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Email: mugrally@racejamaica.com
Rally Rules and Regulations
General Principle
Any competitor observed, by an official, to be driving recklessly or displaying unsportsmanlike conduct on or near the route, or receives notice of prosecution for a traffic violation while participating in a rally, may be prohibited from further participation in the event.
Competitors
a) All competitors shall have a valid driver’s license as stated in the ASR’s.
b) A rally crew shall consist of:
i) Two persons nominated on the official entry form as driver and co-driver/navigator.
ii) The ARSs may allow a maximum of four (4) persons or the licensed capacity of the vehicle whichever is less.
c) No changes in a crew or vehicles will be permitted after the start of the rally. The Organisers must approve any changes in crew after entries have closed.
d) The following documents, valid for the duration of the event, shall be shown to the rally officials at registration:-
i) Driver’s license for any crew member registering as a driver.
ii) Vehicle registration papers.
iii) Certificate of Fitness and Insurance.
e) All competitors and officials must sign a liability waiver document which
shall be in a form approved by Racejamaica.com.
Vehicles
All competing vehicles must be road worthy and shall be subject to a
Technical Inspection to determine the function and adequacy of:-
i) Steering components.
ii) Braking Systems.
iii) Stability of driver’s and co-drivers seat.
iv) Horn.
v) Windshield wipers.
vi) All legally required lights, including signal lights.
vii) Exhaust System.
viii) All mandatory safety equipment (correct standards and installation).
ix) Tyres including spare tyre(s).
x) Fuel system and components.
Abbreviated Instructions and Terms
a) The following abbreviations and/or terms shall be considered standard:
i) R means right or turn right
ii) L means left or turn left
iii) SO means straight on.
iv) T means “T” intersection (to be qualified as L @ T or R @ T).
v) SS means Stop Sign, or Special Stage.
vi) O means Roundabout (to be qualified as to L @ O, R @ O, etc.)
vii) AL means Acute Left
viii) AR means Acute Right
ix) BL means Bear Left
x) BR means Bear Right
xi) TL means Traffic Light; a light for the control of traffic having more than one (1) colored lens facing the competitor’s line of travel, whether it is working or not.
xii) N means North
xiii) S means South
xiv) E means East
xv) W means West
xvi) “_________” means Full text of a sign
xvii) AFTER means an intersection or Instruction using the work “After” shall be executed at the first opportunity after the landmark or point mentioned in the same instruction.
xvii) AT @ means a landmark or point used in conjunction with the word “at” or symbol “@” shall be located in the immediate vicinity of the point of execution or the referenced instruction.
xix) BEFORE means any point referenced or used in conjunction with the word “Before” must be clearly visible from the execution point of the referenced instruction.
xx) OPPORTUNITY means Roads on the ground to be taken into account for the possible execution of an instruction. Normally, opportunities shall only include paved roads unless the ASR’s or Route Instructions stipulate otherwise. All one-way roads regardless of direction must be regarded as opportunities.
xxi) NON-STOP means a Section of Leg during which competitors may not stop within sight of control without the risk of incurring the penalty specified. Competitors must stop at controls located in, or at the extremities of, such a Section or Leg. They must also obey road traffic instructions and laws (e.g. Stop Signs, Give Way Signs etc.). However, obvious balking at these instructions may also incur penalty.
xxii) OM means Overall Mileage; the distance from the start of any Section.
xxiii) IM means Interim Mileage; the distance from the previous Time Control.
xxiv) INT means Intermediate Mileage; the distance from the previous Instruction.
xxv) INSERT means an instruction to be inserted at a point or mileage specified. Inserts may not be “hidden” in the body of the instructions but must be prominently located at the beginning of the instructions for the Section to which it/they apply.
xxvi SSS means Special Stage Start.
xxvii) MST means Maximum Stage Time.
xxviii) FF means Flying Finish.
xxix) ! means Caution, potential danger.
xxx) !! means Serious Caution, danger.
xxxi) !!! means Extreme Caution, very dangerous, DO NOT IGNORE.
xxxii) //// means Exposure from precipice, gully, canal, etc.
xxxiii) – means Secondary Road.
xxxiv) vv means Downhill
xxxv) ^^ means Uphill
b) The maximum average speed allowed at any point in a rally, other than a special stage, shall be 15% less than the legal maximum speed at that point and must be based on statue miles within +/- 2% except in such cases where TCs are disclosed and the organizers have stated that this factor has been taken into consideration.
c) In the case of an error or discrepancy in the instructions, the competitors shall go to the next pick-up point. All of the controls between the error and the pick-up point shall be eliminated and the competitors shall be given the departure time from the control after the pick-up point which shall be converted into a Route Control. This regulation shall apply in the case of a competitor’s protest being upheld or at the discretion of the Stewards.
