Anyone for tarmac rally?

[walterclark]

Over the next few days I will be putting together a bulletin for the 2012 RNY tarmac events detailing the requirements for the "hillclimb classes".

We are following the NEHA rules as much as possible. This is a brief summary of what will be different than NEHA rules and all relate to safety and the differences between how a hilclimb is run and how a rally is run. These are required of rally cars.

All cars will require cages meeting NEHA cage rules. To keep things low risk from a cage passes/fails perspective for competitors, only cars that have already been through tech at a NEHA hillclimb and passed in the 12 months leading up to the RNY event will be accepted. There are always extenuating circumstances so I will be the one making exceptions to this and people should contact me well before entering the event if they want to compete and dont meet the previous tech requirement.

All cages must have SFI/FIA approved padding anywhere a helmet may contact the cage. You can but this stuff at http://www.rallylights.com/

Cars must be equipped with a standard first aid kit, spill kit, 1 triangle, spare tire, jack and a tow rope. The first aid kit, spill kit and (pack of 3) triangles are available from http://www.rallylights.com/ . I recommend people share the triangle kits to cut this cost a bit. The total for the first aid kit, spill kit and 3 pack of triangles is $137.14. You can get a tow strap at most auto parts stores and department stores with auto departments. You do not nave to add a tow eye to your car, but you should plan where you would tie the strap on the front and rear if needed and if you have nothing that is strong enough and wont tear up facias, add something. Good tip anyway since Don and I often have trouble hooking the wrecker to cars without risking further damaging facias.

Seats must be 1 piece, mounted in accordance with manufacturers directions and if they dont carry an FIA approval they must have a suitable back brace secured to the chassis or cage.

Restraints: Harnesses must be used; 5-6-7 point SFI up to 3 years from manufacture or FIA before expiration date, and properly installed including suitable attachment points and lead angles. Window nets or arm restraints are required in open cars or if side windows are not closed. SFI/FIA approved FRD (frontal restraint devices) is required. Shoulder harnesses, when adding FRD like Hans have been a particular problem recently because FRD such as the Hans raises the belt at the shoulder at the same time the maximum shoulder harness angle limits with FRD have been reduced.

Competitors will need to wear FIA approved (1986 or 8826-2000) or SFI 3-2A/5 labeled coveralls, or SFI 3-2A/1 coveralls with FIA or SFI labeled long underwear. Gloves, socks and shoes must be flame retardant types but need not carry SFI/FIA labels. No synthetic materials in clothing, shoes or underwear other than Nomex or Carbon-x will be permitted except where the item carries an SFI/FIA label. Balaclavas will be required in all open cockpit cars. Co-drivers do not have to wear gloves.

Tires are pretty open but slicks and cheater slicks are not permitted. RNY follows the FIA rules for tarmac tires here, but we reduced the minimum moulded depth requirement to permit more US available performance tires to be used. This is detailed in a bulletin at http://www.rallynewyork.net/linked/bulletins.pdf. This is as much a practical restriction (because of the conditions on the roads) as it is a public image thing. Hillclimbers will have the same rules applied here as the rally cars.

Co-drivers are strongly recommended but not required. Any aids to navigation are permitted.

I think those are the items that could cost you something over what you have to have for NEHA events.

[sachilles]

Very cool! Good Job making this happen.

Couple quick questions.
Co-drivers are recommended
Does this mean you can run a hillclimb car, but have a co-driver and run in the hillclimb class?

[W.Vaillancourt]

Question. The Nissan has been teched in the last 12 months but it didn't have a full cage at the time only the rear section and door bars. It will be fully cages at the time of the race but would it not qualify because of this?? Thank you sir!

[walterclark]

Very cool! Good Job making this happen.

Couple quick questions.
Co-drivers are recommended
Does this mean you can run a hillclimb car, but have a co-driver and run in the hillclimb class?

Yes.

[walterclark]

Question. The Nissan has been teched in the last 12 months but it didn't have a full cage at the time only the rear section and door bars. It will be fully cages at the time of the race but would it not qualify because of this?? Thank you sir!

That is why I said there will be exceptions. I want to see your added bits before you send in your money...

The main reason for the the rule is to keep someone from showing up at RNY with a brand new caged car that fails. That would be a huge disappointment, not to mention the time and money spent getting there.

[W.Vaillancourt]

Thats what I kinda assumed but I just wanted to make sure. Thank you.

