Kettle Moraine Colors Tour Road Rally

2021 Kettle Moraine Colors Rallye Milwaukee Region SCCA      October 22, 2022

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

 

Richta Competitor App Event name: Kettle Moraine 2022 Password: km2022

 

The object of the rally is to follow the prescribed route and arrive at each control (checkpoint) exactly on time. Contestants will be scored 1 point second for early or late arrival at each control.

These General Instructions and any addenda govern this event.

Conventions

• Numbers after CZTs, etc. are indicated in minutes and seconds. (for example CZT 13:02:00 means 1 o’clock 2 minutes, no seconds).
• It is strongly advised to go through each control at more or less the assigned average speed. Do not stop, creep, or back up within 350 feet of any control. If you do, you run the risk of being mistimed. You can think of this as an automatic creeping penalty.
• Official Mileages are given to 0.001 mile at timing lines, Car Zero Times [CZTs], and some other instructions.
• Checkpoints are noted in the CZT/CAST/CP column of the Route instructions by Ö. Any time you are working on an instruction that does not have a Ö., you are in a Free Zone.
• Any portion of the rally in a Free zone should be driven at a Safe and Prudent speed no higher than posted Speed Limits.

 

Course following

Please keep your headlamps on.

The course can be traversed at rally speeds with normal precautions and observing all normal traffic regulations and rules of the road.

Your ability to stay exactly on time will be the determining factor in winning the rally. 

 Official Mileage is reset to zero when the mileage is accompanied with the notation /0.000. Start the rally at the time shown in NRI #1 plus your car number in minutes. There an odometer calibration run provided at the beginning of the rally.  The purpose of the odometer check is to allow you to compare your odometer with the rallymaster’s and make adjustments if necessary.

All mileages and speed changes associated with an intersection are taken/executed at one of the following in this order of precedence:
1. The Stop or Yield on your right that controls your rally car.
2. The backward facing stop sign or yield sign on your left that controls the road on which you depart the intersection. The exact point of measurement is where the front wheels of your car are at the slimmest view of this sign.
3. The apex or center of the intersection.

 

Route Instructions

The Route Instructions for the Rally are presented in a four column format as shown in the following Example:

The numbers in blue and in parenthesis represent the GPS coordinates of that location.

In the absence of an NRI at an Intersection, participants should follow the obvious main (principal) road as determined by road centerlines, curve arrows, backed up stop or yield signs, or straight as possible. For the purposes of this Rally, dead ends, cul de sacs, road ends do not exist and should not be followed unless instructed to do so.  Unpaved roads have not intentionally been used, although last minute construction activity occasionally occurs.

Signs

A portion of a route instruction enclosed in quotes refers to a sign (“SIGN”).  The quoted text may be part or all of the sign, but additional words will not appear in between quoted text.  For example, if the route instruction refers to “NORTH VALLEY”, it could refer to NORTH VALLEY ROAD or OLD NORTH VALLEY.  It could not refer to NORTH HIDDEN VALLEY.

A graphic representation of a sign that represents whatever is being referenced (e.g. ). The reference will not be enclosed by quotation marks.

Breaks

Locations for gas, rest rooms, and snack breaks will be indicated in the Route Instructions.  If you are behind schedule at a break, we strongly suggest you shorten the break and get back on time here.

Timing

Timing for the rally is from the previous Car Zero Time (CZT) to that checkpoint.

This rally will utilize a new procedure for timing at controls. Contestants must download the Competitor Richta GPS Checkpoint app and keep this app running on their smartphone at all times during the rally. The appendix at the end of these generals cover this.  The Richta app will monitor your car’s location using GPS and will record your arrival time at each control. The app will record your time of arrival to a resolution of .1 second, compute your score, and display your score to you. It will tell you if you are early or late.

 

If you are delayed along the rally route for any reason, you may submit a time allowance without any penalty. Hence if you are delayed due to road blockage, slow traffic, getting lost, nature call, or any other reason, do not speed to try to make up the lost time. You submit a time allowance by pressing the TA button on the Richta app. The first button press creates a 10 second time allowance. The second press creates a 20 second time allowance. The third press creates a 30 second time allowance. Each additional press adds 1 minute to your time allowance up to a maximum of 19 minutes 30 seconds. Pressing the TA- button will remove time from your time allowance by the same increments. Your time allowance will persist until the next CZT point, at which point it will reset to zero. It is the contestant’s responsibility to pay attention to the time allowance and be sure that what it shows is what you want. If you are delayed, you must submit a time allowance BEFORE you arrive at the next control. Once you arrive at a control, it is too late to submit a time allowance for the leg that just ended.

It is strongly advised to cross the checkpoint line at the assigned average speed. Do not stop, creep, or back up within 350 feet of any control. If you do, you run the risk of being mistimed. You can think of this as an automatic creeping penalty.

Emergency speeds and signs

If an emergency situation occurs, you will be instructed by a worker along the road at a checkpoint sign. There will be a form that the team must initial to show you have received the instructions. There is also a slim possibility that an emergency sign may need to be placed if something changes on the rally day. These signs will be written on colored plastic dinner plates and put up in an obvious place (most often the support of a Stop sign).  An emergency sign will be identified by the letters SCCA.

Three markings have special meanings as follows:

I - Ignore the road or sign.

NRI <number> - Execute the instruction associated with this number here.

Special Instruction - Just do whatever the sign says.