Types of Controls
The following types of controls are recognized:
a) Time Control (TC) is a control at the start and the finish of a Leg. A time and direction of approach are recorded.
b) Elapsed Time Control (ETC) is a control at the start and finish of an elapsed time segment of the route i.e. start/finish of Special Stages. Elapsed Time Controls shall be utilized solely to determine the performance of the competitors within said segments of the route and cannot be used for other scoring purposes, i.e. Route Controls or Time Controls.
c) Route Control (RC) is a control used to ensure that the competitor is on the correct route. Direction of approach is recorded. No time need be recorded.
d) Off Route Control (ORC) is a control used to penalize competitors for being on the incorrect route. No time need be recorded.
e) Start Control is a control at the start of a Section. The competitor’s starting time is his Time Out for scoring purposes.
f) Route Check is an unmanned route control and shall not be used in Championship Rallies nor shall route questions be used.
Control Procedure
a) Controls must open a minimum of 15 minutes before their standard time and must close after the maximum lateness authorized for the last car (i.e. last car plus thirty (30) minutes). A control may be authorized by the control closing car to close at a time earlier only if all cars still competing have passed that control.
b) Control opening and closing times can be changed once a Section has started on the authority of a Senior Official (Opening and Closing Marshal, Clerk of the Course, Organizers and Stewards).
c) Competitors arriving at a control shall align themselves directly in line with the official marker for the control in such a manner as not to impede the flow of traffic.
d) If two (2) or more competitors arrive at the control at the same time, they shall align themselves one behind the other in the same sequence of their arrival. Doubling up or parallel parking is strictly prohibited.
e) Any competitor overshooting a time control will be timed as he passed the control. He must leave his car where he stops and walk back to receive his time. Reversing into a control is prohibited.
f) Competitors must clear all controls immediately upon receiving his time or control card.
g) Competitors not respecting the control procedures may be subject to an Incorrect Control Procedure (ICP) penalty. If a penalty for ICP is assessed, a notation “ICP” must be made on the competitor’s sheet and marshal’s sheet. The notation “ICP” shall only be made after due warning by the marshal in the case of (d) and is subject to protest.
h) The penalty for Incorrect Control Procedure shall be 50 points in navigational rallies and 60 seconds on a special stage.
i) In the case of a Non-Stop Section, a competitor observed delaying within sight of a control cannot be given an ICP penalty. If, however, a competitor is observed to have obviously stopped within sight of a Time Control and before passing the Time Control board (except in the interest of safety), the marshal shall record as his Time-in, that time at which he was first observed to have stopped and shall note the word “stopped” on both the competitor’s sheet and the marshal’s sheet. However, marshals are expected to penalize flagrant violations and not minor hesitations which might occur when a competitor is attempting to continue to move forward.
j) If a competitor is observed to execute a U-turn or attempting to reverse or is seen circling within sight of a Time Control, the control official shall give him the time when the maneuver was performed and will note the maneuver performed on the competitor’s sheet as well as the marshal’s sheet.
k) In Stages Rallies no servicing will be allowed within 500 meters of time controls unless stated in the ASR’s. The areas between TCs and special stage starts and between adjacent special stages not separated by a TC shall be a “No Service Area”. Only the changing of a wheel(s) carried in the competing car, due to a puncture or damage, and the cleaning of lights, numbers or windshield, and other minor adjustments shall be permitted. These servicing allowances must be carried out by the competing crew only; no outside help shall be permitted.
Wrong Direction/Approach
a) Wrong direction/approach occurs when a competitor arrives at a control marker from an approach other than that prescribed in the route instructions.
b) If a competitor is observed to have initially made the correct approach, makes an error and immediately corrects this error completely beyond the jurisdiction and sight of the control, the wrong direction penalty will not be applied
c) The following diagram shows a control with four (4) possible approaches.
Those marked with an “X” shall constitute Wrong Direction/Approach:
d) If a penalty is to be assessed for wrong direction/approach, a notation “X” must be made on the competitor’s sheet and marshal’s sheet by the marshal at the control at the time the infraction occurs.
e) U-turns, circling and weaving within sight of the Time Controls are not permitted and will be assessed a penalty equal to ICP. No warning shall be given and must be noted on both sides of the competitor’s and marshal’s sheet.
f) Official overall mileage, official standard time (Car 0 Time) for the control and the next instruction number must be available at Time Controls.
g) A California Time Control is such that a competitor must pick up a different route within sight of control.
