Some Thoughts on Rallying in 1962

    Article by Robert V. Ridges (from February 1962 SPORTS CAR magazine)

    A MOTOR CAR RALLY is basically an  event in which the objective of the competitors is to cover a prescribed, defined road course at given average speeds, and to endeavor to be on course and on time all the while. In Europe the competitor covers any route  he chooses at any speed he can maintain so long as he reaches the known control point ahead of the time allowed. There is a vast difference between the two from every angle.

    Most importantly, from  our point of view, is that the European style cannot be used here in the states; Mr. John Law would object so vigorously that our own style of rallying would be killed. In this country, the competitive effect is  achieved by the planners of the event having predetermined the controls, where competitors shall be measured as to their accuracy both time-wise and course-wise. One Rallyist, therefore, may do better than another, with  the overall effect that winners prove their ability to do well and others prove to be not so fortunate. A rally, therefore, consists of the competitor attempting to move at the given speeds from point A (the start) to  point Z (the finish) with as nearly perfect accuracy as possible at the several control points (open), determined by the time of passage; because he was "timed-in", it follows automatically that he was  "on course". In the early days of long-distance rallying in the States, and still today in some local clubs of my experience, the competitor knows only when he started and when he finished, and has no  knowledge other than his own that he is on time and on course. The initial odometer calibration run, and possibly an official mileage at lunch, are generally all he knows through which to determine and check his error  factor. In the opinion of some of my experienced rally acquaintances, this type of rallying-with secret, hidden controls-is the real and final test to top-level competitive skill. I admit to bias on this subject because  that is the method under which I learned the hobby.

    The current trend, instead of letting the competitor do his own work to satisfy himself that he is on course and on time, is to supply him with  vision of the control point plus exact official information of the perfect time and mileage against which he is competing at each and every control throughout the run. This information may be, and often is, supplied at  twenty or thirty mile intervals ten or fifteen times in a 350-mile day's run. So what do we have as the end result? Instead of one rally, broken into two parts by lunch, we have one in which the competitor can know for  sure, without effort on his part, how accurately he is performing every few miles. In other words, we have ten or more rallies in sequence, which at the end of the day are called one run. Is it any wonder that there are  so many low penalties?

    I would like to see some comment from rallyists as to whether they would like: (1), to drop mileage measurements being supplied at controls (all now must be open-type); or  (2), like to have perfect time supplied with time of arrival; or (3), to have time of arrival only. Although I do not here advocate at this time a return to secret (hidden) controls, I am convinced that they produce  less confusion and more accurate figures with less working personnel than any form of open or even passage controls. The simple requirements of personnel are impeccable accuracy, the ability to read a fine watch without  parallax, and good handwriting. This balloon is hoisted to see whether rallyists can be stirred enough to write articles on the subject or letters to the Editor in order to help the Rally Board learn the desires of the  rallying members. My personal opinion is that the art has gone backward rather than forward with the present form of control point which gives contestants unlimited information while on route.

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  IMPROVING PUBLIC RELATIONS IN INDIANAPOLIS- How to win friends for rallying

Article by Otis Moneyhun (from February 1962 SPORTS CAR magazine)

    THE ATTITUDE Of the public toward rallies seems  to move from mildly scornful amusement to vehement resistance, unless a well organized public relations program effectively intervenes. Such a program can shift public attitudes toward positive and even enthusiastic  support. This was illustrated by the experience of the Indianapolis Region during 1961. Until just a few months before the Indianapolis '500', some of the local press still missed few opportunities to deride the  "scampering" of "noisy, speeding, night riding rallyists", and took no pains to differentiate these events from unsupervised all out racing on public roads. Some of the sheriffs and other  constabulary were no less hostile.

    Things had reached such a state at one point that contestants were fair game and a target for all manner of hurled objects, including tomatoes (one of which broke  two teeth). On a certain rally in 1960, a fishing pole, viciously thrown as a javelin, firmly embedded itself in a competing MGTD. It was open season on rallyists!

    Yet in 1961 on the day of the  '500', the press was positively friendly. The state police courteously assisted in safety inspection, and sent out informative bulletins requesting the support of all county sheriffs and local police; they even  permitted their Sgt. Jerry Howard to accompany the contestants in a state police car on the entire two day route to defend the contestants from any who might still be uninformed and hostile. A copy of the letter sent to  police authorities follows:

   Kenneth Growth Clark County Sheriff Dear Sheriff Growth: On Saturday, October 14, fifty to seventy five sports cars from all over the country participating in the two day  Indianapolis 500 National Championship Rally, escorted by Sgt. Gerry Howard of the Indiana State Police, will pass through your county, and through the town of Memphis.

    The Sports Car Club of  America and Sgt. Howard would greatly appreciate your cooperation and assistance In this closely supervised two day event. The contestants will be driving principally on secondary Roads at strictly safe and legal limits  of speed on a tightly scheduled tour wherein the object is to stay precisely on time and on course with penalties for either being early or late at any point en route. The appearance of these numbered sports cars on a  rally sometimes leads the uninformed to assume  they are racing, whereas in fact, as you probably know, a Rally is definitely not a race, but is a non speed precision driving contest with great emphasis on safety  and good road manners.

