Third Annual COM Relay Rally – June 30, 2013

[bhoss]

This Relay Rally will be free to all members signed up for that day’s event.

The club is very excited about our third annual Relay Rally. As this is a one-time annual event, I am publishing the rules ahead of time so that we can all become familiar with them prior to the event.

The objective of this event is to have fun!!! Anyone not planning on having a great time should not participate. We have written the rules with this "fun factor" in mind - please read them and participate in this event with that in mind.

Brief history of a relay rally:
In the 80s and early 90s COMSCC added a little variety by adding "a taste of racing" to their normal Time Trial events by initiating Silver Shootouts and Relay Rallys. Four team leaders were selected and they chose team members out of a crowd formed at the end of the Time Trials. The four teams lined up in pit lane and waited a long time for timing and scoring to take their paper-based time trial results and manually add up the total times run by the team members.

This total time was used as a handicap to start the faster team later than the slower team with the hope that at the end of all laps all teams would cross the finish line at the same time. There were sometimes 13 or more members of each team.

Preparing for the Relay rally took a long time and at one event after daylight saving time was over, the race ran past dark! This was quite challenging for cars including Spec Racer Renault with no lights. Imagine someone following you with no lights who is looking for a point-by (but we did not have point-bys in those days).

Time Schedule
• Time Cards for all participants must be received by 10:00 at the Tech Shed
• Teams will be posted in tech Shed at 11:30
• Group meeting at Tech Shed 12:15
• Team Meetings at designated garages at 12:20 (Team Captain, Team Name, Team Run Order to be decided)
• Captains deliver run order to Timing & Scoring no later than 2:00
• Drivers Meeting at tech Shed at 5:10
• All cars lined up in order on grid by 5:20 – team photo’s to be taken
• Relay Rally starts at 5:30 – till conclusion at 7:00 to 7:15

Rules
All cars must visibly display the car number with the correct color background for that team – this is especially important for dual driver cars. Cars that do not have the right number on them will at a minimum be assigned a one lap penalty or maybe not counted at all.

Only licensed and signed-off drivers will be eligible for this event – if you are not sure of your status, check with your instructor or the head instructor prior to 10:00 the day of the event. All time cards must be presented no later than 10:00 the day of the event. The time card should have the time that you plan to run during the Rally. I would suggest that you make an effort to put down an appropriate time for your driving ability – we will be watching you and the time that you put down – sandbagging (putting in a much slower time than you will actually run) will be met with swift and drastic punishment. Your actual Time Trial results (if you have them) are a good place to start.

If, during your laps on the track you are more than 5 seconds quicker than the time listed on your card, your team may receive a 20 second penalty – actually 20 seconds for each 5 seconds faster – that’s 20 seconds for each lap you are 5 or more seconds under your stated time.

Four to six teams will be created using the time on the cards to create teams that have a similar elapsed time. Once the teams have been announced, each team will have a team meeting at 12:15 to decide on a captain, a name and the order that they want to go out in. Only the captain of each team will be allowed to speak with T&S. The captain is responsible to get the running order to T&S by 2:00. The captain of a team cannot be a Board Member or an instructor.

This is a social event as well as a relay rally – as such, I would recommend that all team members be present on pit road to start the rally.

Remember that New Hampshire requires that any on the hot pit road during while cars are on the track must be wearing a helmet (racing or bicycle) – please be aware of this rule and comply at all times.

Before the rally, all teams are to line up on pit road in the order that they have determined. The rally will not start until all cars are lined up. Failure of a car to appear on the grid in a timely manner will completely screw up all of our planning – please make sure that this does not happen. Each car of each team will be color-coded - numbered as to the order that it will be going out (we will provide those numbers). If at the last minute a driver cannot make the lineup and participate – Timing & Scoring will select another car from that team with an equal or slower time to run again.