Time Regulations
a) The following shall be considered to apply to all rallies held under these Regulations:
i) Standard Time is the time of day a competitor number 0 is required to be at any specified point.
ii) Scheduled Time is the time of day each competitor is required to be at any specified point. Scheduled time for any competitor equals Standard Time plus the competitor’s rally number multiplied by the time interval between competitors, unless otherwise specified in the ASR’s.
iii) Target Time is the period of time allowed to each competitor to travel the distance between any two (2) points.
iv) For the purpose of standardization, the interval between competitors shall be one (1) minute unless otherwise specified in the ASR’s.
b) The master clock and all official watches for the event shall be synchronized as close as possible to the rally start.
c) Timepieces to be used by the rally officials shall be:
i) Accurate and legible. Digital watches should be used at all times;
ii) Checked by an official as close to the start as possible. The time of checking shall be noted on the control sheet;
iii) Checked by an official as close to the finish of the event as possible. The time of checking shall be noted on the control sheet.
d) There shall be at least two (2) marshals at all controls where a time is to be recorded.
e) The following is standard timing procedure to be used on all rallies organized under these Regulations:
i) At all time controls, the marshal shall note on his record sheet and the competitor’s sheet, the hour, minutes and 10ths of a second at which the competitor’s vehicle stops in front of the control (not to be mistaken to read “control marker”). In rallies timed to the complete minute, the 10ths shall not be recorded.
ii) If the rally is to be scored to the nearest preceding whole minute, the control shall be located at the .00 mark of the minute.
iii) If the rally is to be scored to the nearest whole minute, the no penalty period shall be from 0.00 to 0.59 seconds of the correct minute.
iv) In the case of a Non-Stop section, if the competitor was observed to have flagrantly stopped before passing the time control marker (except in the interest of safety), the marshal shall record his timein as the time at which he was first observed to have stopped (refer to Control Procedure).
v) A competitor’s time-in will also be his time-out unless the ASR’s specify otherwise.
vi) There shall be no timing or time allowances at route controls unless specifically stated in the ASRs and or route instructions.
vii) Errors by the marshal in recording the competitor’s time will be corrected in scoring.
f) The maximum earliness permitted in a rally shall be 15 minutes and the maximum lateness permitted in a rally shall be 30 minutes except that this maximum lateness may be extended to 60 minutes at a rest halt or meal stop, if so specified in the ASRs.
g) The maximum lateness at a finish control shall be 60 minutes i.e. to qualify as a finisher. However, for the purpose of scoring, a competitor who is more than 30 minutes late will receive the maximum penalty of 300 points.
h) A competitor’s total lateness or earliness is defined as the difference between his scheduled time and his actual time.
i) If a competitor’s total lateness or earliness at a time control exceeds the maximum earliness or lateness permitted, he shall be scored as having missed that control. Maximum lateness does not apply at a route control.
j) Maximum lateness or earliness may not be changed once a rally has started.
k) The rally will be run on the on the target time system and all earliness and lateness within the maximum must be maintained unless otherwise specified in the ASRs.
l) Pauses such as meal and rest stops, shall be used to reduce earliness and lateness unless otherwise specified.
m) Marshals shall not attempt to determine whether a competitor is within maximum earliness or lateness, but shall limit themselves to issuing and recording times for each competitor who checks in.
n) If a competitor believes that a marshal has misread his watch, he shall ask the marshal to re-check the time.
o) If the marshal agrees that he did misread his watch, he shall correct the time-in on the competitor’s card and note the corrected time on his record sheet.
p) If the marshal does not agree that he misread his watch, the competitor shall base his calculations on the time-in recorded.
q) If a competitor doubts the accuracy of a marshal’s watch, he shall ask the marshal to note in the comments column on his record sheet the time-in which the competitor believes to be correct. The marshal shall do so but shall not alter the time recorded on the competitor’s card. The competitor shall base his calculations on the time recorded on his card.
r) At the end of the rally, the competitor shall submit a protest. If, as a result the accuracy of the marshal’s watch and/or location is determined to be inaccurate, an allowance equal to the number of minutes shall be made to all competitors.