    If you could advise all local police agencies (in the town mentioned in the opening paragraph) of this police supervised event and solicit their cooperation, we would be most  grateful. Thus these visitors to our State will be made to feel more welcome, and the championship event should proceed without unnecessary interruption. If, however, in the remote event that any contestant violates any  in motion traffic regulation and receives a summons, please let us know immediately and he will be disqualified. All contestants have been advised of this regulation. Our headquarters will he at the French Lick Sheraton  on the 14th and 15th.  You may ask on the telephone for Mr. James Moneyhun, who will he in charge of scoring and penalties, or for Sgt. Howard. Respectfully /s/ F. O. Moneyhun public Relations Sports Car Club of  America Indianapolis Region.

    The rally proceeded over some 700 miles without a single untoward incident. County sheriffs and town police were understanding, and often helpful in regulating traffic.  Banners and special signs welcomed the '500' all along the route. Free refreshments were handed out by pretty girls to participants at official fuel stops where Marathon (Ohio Oil Company) supplied free gasoline and  expert service (the operators had been especially trained to service sports cars), and everywhere friendly waving of hands and pleasant smiles greeted the "visiting celebrities". This was a new twist - what  had happened? The answer was in a concentrated public relations program which had been building up for a year.

    Here are some of the things that had been happening: Several members had been working  closely with Sgt. Jerry Howard in traffic safety education, appearing on TV programs with their sports cars showing their safety equipment and talking about rallies. Professionally prepared informative and properly  timed news releases on rallies had been regularly going to all newspapers, radio and TV stations in any area where a rally was to originate or to be run. All police had been regularly and fully advised of any  forthcoming events in their areas of authority.

    Perhaps the most effective public relations accomplishment in the Indianapolis area during 1961 was the Braille Rally. This event, in which 72 blind  children acted as navigators, received unrestrained support and praise from all local media, including a center spread photo story in a Sunday newspaper supplement, and considerable attention was accorded the event in  national publications. ("Hmm, maybe rallyists and their sports cars aren't so bad after all. These guys seem to be sincerely interested in good traffic manners, and rallies can't be so wild if blind children can  act as navigators. Anyway, it was kind of nice for those guys to take those kids out for a day of fun." [The fact is the drivers had as much full as the kids!])

    Extra dividends accrued to the  '500' from this sustained public relations effort. Some of these were measurable in economic terms. For example, $390 worth of trophies in all and rally number plates were contributed by more than a dozen business  firms, both local and national; gasoline was free to all contestants and officials; a public utility company devoted a large window display to the event; three new cars appropriately marked were furnished by the  manufacturer for officials; timing equipment (in addition to the usual Longines-Wittnauer contribution) was provided, as were computers and rally adding machines; and perhaps most sensational was the fact that the  Indianapolis Speed way gave permission for the contestants to drive around the famous track. This was another first! (Thanks in part to Brabham, perhaps.)

    As the publicity began to roll, more and  more groups joined the parade. A most valuable addition was the Central Indiana Mobile Radio Club, whose personnel and equipment enabled complete and final results to be handed in mimeographed form to all contestants  before they had finished their dessert at the victory banquet. Obtaining help of radio "hams" was found to be an answer to the old problem of gathering checkpoint data and furnishing results to the contestants  before they become bored and sometimes cantankerous. This, too, is public relations. In short, the Region latched on to safety with the police, participated in worth while community affairs, told their story properly  and were well rewarded. Now all they have to do is to keep it up, or the brickbats may fly once again!  (While it never actually states its a humor article, I'm sure it is. Then again if it wasn't, it would sure  help explain how the last 35+ years of the sport has developed! ;-)

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PEOPLE-WE-CAN-DO-WITHOUT!-- RALLY ETIQUETTE

Article by Gamble Mann (from February 1962 SPORTS CAR magazine)

    There has long been a need for a book on Rally etiquette. Unfortunately, space in SPORTS CAR Will not permit an exhaustive treatise on this fascinating subject. However, the following tips are  guaranteed to endear any entrant to National rally committees, earn him lifelong friendships among other contestants, and assure that all protests will be resolved in his favor.

Pre-Rally Etiquette:

• Starting immediately, write weekly letters to the Chairman of an October rally requesting brochures and entry forms.
• Write the Rally Board Chairman that you have not received the requested brochures and entry forms.
• Misplace all three sets of brochures and entry forms.
• Write the Rally Chairman for another set.
• File your entry at least one day after the announced rally deadline
• Omit from entry form such information as navigator's name, points declaration, your wishes concerning lodgings and meals.
• Forward entry fee in separate envelope, first making sure the check is in an incorrect amount and postdated by at least three months.
• Omit mailing of the points declaration form to Rally Board Secretary.
• Demand a car number between 2 and 10, even though these numbers have been assigned for the past eight weeks.
• Lose the rally's General Instructions.
• Write the Rally Chairman for a new set of General Instructions.
• Write Rally Chairman for a third set of General Instructions, requesting that they be mailed directly to the unnamed navigator.
• Fire off a series of letters to Rally Chairman requesting an interpretation of each article of the General Instructions. One letter per article is preferable.
• Write Rally Chairman complaining about high car number.
• Write Rally Board roundly criticizing the General Instructions.
• Write Rally Chairman to line up a team for you.
• Write Rally Chairman you have made up your own team after he notifies you he has been able to place you on a good team.
• Write every rallyist you know that "it sure looks like the rally will be a real stinkeroo!"

