  
Road Events
Stage Rallies Organisation
Authorisation CAS Authorisation
Addresses
Insurance
Event officials Public
relations Road event
specifics
Stage event specifics
Forest Enterprise Servicing
Introduction
Rallying is the most popular form of motor sport
in Britain, with over 1,000 permits for events issued by
the MSA each year. The organisation of any rally requires a large amount
of detailed work to ensure that the event runs correctly with the minimum of
impact upon the general public.
There are numerous different types of rallies
ranging from the humble club night navigational event through to the
International Stage Rally, however, the same basic principles apply to all
events regardless.
All motor clubs organising rallies whether
they use the public highway or not are required to comply with the relevant
sections of the MSA Yearbook.
Rallies can be split into two main categories
which can then be subdivided further:
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A. Road Events
These are events whose main element of
competition takes place on the public highway. Road events often require
competitors to maintain a time schedule over a demanding route with time
controls along the route. The route will be defined by various
navigational techniques which may be issued to competitors at regular intervals
along the route. Cars used may be totally standard or prepared to a
limited level in compliance with the relevant Technical Regulations. It is
not necessary to have a fully prepared car to compete on these events although a
few minor modifications may be helpful. The events can be subdivided as
follows:
-
Road Rally
- A competitive event which can be timed to the minute or second with a
route length usually in the region of 100 to 180 miles taking place
overnight on a Saturday/Sunday. The route instructions cannot be
issued before the start of the event and the maintenance of a strict time
schedule forms the basis for the competition. Some events use a large
element of "white" roads that give competitors a bit of variation.
- Navigation
Rally - These events are of a similar format to road rallies, however
the navigational skills of the crew are a major factor in determining the
winner. Sections must be timed to the minute only. With
navigational rallies the technical regulations relating to competing
vehicles are slightly relaxed as a performance car is not necessarily the
key to success on these events.
- Twelve Car
Rally - Organised by motor clubs for their own members and usually
taking place on a weekday evening these events are of a similar format to
Navigational rallies, but are limited to twelve cars only. They
usually have a route of between 50 and 60 miles and are ideal for the novice
and beginner to learn the ropes.
- Navigational
Scatter - A navigational event where crews are expected to visit a
number of predetermined points but the route to visitation is generally
free. The crews will be expected to locate clues at each point, some
of which they may have to get out of the car to locate. For these
events no merit is placed on visiting more than 75% of the controls and
timing is only governed by a finishing time. A navigator is not always
necessary nor is a car as it is only the incidental means of transport.
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B. Stage Rallies
Stage rallies are events where crews compete
against each other on timed sections known as stages. These sections must
take place on either private land or roads closed by law to all other traffic.
The stages are usually timed to the second and the emphasis is upon driver skill
and car control, rather than navigational plotting skills. Cars must be
prepared to a high standard and a check for compliance before each event (scrutineering)
will take place. Each stage is linked by a section called a Neutral or
Road Section which may be a public highway and is timed at under 28 mph average
speed.
There are two types of Stage Rallies:
- Multi-Use
Stage Rally - An event usually taking place on one venue with
no public highway link sections. Disused airfields and race circuits
are popular venues for these types of events. Stages can be used more
than once, however, certain restrictions are placed upon the amount of times
a stage can be used unless slight changes are made to its layout.
- Multi-Venue
Stage Rally - An event where stages are located at different venues,
which may be used no more than four times. Stages are linked by
Neutral or Road Sections often on the public highway.
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Organisation
All rallies need a permit to be issued by the
MSA prior to them being held. The permit must be applied for at least six
weeks but not more than four months prior to the event. The permit
contains detailed information as to what is required to have been undertaken
prior to its issue.
A rally must comply with the relevant section
of the MSA Year Book. The information that competitors must comply with,
together with any other relevant information such as the start venue, mileages,
surfaces, etc, will be contained in a set of Supplementary Regulations which are
issued by the organising club.
These Supplementary Regulations will also
include an entry form.
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Authorisation
All rallies that include sections run on the
public highway are governed by the Motor Vehicles (Competition and Trials)
Regulations 1969. A formal application for approval must be made by the
event organiser to the MSA Competitions Authorisation Section (CAS) using form
E404. They handle all events within England and Wales. The Royal
Scottish Automobile Club handle applications for Scotland.
Some types of events are automatically
authorised provided the local Route Liaison Officer (RLO) approves the route of
the event. These events are detailed in Section K of the MSA Yearbook
(Blue Book).
Multi-Use Stage Rallies which do not use the
public highway are exempt from this procedure.
Any application for authorisation must be
submitted no earlier than 6 months and no later than 2 months prior to the
event. The official application form must be accompanied by 2 copies of a
tracing detailing the whole route of the rally taken from 1:50
000 scale Landranger OS maps together with locations of controls and a time
schedule. A copy of the tracing should also be sent to the relevant RLO(s).
