12-Car Rally
Please note that this is only a brief outline of
what is involved. Our club nights are a great source of information and there
will always be someone who will answer any questions you may have.
Scatter
Rallies, 12-Car Rallies and Road Rallies are all similar in nature with
Scatters being regarded as the simplest form of rally with 12-Cars next and
Road Rallies the most difficult. It follows therefore that the requirements for
vehicles, paperwork etc are also similar.
What is
it?
A navigational test held on public roads, usually
in the evening. It is similar to a
Scatter Rally but with a defined route. It is also a simpler form of Road
Rally.
At the start you are given a series of instructions
that define a particular route to be taken. On our events these take the form
of envelopes, each of which deals with one section of the route. Once the
envelope is opened it tells the navigator what route to take to the next Time
Control where a marshal will be waiting to check off the time of arrival. Once
there the next envelope can be opened and the process repeated until the finish
is reached. The event is run to a time schedule so each of the controls should
be visited at a specific time, assuming of course that everything is going to
plan!
Although the basic principle is fairly simple, in
practise things are not quite that easy. The instructions for which route to
take can at times seem puzzling and take some time to decipher.
While it is possible to
compete on a 12-Car on your own it is not to be recommended and a navigator
will be required.
Finally, you may wonder
why it is called a 12-Car rally. The answer is that the conditions of the
permit to run such an event specify the maximum number of entries as twelve cars!
What do I
need to get started?
Age
17 to
drive, 16 to navigate.
Paperwork
For
drivers a valid driving licence and a club membership card. For
navigators a club membership card and an Ordnance Survey 1:50000 map of the
area.
Vehicle
Any road legal taxed,
insured and MOT’d car is acceptable.
Useful
items/modifications
A navigator to help plot
the points and tell the driver where to go (spouses, girl or boyfriends are
usually good at this!).
A map light for the
previously mentioned navigator.
A piece of wood to put
under the jack if you need to change a wheel, as you are likely to be using
some obscure lanes.
What will
it cost
Entry fees are currently approximately £10 an event
(plus £15 for insurance if offered), which usually lasts a couple of hours. Enough petrol for about 50 miles.
What can
I enter
The club runs an evening
series consisting of 6 rounds during the winter, and has a reciprocal agreement
with other clubs, which allows our members to compete on their events as well.
The down side - possible pitfalls.
Due to the nature of the
event the navigator can suffer from varying degrees of carsickness.
You will be driving on
narrow roads at night so while it is possible to use a large car it can make
life a little awkward.
The state of some of our
roads does also mean that it is possible to pick up a puncture.
The event is on public
roads so you have to be aware of
other road users and abide by any traffic laws and speed restrictions, and
there will often be club officials checking this.
If taking a spouse, girl
or boyfriend as a navigator it can cause a certain amount of stress when things
do not go according to plan!
As with any form of motor sport, although they are
rare, accidents can happen. You must be aware of the risks and accept them, if
you are to compete.