Registration and Safety Inspection Manners:  

• Leave driver's license and car registration in car, if not at home.
• Push to the head of the registration line, protesting loudly the inefficiency of the registrars.
• Again push to the head of the line, protesting the inefficiency of the registrars-with driver's license and car registration in hand.
• Object strenuously to everything about the rally, while consuming all of the free liquor in sight at the hospitality bar.
• Arrive fashionably late at Safety Inspection; 3 a.m. should do nicely.
• Forget to bring any safety equipment.
• Borrow safety equipment from the inspectors.
• Request Chief Inspector to replace half of your car's electrical system, which hasn't worked for six months.
• Protest vehemently against moving-brake-test after the ten pieces of luggage you so carefully failed to secure hit you in back of head.
• Protest with equal vehemence inspector's insistence that you replace your right rear tire, which has only an eight-inch cut in side wall.
• Look up Rally Chairman and protest high car number.
• Look up Official Observer and tell him the whole rally "stinks".
• Look up Rally Chairman and request a re-clarification of his earlier clarifications of the General Instructions.
• Look up all Rally Board members and protest the 1958 Snow White National Rally.

Lodgings and Meals Behavior:
 

The possibilities here are almost too numerous to recount. The following hints provide excellent guidelines however:

• Crowd up to the hotel registration desk and demand the reservations you forgot to make.
• Criticize the hotel to everyone in general and the Rally Chairman in particular. There is no limit to the possibilities here. The hotel is either too small or too large, too old or too new, too expensive or too  cheap. Then there's the room. It's either too little or too big, too dark or too bright, has Northern exposure, etc. Of course, the bath is another fertile field.
• Criticize all meals. Certainly you are entitled to filet mignon for only $1.25. Besides that, you know positively that the Rally Chairman is getting a kickback from the hotel on every meal.
• Criticize the hotel bar because its drinks don't contain four ounces of Scotch, like you always pour from anybody else's bottle.
• Be sure to call the Rally Chairman on the phone in the middle of the night just to let him know you can't sleep.

Starting Line Courtesy:

• Do not place your car in line. Wait until you can crowd up through 43 cars to reach your proper position.
• Walk along the lineup talking to all navigators of cars ahead of you as they work on their route instructions.
• Notify the Chief Starter that his WWV time signal is 3.2 seconds fast.
• Demand your route instructions five minutes early... or late.
• Look up Rally Chairman and pointedly ask for his definition of the abbreviation "mph". Make a note to protest this to Official Observer and Rally Board.
• Buttonhole the Official Observer 13 seconds before his official starting time, and point out how uncomfortable your bed is.
• Sit at the starting line 59 seconds after your departure time while you read the first route instruction and check it against the General Instructions.
• Scald off from starting line, throwing bits of rubber into the Chief Starter's face.

On-Course Manners:

• Park your car directly alongside the sign marking the end of the odo correction leg, and remain there a full ten minutes.
• Inform all navigators present what a lousy rally it is while they are trying to determine their factors.
• Get lost at the first action point and claim a 29-minute lost-time allowance for guinea hens on the road. Only 98% of the other contestants will know what really happened.
• Stop every five minutes to check your radio, watches, etc., so you will be able to re-pass the other rally cars while driving flat-out.
• Make a note that Instruction "13 reads "Rattlesnake Rd", but that there is a period after "Rd" on the sign! That will make a good, solid protest if you goof before the next control.
• Approach all controls completely out of control.
• Leave your car parked directly in front of the control desk for ten minutes, while you check the accuracy of the controls watches.
• Protest your time at any control you do not zero.
• Request a new "time out" so you may retune your exhaust system.
• Tailgate the car in front of you for the entire rally, especially if it happens to contain last year's National champions.
• At the morning pit stops closet yourself in a locked rest room while you reconstruct the morning's run on a borrowed Curta you don't know how to operate.
• Never use your directional signals, particularly if followed closely by another car.
• Stop suddenly in the middle of the road to examine all route signs.
• Make it a point to always pass other cars in a corner or while cresting a hill.
• Force other contestants off the road especially at bridges, in all mountainous country, and immediately before checkpoints.
• Approach all controls in the middle of the road, making certain no other rally car can pass.
• While studying what to do at an intersection, confidently wave all other rally cars up what you have already proven to be a dead-end.
• See how much dissension you can generate among other contestants at the lunch stops. With a little effort you can get a real "hate" campaign going.

    Note: These and similar social amenities should be carefully observed throughout the full distance of the Rally.