The first car of each team will initially be released from pit lane based on the delta of its combined time when compared to other teams so that theoretically all teams will finish at the exact same time if everyone runs the times that they put down on their time cards.

You are on the clock the second that you leave pit road – all track entry procedures will apply – you must stay inside the blend line and you must not hit any blend line cones. The penalty for hitting a blend line cone is a 30 second penalty (each cone) for the next member of your team.

Passing is allowed, even encouraged, during the relay rally provided that you follow all of COMS point by rules.

Failure of a driver to point by a competitor after a “catch” in two consecutive passing zones will result in a stop and go penalty on that driver – the black flag will be displayed at turn 6. Improper passing - passing without a point by, a late pass or a pass in a non-passing zone will also receive a stop & go penalty. Passing zones will be covered at pre race meeting.

The corner workers are Timing & Scorings best friends, they will be reporting on everyone’s driving during the event. The corner workers love to comment on everyone’s driving and are not shy in sharing their opinions. We in T&S like the corner workers and will support the corner workers when they suggest driving penalties.

Before the event you will be informed on the number of laps that each competitor will run. The driver (or a member of his team) will be responsible for counting those laps – there will be no green flag at the start or checkered flag at completion – at the end of your appointed laps you will continue to proceed at speed all the way to the regular pit entrance (the one that we always use during school days) where you will display the pit in signal (fist out the window) and then enter pit lane at a reasonable and safe speed. Speeding on pit road (in the opinion of the pit marshal) will result in the loss of dinner privileges and a possible one lap penalty. If you are a dual driver car you should proceed down pit road and get your car back in line. If you are not a dual driver car you can exit pit road back into the paddock.

The second that you enter the first stripe on pit road, the next competitor on your team will be released onto the track so there is no need to enter the pits quickly.

Again let me reiterate – a quick entry onto pit road will result in a quick exit of that driver from competition.

If you come in one lap too early the next car in line for your team will be held one additional lap. If you come in one lap too late, well you just lost your team one lap.
If you do not feel confident that you can count up to 5 laps then I suggest that you enlist your fellow team members to count laps for you and then have them display a pit board informing you that your time is up.

The first team to cross the start/finish line after completing all of their laps will be declared the winner. At that point the other teams in the competition will all officially be declared losers and we will let them decide among themselves the final finishing order.

Flags - The Flags for this event are a little different than a Time Trial - pay attention here!

Green Flag – we have no green flag – you are on the clock the second you are released from pit lane

Standing Yellow Flag – be cautious but the rally proceeds as planned. No passing until next flag corner with no yellow.

What if there is a spin? What if a car fails? No problem if you can get the car going again – there are no catches as in a regular TT. Car must not re-enter without signal from corner worker. If a car is dead in an unsafe position then Black Flag All, retrieve the car and restart the relay rally with the drivers that were on course, 5 seconds apart. The team that caused the Black Flag shall start one lap behind.

Waving Yellow Flag - be very cautious but the rally proceeds as planned. No passing until next flag corner with no yellow.

Black Flag All – indicates that there is a problem on the track and that this session is over. Proceed at a cautious speed back to the pits and await further instructions. If you break down on track and are the cause the event to be black flagged, you will then be rudely and roughly towed back to pit lane where you will be ridiculed and your team assessed a one lap penalty.

Black Flag- One (furled and pointed) - that car must come into pit lane and see Contol.

Checkered Flag – will only be used once at the conclusion of the event to indicate the winner of the event.

At the conclusion of the Relay Rally there will be a Bar-B-Q and a trophy presentation.

If you have any questions, post them up here.

[xms651]

Sorry for the newb Q's:

- This is happening on Sunday 30th between 10ish and 5ish. Sunday is also a normal instructional day (like a non-relay rally weekend)? If so, how does one follow the normal (busy) instructional laps schedule and still go to all the required above listed activities between 10 and 5?

- At 10 drivers are supposed to hand in time cards. I think this implies TT times? But TT's are happening on Monday. So what are the times drivers are supposed to hand in?

