recommended by EIM for non-SCCA members).

2. Register online with a credit card at http://goo.gl/2A8JQ4 (easiest for current SCCA members)

If you have any questions or would be interested in working a checkpoint, feel free to contact the rallymaster, Jim Crittenden, at 970-261-2144 or at james.a.crittenden@gmail.com.

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You can let your fellow EIMers know of your rally team's participation by clicking on the link in the associated NAM Event Calendar Entry (<-link).

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Well, Laura and i have decided not to attend the rally. We've read over everything that Jim had sent us in the instructions, Rules and regulations etc, and feel a rally is a bit much for us.

Yeah, it'll be a first for me too. M1N10N is piloting her Coupe in the rally and I've agreed to be her navigator. We'll see how many legs we complete before I get sacked. :lol:

just got back from Roads Scholar Road Rally, have to say it was fun and stressful. way differnt than our EIM rallies,which i think are much more fun. congrats to Cindy and Gary for winning the MINI class. well done.

Here are a few pics of our stalwart group at this event...

https://flic.kr/s/aHskd6qhb6

From the navigator's perspective I agree with Jeff. It was a whole lot more work than I had anticipated -- calculating waypoint times prior to the start, trying to stay on course and avoid the traps (and getting back on the course after a wrong turn), keeping track of the time between each clue, etc. Plus, lots of areas with no cell signal so Google Maps was typically useless when it was needed most. Plus, on those twisty back roads my pilot just simply wanted to drive fast. :lol: (I promise, I didn't yell at her once.)

There were a couple of short stretches where the friendly Wisconsin DOT had just resurfaced the county roads with that ubiquitous top coat of loose pea gravel. Mike R., you would NOT have been a happy camper. :mad:

Jeff is being humble; had he and Sue not been hung up behind one of the equipped cars on the final leg, they would have aced us out of Top MINI. (OBTW, congrats again on your 30th!)

It was amazing to see how much planning, preparation, equipment, support staff, and hard work goes into one of these SCCA time-distance events. The organizers did a great job...although frankly, I think now that I've experienced it I know that I rather prefer our typical, low-stress, local drives. :)

We agree. More stress than necessary for a great drive in beautiful country. Congratulations, Cindy & Gary.