Rally Etiquette in General:

• File as many protests as you call find sheets of hotel stationery.
• Augment all written protests by loud oral protests in the hotel lobby, elevators, bar, restaurant, etc.
• Tell the Rally Chairman at least a dozen times what a slob he is. Be sure to embellish on this point to his wife. After all, the big bum is being paid $10,000 by his Region for taking the honorary position.
• Look up the Official Observer and recount in-minute detail the 3,284 things wrong with the rally.
• Look up all members of the Rally Board and tell them the same thing. Be sure not to overlook filing another protest about the 1958 Snow White National Rally.
• Barge into any hotel room. The occupants always have plenty of liquor, so it's never necessary for you to bring any.
• Show up at the Cocktail Party and Victory Dinner in a T-shirt and blue jeans. It sets you out so nicely from the crowd.
• Berate your wife and/or navigator publicly at every opportunity.
• Snub all contestants in Sprites. After all, you're driving an MG Midget.
• Borrow all of the Curtas and watches you need from other contestants. They appreciate your keeping them in top shape by constant use; besides, it also makes rallying more economical.
• Be sure to make a few dozen facetious remarks on your contestant evaluation report. Better still, use it to tell the rally committee what idiots they are, but make certain you don't sign your name. If you are  feeling real magnanimous, rate the rally as "outstanding", and then you can spend the next decade telling everyone it was the worst rally that has ever been run.
• Don't forget to grade the 609 miles of paved roads as "poor" because of that half a mile of dirt. Of course, the whole rally should be rated as "poor" if you had to eat a box lunch.
• Mind your manners as you leave the Victory Dinner with six pieces of silver in your arms. Be sure to tell the Rally Chairman and every member of the rally committee what a rotten rally it was.
• As soon as you return home write the Rally Chairman for a complete run-down of all scores by return mail.
• Write the Rally Board Secretary and tell him you really were running for points, if you happened to fare well.
• Write the Rally Board blasting the rally.
• Write letters to the editors of all sports car magazines blasting the rally.
• Write the Official Observer about the six protests you forgot to mention to the Rally Chairman and Protest Committee.
• Make speeches at your Regional meetings blasting the rally.
• Start writing weekly letters to the Rally Chairman requesting brochures and entry forms for next year's rally.

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"RALLY INSURANCE" MAY BE THE ANSWER - Can Rally Speeding be Reduced?

    Article by Guy Bates (from February 1962 SPORTS CAR magazine)

    WHEN THE contestants on the 1961 Appalachian Rally were asked this question, the answer was a unanimous "yes". How this was done should be of interest to rally organizers in all parts of the  United States, but particularly to those near the population centers where competition for space on the public highways grows more intense all the time. Whether or not this can be done without disrupting the sport will  be left to the reader to decide-in fact, we solicit comment directed to the Chairman of the Rally Board as to your reactions and suggestions relative to this plan.

    Over the years the Philadelphia  Region advocated rallies that are classed as "difficult clue" events. This is not indicative of disapproval of the more precise low score-type, but stems from a desire to provide variety in the face of a  general trend toward calculating and away from driving. Since more difficult clues mean more lost cars, and more lost cars mean more speeding, this trend may have been forced on rally organizers.

     In the Philadelphia Region, in order to retain the character that is expected of an Appalachian Rally and at the same time minimize the possibilities of a real disaster, it was felt that a new approach was badly needed.  Since the 1961 event was to be run as a National rally but without the pressure of National points, and since the field would provide an excellent cross section of ability and experience, the organizers decided to give  "Rally Insurance" a real test. National Rally Board Chairman Larry Reid expressed it best when he said last year: "I think this year's Appalachian will be an opportune laboratory for the experiment."

    Under this plan the contestant could claim a lost-time allowance in increments of 100 seconds, with a minimum of 200 per claim. If the reason for delay was one of those specified in the general  regulations, and was witnessed by another contestant, no penalty was assessed. This followed normal rally practice. Claims for delays caused by any other reason were penalized at the rate of 5-points-per-100 seconds  claimed. This penalty was chosen for the experiment as being low enough to persuade entrants to use the plan. Too severe a penalty would make the use of "Rally Insurance" unattractive, and thus prevent  reaching the primary goal of reducing speeding. Based on the experience gained during the 1961 Appalachian, a 10-point-per-100 penalty is recommended since the contestants as well as the organizers felt that  5-points-per-100 was too light.

    The mechanics of the system required the contestants to turn in a written claim on a "proof of loss" form at the next control after the lost time was  incurred. Closed controls, where used, were identified so that claims could be made. In addition, the amount of the claim had to be written on a pressure-sensitized label which was then placed on the rear of the car.  Checkpoint personnel verified that this figure agreed with the claim turned in. Claim slips and labels were issued, ten to each car, and those not used were collected at the finish.

    These  requirements minimized misuse of the plan and strengthened the provision that once a claim was made it was irrevocable. As an example, after fixing a flat tire the crew decides to claim 400 seconds of lost time, fills  out the "proof of loss" form, and puts a label with 400 on it on the rear bumper. Doing a good job of navigation, they arrive at the next control either 6 minutes and 42 seconds or 6 minutes and 38 seconds  late. Their score is the difference between actual arrival time and the sum of perfect arrival time plus 400, in this case 2 points. To this is added the insurance premium of 5 or 10-points-per-100 seconds claimed,  giving a leg score of 22 or 42.