[sachilles]

Walter,
What is your opinion on a co-driver in this circumstance:
Driver: Your average NEHA driver
Co-driver: Your average Neha driver.

Basically, what I'm asking is. Is it foolish to try and muddle through the event, if neither occupant has any experience in the silly seat? Provided the only goal is to finish in one piece, and learn from the experience.

[walterclark]

Walter,
What is your opinion on a co-driver in this circumstance:
Driver: Your average NEHA driver
Co-driver: Your average Neha driver.

Basically, what I'm asking is. Is it foolish to try and muddle through the event, if neither occupant has any experience in the silly seat? Provided the only goal is to finish in one piece, and learn from the experience.

Kind of depends... how fast a learner is the codriver ?

RNY plans to make the hilclimb class as a group as painless as possible given the fact that everyone will be driving to various locations then racing and driving back. There will be no time controls on transits between places, and I expect most hillclimbers will caravan place to place en mass. On stage a codriver could help you make the correct turns at intersections so you dont have to slow as much or often to see if and where any arrows and caution tape directs you and to indicate major features and cautions, but they would have to at least have figured out how to follow tulips in the route book and have a view of your odometer. They will be helpful in handing the time card to time controls at the start and finish, but control workers know what and where to fill out things on the cards so really all you need is to have them handy. Odds are that unless you came up with a codriver experienced enough to read stage notes you will be sight driving either way which means you will not be going 100%, and even then the best teams get off the notes at times and the driver just has to drive.

If I were planning to run this I would do it by myself and use the GPS deal I set up to do Mt Washington. That actually worked pretty well for me.

[Robevo]

my wife when she did her first event , she was very nervous. But she got a lots of help from competitors and she did GREAT!, we didnt even got a penalty!
So yes it is a learning to do it right, but i think it will be new for a driver too. So I wouldnt worry too much about a codriver if this would be my first event with a co-driver on board.

My suggestion is, get an experienced co-driver in the codriver seat. You will be amazed how much she or he can and will help in your runs and your times!!! this is not joke!


Anyway there is links etc. to start to learn if you planning to teach one of your own to co -driving like this:
http://www.fyrhstrm.com/codrivers/

if you guys around NJ . i am sure we can even try to help as much as we know about it!

cheers Rob

[Kiwi]

Hey Walter,

fantastic idea to bring a hillclimbing class to RNY. I am definitely interested. The M3 has the stock fuel tank, so no worries there. Cage is good. A few questions though:

1) I read the tyre bulletins for both RNY and the FIA regional rallys. I'm a bit confused. I think we need 17% void within a certain area around the tread center. I assume that is taken care of if you buy rally tyres, like the BFGs or whatever is being used currently. But for other tyres, like Hoosier R6s or Toyo R888s, it is likely that some hand grooving would be needed to get to the void requirement. How exactly does one measure for 17% void? Also I am unclear what constitutes a cheater slick. Your RNY tyre bulletin states "Tires carrying only voids parallel to the tire rolling axis (e.g. cheater slicks) will be disqualified." That statement says the disqualifying voids/grooves go from inside shoulder to outside shoulder (like a mud tyre), rather than circumferentially (like the Hoosier A6 or R6 grooves, which are perpendicular to the tire rolling axis). Unless tire rolling axis is not the same as tire rotation axis.

2) Regarding Frontal Restraint thingys, "Shoulder harnesses, when adding FRD like Hans have been a particular problem recently because FRD such as the Hans raises the belt at the shoulder at the same time the maximum shoulder harness angle limits with FRD have been reduced." What angle limits do we need to be aware of? Is this in the rules/regulations somewhere?

3) One point of caution based on my experience co-driving at RNY with Cyrus in 2010. You said "but control workers know what and where to fill out things on the cards so really all you need is to have them handy." Nope. Cyrus and I were leaving parc ferme on the second day of competition and the control worker marked my card about two spots down from where she was supposed to. I didn't know any better, so I followed the card and took us to the first stage. Unfortunately we were the first car at the stage start because everyone else got their cards marked in the right place and did a loop and stayed in parc ferme for a while longer. We rushed back to parc ferme, then rushed back to the start of the stage. It was a mess.

4) I would recommend people to have co-drivers even in the hillclimb class. But I'm interested in your GPS solution; can you share more with us. Did you write it up somewhere?

Thanks Walter for organizing all this!

Jamie Melhuish