By Bryan Hull
Rallying is not just about going fast on a the stages, it’s about keeping to a schedule.
Between each special stage there are measured, scheduled, sections. The competitors must arrive at specific point of the route at a specific time.
The rally schedule starts from the start, MC1, to the finish and the only opportunities to go fast are on the special stages where the aim is to go as fast as you can between the start and the flying finish.
The crew need to book into the start, arrival controls (SSA) and other controls along the route (regroups, service in and out controls) at a specified time.
This time is calculated from a time on the time card (in hours and minutes) plus the finish time, if a special stage, of the previous section.
For example a crew start the event at 10:20 and they have an 1hr:45m to do the first road section to arrive at SSA1 12:05.
They then finish SS1 at 13:33:36. The road section is 15 minutes so the crew calculate their next road section by ignoring the seconds and adding 15 minutes to 13:33 and the due time at SSA2 is 13:48.
Arrival
The procedure for arrival controls is that the crew sit at the Yellow control board until the earliest, 13:47:01, when they may drive past the board to the Marshals working the arrival who will be stood at the Red board (and will not leave the Red board and walk down the queue if there is a delay, they will let the Co-drivers come to them).
The Arrival Marshals will have at least one official clock and at the Red board the Marshals will write on the competitors time card the time on the clock when they are presented the time card, not the time asked for by the competitor.
Another Marshal will be updating the check list with the details of the cars leaving the start line, Car Number and Arrival Time.
The crew may try and ask for a time earlier than the clock says on the clock if they are trying to gain some “lateness” back, or they could have booked in early at the control and ask if for the time they should have passed the yellow board to early. Always write the time on the time card that they present the card, not necessarily the time they ask for. It is up to the competitor to get this right and if they have an issue with the time given they should take it up with the events Competitor Liaison Officer (CLO) and the Marshal should make a note on the check sheet.
The penalty for late arrival at a control is usually an additional 10seconds for every minute late at a control, or a more draconian 1 minute for every minute they are early at a control. It’s better to be late than early!
The Arrival Marshals will write their arrival time on the time card, and the Provisional Start Time, this is the Arrival Time plus 3 Minutes. 13:48 + 3 minutes = 13:51.
When the competitor has successfully checked into the SSA they then have a minimum 3 minutes between this control and the Start line and this time is for the crew to prepare for the stage. This can mean they put their helmets and HANS devices on. They DO NOT have to arrive at the SSA with these on or their belts done up, it’s the crews choice. They also don’t have to have their windows wound up; it’s their choice again but probably a good idea.
Between the SSA and the Start the crew cannot work on the car other than clean the windscreen and the lights. They used to be able to change a flat tyre but not anymore, if they have a flat and they’ve booked into the arrival control they have to change it in stage.
Start Line
At the start line the crews wait in line. A Marshal will collect the time card from the Co-driver and note the car in fronts number on the card, the Previous Car, and they will write the Actual Start Time this may be different from the Provisional Start Time if there has been a delay. It should NEVER be sooner than the Provisional Start Time.
Another Marshal will be updating the check list with the details of the cars leaving the start line, Car Number and Start Time.
This document will not cover the operation of the start lights but please note that the Competitors can start any time after the lights turn green, it’s up to them when they go as the clock is ticking. If they leave before the lights turn green then this is a jump start and it should be noted on the time sheet and the Stage Commander informed. The competitors will be penalised for this.
If the stage has to be stopped due to an incident on the stage the Stage Commander may ask the Start Marshals to clear the car from the start line and any others that may block access to the stage for the Rescue and Recovery Units.
When the stage is restarted any cars that had the Actual Start Time completed on their time cards will need this correcting and initially by the Marshal and the check sheet corrected and initialed also.
At the end of the stage there is the Flying Finish and then the Stop Line.
The Yellow Chequered Flag board is the warning of the Flying Finish, this indicates to the crew that they are getting towards the end of the stage.
The Red Chequered Flag board is the end of the timed section of the special stage. These days there will be a light beam recording the time but a marshal will also be located at this location taking a manual recording of the time with an event clock and a check sheet in case the automated solution fails and potentially radioing the times through to the stop line. This changes from event to event and local conditions and technology employed.
The crew will lift off and start slowing down ready to stop at the Stop board.
At the Stop line the Finish Marshals will write the finish time in Hours, Minutes and Seconds and sometime 100ths of a Second on the Competitors Time Card, and another Marshal will update the check sheet with competitor number and the actual time they passed the Red board.
A Marshal should check on the Previous Car number on the time card compared to the last car that arrived at the Stop line, was it the same car? The Marshals should be prepared to ask if they passed the previous car or did they see it off and were the crew out and OK or in need of assistance?
Advise the Finish Radio Operator that a car has arrived out of order, he may have noticed or know of cars off in stage but he should be informed incase he needs to call it into Radio Control to start an investigation as to their whereabouts (the crew could have stopped to change a puncture, had a mechanical failure, just be slower than the car behind them or crashed).
If the competitor overshoots the Stop Line they must NOT reverse back, the Co-driver must get out and walk back to get their time. If they do reverse back make a note on the check sheet. This offence could lead to their exclusion as it is extremely dangerous due to other cars and people milling around this area.
Once the crew have their time, the process begins again.