    The summary of finishing positions brings out some interesting comparisons. In the case of the center column, scores had to be reconstructed. The location at which  the delay took place was fairly well known, since the contestants were asked to note this on their claim slips. Distance to the next control was then determined, with any doubt resolved in favor of normal scoring  methods. Assuming a speed of 60 mph, while making up lost time, and knowing the assigned average speed, the time that could possibly be made up was calculated. If there are those who feel that make-up speeds higher than  60 could be maintained, they are assured that such an average was physically impossible on most sections of the route used. Here again, as in the case of other necessary assumptions, care was taken to see that any error  in reconstructing the scores favored the normal method and did not aid "Rally Insurance" for the purposes of comparison. Over one-half of the field used "Rally Insurance" one or more times, with  off-course problems the major reason. Some claims were made because of mechanical problems and traffic delays.

    If the l0-point system is accepted, a comparison of the center and right hand columns  is most significant. Of the first eight cars, #10 was adversely affected by using "Rally Insurance" rather than helped, since it was far enough from the next control to have easily made up the lost time. The  claim was nevertheless a smart one since, in this case, passing was nearly impossible and subsequent speeding would have been foolhardy. Except for this one change, the top eight finishing positions would have been the  same under either normal or l0-point insurance scoring. The top three, staying on course, did not need "Rally Insurance," and when it is noted that these cars were occupied by the Houghs, Ross-Bohl and  Morici-Blodgett, it is evident that experience and ability were the factors that determined the top spots, as they should have.

    Major credit must go to Stew Blodgett, who brought the idea to the  Philadelphia Region's Appalachian Committee. This group is convinced that the plan, as used, accomplished much of what was intended, and that the plan, with modifications, can be the salvation of organizers who wish to  continue to use brisk speeds and challenging clues when they send fifty to a hundred cars out on the public roads. Here are the finishing positions of the top twenty cars, with those using "Rally Insurance"  designated by asterisk. Car numbers are on the left and scores on the right in each column.

Rally Safety

    Article by Lester Seasongood (from February 1962 SPORTS CAR magazine)

    WHENEVER SOMEONE brings up the subject of safety in connection with rallies, he receives a look from the rallyists that is reserved for convicted child molesters or  employees of the Revenue Service. Yet these same contestants complain bitterly about speeds which cannot be maintained, poorly located checkpoints, or the improper use of  emergency speeds. On the other hand, give these same rallyists an official title and they add "master" to the word "rally" faster than Jekyll could Hyde. This is accepted as part of  the sport, and we all have our anecdotes to use when we run out of complaints.

    Rallying has been fortunate in this country-it is still growing and maturing, and remains  clear-eyed, vigorous and of clean reputation. Recently some counties in England did ban rallying, and their crowded roads certainly present no greater problem than many of ours.  Would you ever have imagined that the very headquarters of this sport would allow things to get so out of hand that rallying would be banned? I think a thought to safety and common  sense in rallying would be of value to our reputation in this country, as well as to the well-being of our contestants.

    We have had very few insurance claims from rallying, but there have been several serious accidents. Many rallies have been run in a manner which has been an annoyance  and an inconvenience to local residents, and we have all competed in rallies which may not have officially specified speeds above the posted limits but which most definitely  required them if a car was to remain in contention. The local "fun" rally is more guilty of this than any other type; but the safety requirements should be the same for any type of rally,  just as there is no difference between a Regional or a National injury.

    Rallying needs no elaborate safety measures or licensing requirements such as are  used in racing, but certain obvious thoughts should be applied without fail to every rally. Speed is the important factor. Rally speeds are as variable as a wife's furniture  arrangements, and what looks good to one eye or under one cloudy sky looks terrible after six hours of rallying or from the middle of a traffic jam. Rally organizers usually do an  excellent job, but they are prone to forget that present-day events exert much pressure on the contestants, and while the stress is on accuracy there is also an attempt made to lose  or confuse the entrants. The actual mph should be of minor consequence in a really tough rally, as long as the speeds are reasonably difficult to maintain. I think it is much safer to  locate a checkpoint just after an area which cars will find troublesome, than to run the cars over a long stretch and allow them to absorb their error in high speed. Particular care  needs to be given to routes which pass through areas in which children will be playing on the day of the rally, in which heavy local traffic may be found, and which may be slick or  dangerous under changing weather conditions.

    I urge rally organizers to think from a safety point of view in establishing their speeds.  Emergency speeds should be much slower. A 10% decrease in speed means very little when visibility is poor and roads become slippery. Often only a small speed difference will  make the course much safer and actually more enjoyable and pleasant for both the driver and navigator. We have all seen rally legs deteriorate into road races. We just cannot  afford avoidable accidents, and must constantly be on the alert to minimize their probability.