- This sounds like it's open to everyone (even if I'm slow)?

Thanks for humoring my Q's guys!

[Mark Swinehart]

http://www.comscc.org/rules/relay-rally/

The RR is run at the "end" of the day. It usually starts around 5:30 PM.

[Mick]

Sorry for the newb Q's:

- This is happening on Sunday 30th between 10ish and 5ish. Sunday is also a normal instructional day (like a non-relay rally weekend)? If so, how does one follow the normal (busy) instructional laps schedule and still go to all the required above listed activities between 10 and 5?

- At 10 drivers are supposed to hand in time cards. I think this implies TT times? But TT's are happening on Monday. So what are the times drivers are supposed to hand in?

- This sounds like it's open to everyone (even if I'm slow)?

Thanks for humoring my Q's guys!

No need to apologize for the questions, that's what the forum is here for. We were all new once.
- As Mark said. The RR starts around 5:30
- I believe the time cards need to be handed in so that they can be used to construct the RR teams.

[xms651]

Sorry for the newb Q's:

- This is happening on Sunday 30th between 10ish and 5ish. Sunday is also a normal instructional day (like a non-relay rally weekend)? If so, how does one follow the normal (busy) instructional laps schedule and still go to all the required above listed activities between 10 and 5?

- At 10 drivers are supposed to hand in time cards. I think this implies TT times? But TT's are happening on Monday. So what are the times drivers are supposed to hand in?

- This sounds like it's open to everyone (even if I'm slow)?

Thanks for humoring my Q's guys!

No need to apologize for the questions, that's what the forum is here for. We were all new once.
- As Mark said. The RR starts around 5:30
- I believe the time cards need to be handed in so that they can be used to construct the RR teams.

Thanks for the replies. I did a bad job of framing my Q's I think.

- I understand the rally is from 5ish to 7:30ish. But there are a bunch of activities listed in the original post happening between 10 and 5. I was wondering how those things happen while there's instructional lapping groups going around the track at the same time.

- Re: Cards, I was wondering how I fill out times if the TT's are on Sunday. I did TT's once last year, but I have no idea what my times were specifically. Other than they were slow. My car is faster this year (from ST3 to T50) but the driver will still be slow. Can I still enter the rally if I don't have current TT times to submit?

Thanks guys. Seems like it would be fun to give it a try (and I wouldn't feel guilty for being slow since there's handicaps calculated!).

[Mick]

Thanks for the replies. I did a bad job of framing my Q's I think.

- I understand the rally is from 5ish to 7:30ish. But there are a bunch of activities listed in the original post happening between 10 and 5. I was wondering how those things happen while there's instructional lapping groups going around the track at the same time.

- Re: Cards, I was wondering how I fill out times if the TT's are on Sunday. I did TT's once last year, but I have no idea what my times were specifically. Other than they were slow. My car is faster this year (from ST3 to T50) but the driver will still be slow. Can I still enter the rally if I don't have current TT times to submit?

Thanks guys. Seems like it would be fun to give it a try (and I wouldn't feel guilty for being slow since there's handicaps calculated!).

- All of those activities are going on in the paddock, independent of the lapping.
- You'll need to find a way to time yourself. You could have a friend time you from the side of the track, tape a stopwatch to your dash, or ask your instructor to time a few laps while the two of you are out.

[Chrispy]

It doesn't matter what your times are, fast or slow. The relay groups are constructed based on a total average time for the entire team. The time cards are needed so that the fast and slow can be averaged out, a guess based on results from that morning will suffice (we should have timing data available for everyone that needs it).

All you need to qualify for the relay is to be either licensed or solo'd by your instructor.

[Mick]

(we should have timing data available for everyone that needs it).

Oh right. I forgot about the timing system. There's no need to time yourself anymore.
-OldSchool

[xms651]

Sweet. Thanks for the details guys. Looking forward to it!