Upon receipt of the tracings the CAS section will copy them to the local police
authorities for the area being visited.
Prior to the event a per capita fee will be
payable based on the total number of starters and mileage of the event.
Authorisation will not be granted unless this fee is paid to the CAS.
Applications in Scotland are slightly
different as the tracings are made on 1:250 000 scale maps and letters of
authority must be submitted to the RSAC from local police authorities whose area
the route traverses.
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CAS Authorisation
Addresses
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Insurance
By issuing a permit for an event the MSA
automatically arranges a Legal Liability (third party) insurance cover to
protect clubs organising events. These policies provide protection against
any third party claims to the club and its officials.
In addition competitors on stage rallies on
private land benefit from insurance against third party claims.
Where private land is used on a rally whether
for a special stage or otherwise, the landowner may require the club to make
good any accidental damage that may occur.
The MSA can arrange contractual liability
cover to protect clubs from any such claims. This cover must be arranged
in advance of the event by the organising club with the MSA. Cover cannot
be arranged for damage to road surfacings.
The motor vehicle insurance policies held by
most competitors will specifically exclude the use of the vehicle on public
roads for rallies. Where a competitor is unable to arrange their own
insurance through their existing policy, the club should arrange for a suitable
scheme.
To operate the scheme the club must apply to
the insurer in writing at least 21 days prior to the event. The insurer
will then issue a blanket certificate of insurance for the rally which will
allow any competitor, provided they have a letter of acceptance and can sign a
declaration and pay the relevant fee, to take part in the event under the event
insurance.
Event insurance schemes known to the MSA are:
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Bradstock
Insurance Brokers Ltd
Hannover House
Charlotte Street
Manchester Ml 4FD
Tel: 01 61 228 0721
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Bowring Sport and Leisure
Insurance Services
Mount Pleasant House
Lonsdale Gardens
Tunbridge Wells
Kent TN1 1NU
Tel: 01892 553160
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Both schemes have subtle differences in their
method of operation and organisers should familiarise themselves with the method
of operation long before the scheme is required.
Event
officials
For any rally there are numerous tasks that must
be undertaken. The size of the team that undertakes these tasks will be
dependent upon the size and nature of the event being organised. For a
twelve car rally perhaps one person can undertake all of the duties, however,
for a major event the following officials will be required:
- Clerk of
the Course: The Clerk of the Course is the event manager. This
person has overall responsibility to ensure compliance with the relevant
regulations. They must also keep the event on track in its early stages of
organisation to ensure that deadlines are achieved by the other team
members. The Clerk of the Course also acts as the first judicial body
when protests are made. The Clerk of the Course may have an assistant
if required. This is a useful position for a new organiser as it
allows them to gain a taste of what it is like organising an event.
- Secretary
of the Meeting: Responsible for the general event paperwork and to
manage "the office" for the Clerk of the Course. The
Secretary will be involved with signing-on and competitor liaison. Much
of the documentation for the event will be produced by the Secretary.
It is a busy role and for smaller events may be combined with the role of
Entries Secretary.
- Entries
Secretary: To be responsible for receiving entries and relevant fees
and organising event signing-on with the Secretary of the Meeting.
- Chief
Marshal: The role of the Chief Marshal should not be underestimated
as it is this person's job to arrange the supply of marshals for the event
and to ensure that they know what to do and where to go. In the
present climate recruiting marshals can be extremely difficult and someone
who has several contacts could be a useful person to fulfill this role.
- Timekeeper:
To arrange the supply and distribution of timing equipment for the event.
Also required to ensure timing equipment is accurate and set in accordance
with MSA Requirements and tolerances to BBC/Telecom time.
- Scrutineer:
To ensure that the competition vehicles all comply with MSA technical
regulations that apply to the specific event.
- Stewards:
On rallies of clubman status only one Steward is required. All others
need three Stewards. The Stewards are there to act as impartial
observers and to ensure that the event is run in accordance with the
regulations. They also act as a second judicial body should an appeal
be made against the decision of the clerk of the course. It must be
noted that Stewards should not be permitted to undertake any other official
post.
Public
relations
All rallies require some form of Public
Relations exercise (PR) to be undertaken along the proposed route. The
exact amount of PR work required is detailed in Section K of the MSA Yearbook.
The PR work is necessary to minimise the
disruption caused by an event, warn people on the route of the event and to
protect the future of the sport. It must be carried out by trustworthy
club officials and far enough in advance of the event so that problems can be
overcome in plenty of time. Re-routes may be required and these must be
processed via the CAS.
When undertaking the PR work it is essential
that a diplomatic approach is made and that you do not ask for permission from
the householders en route as this can lead to unnecessary difficulties.