    I believe that checkpoint locations are too often dangerous, and I am amazed that we  have not had serious checkpoint accidents in impressive numbers. Our insurance for rallies covers over and above what an individual may carry, and thus we have had rally  accidents which have not been reflected in the SCCA insurance experience. The very nature of checkpoints calls for them to be hidden, deviously located, and sometimes  camouflaged. There seems to be a tendency, if not a compulsion, to position checkpoints on a narrow shoulder or in a section where cars must stop on the road usually just around a  blind turn or over the crest of a hill. The possibility of a car being struck from the rear, pulling off a shoulder into passing traffic, hitting a checkpoint worker or getting stuck in a  soft shoulder is apparent, and each checkpoint presents its own problems. The measurement of pull-off areas. flag locations and the location of desks or signs would  appear to be the same regardless of the width of the road or the shoulder. I strongly recommend that organizers make every attempt to find locations which will allow cars to  pull completely off the road. How many checkpoints have we all entered that allowed a little room for the right wheels, and no more? Sometimes it becomes quite necessary to have a  car pull off the road. It seems unnecessary to consider checkpoints as a normal rally hazard. We have been advocating seat belts in the SCCA for years, and we all believe in  their value. We require them in racing and in most rallies. Why don't we ever check to see that they are being used? I suggest that sometime during a rally drivers and navigators be  checked to see that their belts are fastened, and that points be charged against them if their belts are not being used.

    Rest-stops in rallies should be more than adequate. It will not detract one bit from the success of an event if time is allowed for more than just "Pit stop" amenities. I don't think  we will be pampering contestants by giving them a bit more stretching time it might even increase the competition.

    Generally, technical inspections in major rallies have been careful and reasonable. In Regional events inspections are generally loose and cursory at best. There is no valid  excuse for a poorly maintained or prepared car in a competitive event, and such should not be allowed in the smallest or most informal of our rallies. It just isn't important if  someone gets "mad" because their car won't pass an inspection. It should be a matter of pride, as much as ownership of the car or eligibility for the event. Even a clear-eyed,  rested and un-diverted driver is at a handicap driving a dangerous automobile. Tire the driver, challenge his concentration with rally problems, and ask his car to perform beyond  its impaired abilities and you beg an accident.

    All officials, workers, drivers and navigators should sign releases for all SCCA rallies,  Regional and National. Bulletins regarding this subject will be published soon, and all Regions should know that this requirement will be tightened considerably.

    We all enjoy rallying, and have watched it turn into an exact and exacting sport-demanding much of car, driver, navigator and equipment. Without our own safety  program and our own constant safety-consciousness we would soon need apologists and public relations experts, high insurance premiums, and possibly even permission to use  public roads. I think it is more gratifying to rally knowing that we are doing it well-and this means doing it safely.-

    This is the last of the rally related articles from SCCA's annual rally issue of Sports Car. Also in the issue was the 1962 National Rally Regulations, it only filled seven pages.  (Everyone in SCCA received it and it didn't cost you $12) There were also already calendared 17 National rally events.

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The Art of the Gimmick Rally

    Article by John Meader (from February 1962 SPORTS CAR magazine)

    OF THE WILES and stratagems of the gimmick art there is no end. The desire persists  here and there to set up rallies of increasing "difficulty", preferably with newer and better tricks. Of course, these should not be used openly. It is a point of honor that a cloak of  reasonableness should cover the gimmick. An occasional protest can then be ruled unjustified with a straight face.

    This is a matter of some delicacy. The possibility of a protest is a calculated risk which may have to be taken, but a flood of protests must be scrupulously avoided. If a gimmick is  too crude it is likely to be a source of embarrassment.

    Modern research in the gimmick field has developed some technical advances which  promise to turn the art into a science. It is now possible to classify most gimmicks. This facilitates their selection and adaptation in such a manner as to eliminate a revealing  thread of repetition, and it makes easier the study of a gimmick's age and history. A really new one may be good for a whole season! It is a distinct aid to ingenuity to pinpoint the  underlying theme of a gimmick, so that new varieties can be devised on a mass production basis with minimum risk of detection. Several new and interesting species of  gimmicks have recently been discovered and described. It is even possible to formulate a general theory which, if it can be verified experimentally, will constitute a scientific  breakthrough of major importance. The following procedure was adopted in a recent investigation organized with great care.

    First, a thorough search of the literature was undertaken. (See Bibliography. In addition to the works listed, a monograph by Potter is in preparation.)

    New data were gathered in quantity by utilizing the services of J. Jittery Fairlamb, the long-distance off-course rally champion, who posed as an inexperienced rallyist and  subjected himself and his navigator, Wilful X. McNutt to 27 more or less important rallies during the 1960-61 seasons. These sorties wore out two automobiles, but calibrated replacements were made available.

    After 8,811 route instructions, 2,857 speed changes, 803 checkpoints, 4,222 miles off course, 55 traffic violations in 18 states and 10 spin-outs, the data cards were punched  and thrown into the I.B.M. sorters and tabulators. Out of the analysis came the conclusions summarized below. The number of gimmicks, always small, was found to be even smaller  in relation to the scores achieved. In other words, a gimmick was likely to be good for considerable mileage, accounting on the average for 423 penalty points per contestant.  This was very encouraging, although it seemed attributable in some measure to a bias in the scoring system which placed a heavy value on stray travel.