 

Scoring and penalties

Each 0.1 second early or late	0.1 point.
Maximum timing penalty	30 points (1/2 minute)
Unsportsmanlike conduct or irresponsible driving, including traffic citations.	Disqualification, or other penalty, at the discretion of the organizers
Time Allowance	No penalty

Final scores for the rally will be posted at the end point.

Time Allowances

Unforeseen events can happen on a Rally. Local traffic slows you, or you get lost. Whatever the reason, we want you to drive safely. Therefore, we encourage you to request a time allowance (TA) for any reason.

Glossary

The following terms are defined for this rally:

CAST	Change, continue, or commence speed of.
CZT	Car Zero time. Your time here is the CZT + your CAR# (in minutes). You leave this point at this time. About 1/10 mile later you will pass a nontiming control, your device will beep, and display your CZT.
NRI	Numbered route Instruction.
Odo	Odometer.
Pause	To delay a specified time at a point or over a specified distance. The pause time is added to your elapsed time.  Pauses are specified in seconds.  For example, PAUSE 10 means pause 10 seconds.
Sleft	Straight or Left.  (Could be straight, could be left; we’re just not sure what to call it).
Sright	Straight or Right.  (Could be straight, could be right; we’re just not sure what to call it).
Stop	An official octagonal stop sign at which the rally vehicle is required to stop.
T	An intersection of exactly three roads having the general shape of the letter T as approached from the base by the contestant. It is not possible to execute the instruction straight at a T.
Traffic Light	A fixed signal light alternating red and green (and frequently including yellow as a transition between green and red) used at an intersection to regulate traffic and which controls the rally vehicle. For rally purposes ONLY ONE TRAFFIC LIGHT MAY EXIST AT AN INTERSECTION.
Free Zone	A portion of the rally which is free of controls.  You can drive at your own pace.

Miscellaneous

A sweep car may be available behind the last car of the rally to provide assistance. If you get lost or decide to drop out, please contact the Fred Rosevear at (608) 886-8035.

Appendix A – The Competitor Richta GPS Checkpoint App.

General Information for all phones about using the Richta app

You cannot run any other apps on the device that is running the Richta app during the rally.  If you are planning to use any other app during the rally, you’ll have to do so on a different device.

Your phone will NOT need to have cell phone service during the rally in order for this app to work.  The app will have downloaded all necessary information prior to starting the rally.  During the rally it only needs a GPS signal.  We have tested this app many times on this rally course and found that it is reliable at all checkpoint locations and in a wide variety of weather conditions.

You will know that the app is running by noticing the running time-of-day clock.  If the app should stop during the rally, simply pull off the road in a safe location, reboot the app and then continue to rally.  Take a time allowance if necessary.  The app will simply resume where it left off.  No data will be lost, but you must notice if the app stops.  If you pass a control while the app is not running, you will not be timed at that control and you will be scored as a max.  It is your responsibility to pay attention and make sure that the app continues to run on your smartphone.  You must keep a watchful eye on this app to make sure that it remains visible on your smartphone during the rally.  If your phone is displaying something other than the Richta app, it will not record your arrival time at controls.

This app uses a fairly large amount of battery power due to its use of GPS.  You should plan to have your smartphone connected to a power supply during the rally, otherwise you may run out of battery during the rally.  If you encounter any problems ddwnloading the app and registering your car number, please contact Fred Rosevear at rosevearf@gmail.com or 608 (231-2333).

Using the Richta app on an Android smartphone

Contestants that compete with an Android smartphone will need to be running Android version 5.0 or above on their phone. To check this, go to Settings/About phone and scroll down to see the Android version. Go to the Google Play Store on your phone and search for “Competitor Richta”. Download this free app to your phone. Once downloaded, open the app. If you get a message that says “App requires location permission,” you’ll need to grant permission for the app to use location information from your phone. To do this, go to Settings/Apps/Competitor. Grant the permissions it requires (location). Open the app. You’ll be asked to select an event. Choose “Kettle Moraine 2021.” You’ll then be asked to enter the Event Password. It is: km2021 (all lower case no space)

You’ll then be asked for a car number and a password. Enter the car number you’ve been assigned. Create a password for yourself and enter it. Press “Save.” Then press “Add” when it appears. You do not need to enter anything in the other fields. Confirm in the lower right corner that you have version 1.20.

Confirm that there is a number in the GPS Accuracy field. You may have to take your phone outdoors and wait several minutes for the GPS to compute your location. 3.0 meters is a typical GPS accuracy on Android phones. If you do not have a number for GPS Accuracy, the app is not receiving any GPS locations. Check to be sure your Location service is turned on and that you have granted the app permission to use the Location service. You should see a screen that looks similar to the Android example above.

 

Using the Richta app on an Apple smartphone

 

Richta app on an Apple smartphone

 If you’re using an Apple smartphone, go to the Apple App Store and download the “Competitor Richta Checkpoint” app.  There is no cost to you for this app.  Open the app. Choose “Kettle Moraine 2021”. You’ll then be asked to enter the Event Password. It is  km2021 (lower case, no space) . Enter the car number that you have been assigned. Create a password for yourself and enter it. Press “Done.” Press “Continue.” Press “Submit Info.” You do not have to enter any info in the other fields. Confirm in the lower right corner that you have version 1.20.1 (108). Confirm that there is a number in the GPS Accuracy field. You may have to take your phone outdoors and wait several minutes for the GPS to compute your location. 5 meters is a typical GPS accuracy on Apple phones. If you do not have a number for GPS Accuracy, the app is not receiving any GPS locations. Check to be sure your Location service is turned on and that you have granted the app permission to use the Location service.