TSD Rally

What Is TSD or Road Rally?

What is it? It is hard to describe because no two events are alike, but they are all fun. Successful rallying requires a combination of driving skill, communication between driver and co-driver, route following (reading directions) and timing, split-second decision-making. Any car can compete in road rally, and if it is driven well, any car can win. We see a huge variety of cars, from Civics, to Hyundais, all kinds of Subarus, really old SAABs and Austin Healeys, VW Rabbits, Golfs, Jettas, Pontiac Firebirds and Bonnevilles, Geo Metros, Audi Quattros, the occasional Porsche or BMW, Toyota Corollas, Mazda 323s and RX-7's, etc. Small imports tend to be the most popular cars, but there is room for everyone. I have been participating in Cascade Sports Car Club Friday Night road rallies for a little over a year. I have to admit that I was mildly interested, but somewhat skeptical about how much fun it would be, and once my old boss dragged me to one event, I was hooked! It is hard to describe, but trust me, it is some of the most fun one can have behind the wheel...a strange addiction.

Road rallying requires two people for each car, the driver and the co-driver, sometimes also called the navigator, but co-driver is the proper term. Other people can ride along too, and just watch, or help to navigate, look for road signs, and do calculations if needed. The events are conducted at brisk legal ;-) speeds on back roads, usually in the country. The basic premise is that there is a set route to follow at a certain average speed. Beginners get easier instructions, and the advanced competitors get instructions that are less specific and may contain "tricks and traps." The beginner instructions are never intentionally confusing, but there are times that following the route gets tricky. Add on top of that the fact that you can never actually maintain a set average because of stop signs, curves, etc, and you can begin to see the challenge. Imagine that you are trying to hustle down a twisty mountain road you haven't seen before, while following written directions, and maintaining a brisk speed, possibly at night! The cars start out at one minute intervals, and each car follows the course on its own schedule. There are checkpoints along the route, and if you arrive late or early, you receive penalty points...the car with the least penalty points at the end wins. It is also tricky because you don't know where the checkpoints are, only that you may come across one at any time! The competition is usually not that serious; the event is more about having fun driving your car on backroads. At some events, a competitor may get lost, or get way off schedule, but we always have a phone number to call so that we can all meet up at the end. The events are legal, and they are usually low-key enough that it is very rare that we get hassled by the cops or anyone else. There is a series championship for those who want to compete in each event all year. There also used to be team scoring for groups of several cars from the same team...and with better attendance, we plan to start this up again in the near future.

Note: Road rally is not performance rally. This isn't all-out racing off-road in sports cars, but it does have elements related to performance rally, it is fun, and if you are interested in performance rally, it is the place to start! Some of the events include short sections of gravel road...if this is the case, it is announced _well_ in advance, and is made clear so that those with nicer cars or fancy paint jobs can bring out their beaters instead.

How Can I Learn More?

If you want to get into rally, there are several places to go for more information I am happy to help you out any way I can:

Oregon Rally Group Includes Schedule, Results, Rules, and Pictures. Click on the link to road rally to find out more about the events in the Pacific Northwest. This page also contains information of all Portland-area rally events, such as PRO rally and rallycross, and also links.

Cascade Sports Car Club Includes Schedule, Results, and Rules for the Friday Nighter series in Portland. This is the series I am involved with...check it out!

Sports Car Club of America Includes Schedule, Results, and Rules. Click on the link to road rally to find out more about the competition, or the rules and regulations.

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