    The "ppcg" index (penalty points per contestant per gimmick) showed a slight tendency to decline over the two year period. This decrease was traced partly to a diminishing  frequency of gimmicks, and partly to a growing awareness of defensive resources; i.e., effects of the so-called learning curve, offset somewhat by a significant increase in the  novelty and subtlety of the gimmicks encountered. According to the theory of the learning curve, each doubling of the number of rallies run tends to lower the "ppcg" index by 20  percent. At this rate winning scores may be predicted to occur to any competitor taken at random-the best way to taken them-after 16 years of intensive campaigning, provided  the gimmick-incidence rate remains constant. Disclosure of this long-term threat to the value of gimmicks as a means of increasing rally scores stimulated all of the workers on this project.

    A possibly discordant note was sounded when some of the evidence pointed to occasional negative influences. The gimmick record itself was good, but the ratio of  protests to gimmicks was found to be increasing, indicating (of course) a need for better gimmicks. There seemed to be a minority opinion that scores could be increased without  resort to gimmicks-as by counting ten points per second instead of one-but this view was dismissed as trivial. In scattered localities agitators have begun to organize cells  dedicated to the heretic teachings of von Neumann, et al. Williams contends that the value of a game can be calculated, and that a negative value for Blue (the player in his  picturesque notation, where the dealer is Red) indicates an unequal contest, theoretically good for Red until he runs out of Blues.

     The research reported above was carried out largely on a statistical basis. Some think it failed to reach to the fundamentals, although it has provoked some furious thought. Other  studies, following inductive methods, lead to additional conclusions, some of which may be valid. Outstanding among these is the discovery that there is not only a creative  purpose in the gimmick, but also a conventional understanding that originators are not permitted to take undue credit publicly for their scientific zeal and accomplishments. This  code of professional ethics demands concealment of the gimmick. Local organizers may occasionally speak of the situations they have devised as a "challenge", a "searching  test", an "interesting experiment", a "tension-builder", or even a "psychological overload". And they may take a justifiable, quiet pride among themselves in their DNF ratios, but  expressions like tie-breaker" are frowned upon. A certain protocol must be observed. Standard practice is to describe all rallies in the advance notices as straight TSD or equivalent, and stop there.

    Some 92.8 percent of all gimmicks, it has been found, may be classified as of single-, dual or triple-threat type. The single-threat gimmick-for example, the wrong-way sign which  cannot be read until the car has overrun the turn or speed-change point-is passing rapidly into disuse, along with such variants as the "typo" (typographical error), the "approximated  approximate mileage", and the "indefinite identification". Formerly effective, these strategies have be come widely known and have encouraged the growth of defense  mechanisms. Most rallyists will no longer go past a possible turn until they have, so to say, cased the junction thoroughly-they gather and confer at a doubtful mileage, and they have  found that tailgating pays off handsomely in a really wild rally.

    The two-threat gimmick, of more recent origin, enjoys a considerable current vogue. No  doubt it grew out of a simple or single-threat gimmick dressed up for a special occasion-for instance, the use of a wrong-way sign at night, or an incorrect mileage just  before a checkpoint. These situations are elementary, easily recognized, and they risk a certain amount of grumbling if not forthright protest. But there are many newer variants,  such as making separate instructions out of simultaneous actions; that is, requiring a second maneuver before a first is completed (the "dangling instruction"), or requiring the  use of data there was no apparent need to note (the "overlapping instruction" or "cold deck"). One advantage of these is that they can be made technically correct, virtually  protest-proof. This type of gimmick, in up-to-date guise, seems likely to enjoy a long and useful life, although it does tend to produce a gradual diminution of entries.

    The triple-threat or multiple gimmick, so far a minor variety, is increasing in favor and frequency. In principle it allows wider scope for ingenuity, has a higher "ppcg" index, and is  available in practically unlimited quantity. An obvious illustration is the wrong-way sign (simple gimmick), used at night (double gimmick), with a trap checkpoint close at hand  (the triple-threat). On occasion this situation has been planted in a high-speed section of the course, but further refinement is seldom necessary and emphasis should be avoided.  Properly done, this type of gimmick leaves the rallyist not quite sure what actually happened to him, i.e., mentally handcuffed (cf. Houdini, op. cit.). A few contestants may  see through the plot and recognize it as intentional; but this is usually on the way home from the rally, too late to do anything about it. Other species of gimmick are not so readily  classified, but their occurrence, although rare, should be reported for the benefit of the workers in this field. A few example of these are given below. Set up an open checkpoint  easily visible just beyond an intersection where a turn has to be made. Cars are lured straight in, forgetting to make the turn. When it first appeared this gimmick scored a very  high "ppcg". After two years three cars are still off course, last seen heading for Canada. The performance coefficient dropped sharply in later outings, but new variations have  been invented; e.g., an obscure turn just before a large, red STOP sign, where the driver will be looking for a chance to get through the cross-traffic, and is likely to miss the turn.  (Add a dash of speed-change to taste, in order to keep the navigator's head down at this point!)