Inform them of the event, leave a PR Letter and have them sign the PR Register
which must be kept for all PR work carried out. In England and Wales you
must also refrain from implying that the Police have authorised the event.
The RLO(S) for the area may request that
additional PR work is undertaken in sensitive areas.
The PR Register must be available for
inspection by the Clerk of the Course, Stewards and RLO(s).
Road event
specifics
A road event can be quite a complex beast to
control, however by following a series of pointers problems should be minimised.
In particular night time events can cause the most problems as they run at
anti-social hours in remote locations.
Sections on road events need to be carefully
planned depending on the type of section.
Standard and Regularity Sections are
the competitive elements of the route and may be timed to a legal maximum
average speed of 30 mph. Often "whites" (unsurfaced tracks) are
used on these events to maintain a challenge to competitors. The routes of
these sections should be designed to avoid built up areas wherever possible.
Neutral and Transport Sections are the
linking parts of the route whose main purpose is to allow competitors to travel
through villages, PR sensitive areas and along long stretches of main roads to
link different parts of the event together. These can only be timed at 28
mph average in the case of Neutrals. Transport Sections can be timed at 30
mph average. Time controls on the public highway must be a minimum of 2
miles apart.
Whilst planning the event route you must be
mindful of the style of event, the time of year and the length of route.
There is no use running an event on top of the North Yorkshire Moors in early
February as the majority of the route could be blocked by snowfalls. It is
also essential to take into account locations of the start, finish and
importantly petrol/rest halts. In remote locations it may be difficult to
find a garage that will open in the middle of the night to service your
competitors.
The time control locations that you select
need to allow plenty of space for the marshal to park and to allow other road
users to pass when competing cars are waiting. This is especially
important at the end of a long Neutral or Transport section where a queue of
several cars may develop.
This brings us onto marshals. For a
road event a large number of marshals are required. However by planning
the route effectively you can allow many of the marshalling crews to
"double up" and thus help reduce your manpower requirements.
Marshals should be given specific instructions of what to do and how to find
their control point never assume they have a map with them!
It will also be necessary to man any gates
and/or fords en route to reduce the risk of problems occurring - such as
livestock escaping from a field or a car drowning out and holding up the whole
event.
Event
paperwork: The paperwork for every event is different, however by
maintaining a consistent, clear and informative approach, the competitors will
know what is going on and what to expect. Route cards, time cards and
other documents must be checked by the organising team for correctness.
The route cards in particular should also be checked by a trustworthy
independent person.
Stage event specifics
Officials
For Stage Rallies there are some extra Officials
that need to be appointed and some of the previous Officials must be licensed by
the MSA.
- Chief
Timekeeper: The Chief Timekeeper must be from the MSA
appointed list of Timekeepers.
- Chief
Scrutineer: The Chief Scrutineer must be from the MSA appointed list
of Scrutineers appropriate to the grade of event. The Chief Scrutineer
will also be responsible for booking a number of other scrutineers depending
on how many entries are received for an event.
- Chief
Safety Officer: The Chief Safety Officer is responsible for booking
the relevant Safety, Rescue and Recovery vehicles along with Doctors and
Paramedics. He is also responsible for producing an event safety plan
and ensuring that this is adhered to on the day.
- Radio
Controller: The event Radio Controller is a very important job on any
Stage Rally, but especially on a Multi-Venue event where the Clerk of the
Course may be out of Communication range and he may well be required to make
some important decisions. For this reason when appointing a Radio
Controller you need someone who is both conversant with all current radio
procedures and can work under pressure.
- Stage
Commander: The Stage Commander is responsible for ensuring a Stage is
fully ready to run by the appointed time, and for dealing first hand with
any safety and operational details.
- Press
Officer: Depending on the size of your event, you may well be
inundated with media requests for information. One person should
handle this. If you have an incident on your event all media enquiries
should be directed to this person. If you are unfortunate enough to
have a fatality on your event, all media enquiries should be directed to the
MSA.
Forest
Enterprise
To organise a rally using Forest
Enterprise land clubs are required to apply to the MSA on the appropriate
form in the year before that in which the rally is to be held. The
regional association that the club is a member of must endorse the application
to the MSA.
If the application is successful the club
will be notified that it has an allocation to use Forest Enterprise land.
The granting of an allocation does not guarantee that forestry roads will be
available in the area that you may wish to run the rally. The club must
start discussions with the appropriate Forestry Liaison Officer to discover what
forestry roads may be available for their use.
The Forestry Liaison Officers are listed in
the Officials 'Yearbook (Red Book).
Servicing
On any type of Stage Rally you will be expected
to provide an area for the servicing of competing cars. There are many
ways of doing this. Roadside service is becoming rare. These days,
most clubs are opting for dedicated service areas, where more control can be
provided.
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