    Take two crossroads a mile or more apart, the first with a dirt road left. Have the general  instructions prohibit turns onto dirt. Now instruct: "Right at crossroads." Every one will go right at the first one and get lost. That wasn't a crossroad, see? Please refer to the general instructions!

    Find a convenient suburb with three streets named Glorious Avenue, Glorious Road and Glorious Street; or just plain Glorious, or a reasonable facsimile thereof. Prescribe a turn  onto Glorious Street, the last of the sequence, so as to give all cars fair and equal chances to go wrong. For best results mix this device with a previous typo where a misspelled sign marked a correct turn.

    For a change of pace get the students thoroughly irritated with twenty miles of straight road at slow speed, holding up civilian traffic; then call for a swift sandwich of two speed  changes and a turn within fifty feet. This one really throws 'em!

    The pseudo-gimmick can be used occasionally to improve the effect of the real shocker.  Bury somewhere in the general instructions a rule reducing all speeds 50% for one mile at each tunnel, then select a route free of tunnels. The smart players, who often study the  general instructions, will wear themselves out looking for tunnels and overlooking some thing else. This is a selective gimmick, fairly artistic because it has no effect on beginners.  Or, try "Right at Zilch's mailbox", which will annoy an experienced rallyist, bringing on a pronounced state of nerves. You know perfectly well that mailbox landmarks are not  allowed in respectable competition, but the actual situation was a simple right at T. No one could be misled. Be sure to stick to that story. Or, perhaps you have already thought of  ordering: "Change average speed to 33.22 mph (from 32.32) at 'SLOW CHILDREN' sign". That works! The fuzzy-logic idea was probably discovered by accident when an  ambiguity in the general instructions was overlooked by a rallymaster later horrified to see what happened to his flock. But it has possibilities. For instance, tell the entrants to follow a  numbered route when told to do so. They will think they understand. (Don't say if and only if you are told to do so; that might be perfectly clear.) Add by way of further explanation: "The  road you are on will be indicated by stop signs, etc." (Don't even hint that route and road have different meanings in your itinerary.) Now emphasize the rule in a special bulletin (but  don't explain the explanation). This setup is good for a whole rally. It piles up the points something scandalous, 1,800 at a crack. The multiple-source-of-information artifice is not  surefire, but it is awfully good. After laying out the course divide the route instructions into four piles, selected fairly by tossing a coin. One pile goes into the general instructions,  safe from scrutiny; the second onto the route sheets as usual. So far everything is more or less sanitary. The third pile is made into footnotes for the time slips handed out at controls,  and the fourth is worked in as little strips stapled over the footnotes. There are excellent chances that some of the information will be lost, never seen, blown away, stuffed into the  wrong pocket, or thrown out when cleaning up the cockpit at the luncheon stop. This method is absolutely impartial. The value of any gimmick's "ppcg" is enhanced when it is  used in the run to the odometer checkpoint. This is a bit drastic. Although not unheard of, it is generally considered off limits. A milder version, more highly esteemed, is to be just a  little careless about the instructions covering transit zones.

    On the basis of these discoveries, a general theory of gimmicks has been formulated-all  gimmicks are designer to improve the score of the rallymaster against the contestants. If the intention is lacking it is not a genuine gimmick, even though it may have the same  effects. This theory, first suggested by McNutt, has gradually acquired a warranted assert-ability, but experimental verification is lacking. Gimmicks are proverbially disowned  by their originators, so that direct attribution and measurement becomes somewhat conjectural. Now Fairlamb has proposed an ingenious scientific test-organize and  advertise a series of gimmick rallies as such, with the rallymaster eligible for prizes and national points. Then count the number of entries, the number coming back for a second  go being weighted by a factor of two, etc., and score the organizers on the ratio of DNF's to total weighted entries. As a tiebreaker, bonus points could be awarded for accidents on  an ascending scale. This is a daring concept, but one calculated to produce a scientific advance of the first order. Meanwhile, for some sidelights on the present state of the  gimmick art we sought out McNutt himself. You went into this racket cold?, we asked. "Nope, we tried some local rallies first, but they was always enough prizes so you had to  win something, like  for instance a pint of windshield washer. Then we heard these natural rallies was the McCoy, the girls dressed better, and they ran on watches simonized with  radio." They had found the National rallies better organized, then? "Heck, yes, these guys really know how to take you! We made six starts the first year, and the best we done was  sixteenth; from last that is. Then we dropped to fifteenth, but they had changed the point system. We met a lotta nice guys, and we were catching on."

    You had some difficulty at first, perhaps? "Yeah, we couldn't tell what we done wrong. So we would write in for a low number and follow a hotshot. You hang onto his tail to the first  check; that costs you maybe 50 points, but it's cheap at the price. Now you keep him in sight all the way. Only he goes off and you're lost. Must be he gets trapped by a gimmick. What else?"

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