s) Rallies shall be scored on the “Target Time” or control to consecutive control principle, i.e. penalties incurred at a control shall be treated individually and no penalties thereby incurred shall be carried forward, unless otherwise specified in the ASRs. Nevertheless, a competitor will be deemed not to have reported at a control if he exceeds the maximum earliness or lateness.
t) Any competitor who is early or late is required to reduce such earliness or lateness by either reducing or foregoing any period of time provided for remaining at meal or rest stops, unless otherwise specified in the ASRs.
u) A competitor missing one or more consecutive time controls shall be deemed to be penalty free at the next control reached, provided he reaches within maximum earliness or lateness.
v) If a competitor checks in to the same control more than once, the first visit shall be the time and approach recorded for the purpose of scoring.
w) If a time control is improperly located, competitors shall be scored according to its actual location (See Time Regulations).
x) A competitor who has been unduly delayed upon arrival or departure from a control, test or halt (i.e. TC, RC, gas or meal stop, special stage), due to an administrative error or tardiness on the part of the organizers or attending marshal, may ask for delay allowance of a specific time to be noted on the relative or following marshal’s sheet and his own time card, accompanied by the marshal’s signature. However, the competitor must maintain target time to the next TC, unless this delay has caused him to exceed his maximum lateness. A protest must be filed concerning the delay within the time allowed at the end of the rally. The acceptance or modification of this delay allowance is subject to the discretion of the stewards of the event.
y) The marshal shall record sufficient information to identify every competitor who checks in.
Scoring
a) Competitors will start with 0 penalty points. The competitor incurring the least penalties will be the winner, and so on.
b) A competitor’s performance will be scored as follows, unless the penalties listed below are modified by the ASR’s.
i) Missing a time control 300 Points
ii) Missing a route control 300 Points
(N.B. A stop sign check will be considered a route control).
iii) Arriving at a time control before time due, where scoring is to be the full preceding minute – per minute. 20 Points
iv) Arriving at a time control after due time due, where scoring is to be the full preceding minute – per minute. 10 Points
v) Incorrect Control Procedure (see Control Procedure). 50 Points
vi) Coming to an obvious stop within sight of a time control in a nonstop leg. 150 Points
vii) Wrong direction/approach (see Article 3.7.4). 150 Points
viii) Not attempting or being ready to attempt a test when instructed to do so.
300 Points
ix) Not completing a test (see * below). 150 Points
x) Not performing a test correctly) see * below). 150 Points
xi) Making a false start in a test (see * below). 150 Points
xii) Breach of the Road Traffic Law or any statutory requirement as to the driving of a motor vehicle, or the construction, use and lighting of vehicles (see * below).
300 Points
xiii) Excessive noise or damage to exhaust system. 150 Points
xiv) Damage to car. 150 Points
xv) Visiting controls in the incorrect sequence. 150 Points
xvi) For visiting a route control not on the correct route (i.e. an off route check).
150 Points
xvii) Covering the distance between any two controls on a public roadway in less than ¾ of the time allowed by the official times, when controls are more than 6 kilometers apart (see * below). 300 Points
xviii) Not complying with Parc Ferme. Exclusion
xix) Failure to comply with any requirement of the ASR’s, Road Book, Time Card or Special Test instructions for which no other penalty is applied. 300 Points
xx) Penalties for Special Tests, (time taken in excess of that recorded for the fastest car in class who shall be penalty free) 1 Point per/sec up to a maximum of 100 Points
* The maximum penalty for a test shall not exceed 300 points under any circumstances. A test includes special stages and dexterities. ** Any combination of two (2) or more offences of this nature shall result in exclusion.
xxi) Solely for establishing class positions on speed tests, the following penalty will apply. For failure to record a start or finish time in a test slowest recorded time in class plus 200 seconds.
xxii) To be classified as a finisher, a competitor must report to the final control within a stipulated time and at least 50% plus one (1) of the time controls and route controls included in the scoring, unless otherwise specified in the ASR’s.
Assessment of Performance
a) Final overall and class positions will be determined by the aggregate of the total elapsed time taken on the special stages and tests, in addition to any road or other penalties assessed.
b) The following penalties shall be added to the elapsed stages times:
i) For each minute late at a TC – 10 seconds, up to a maximum of 300 seconds
ii) For each minute early at a TC – 20 seconds, up to a maximum of 300 seconds.
iii) For arrival in a control area from the direction of the subsequent stage – Exclusion.
iv) For not reporting to a TC within maximum earliness or lateness – Exclusion.
v) For starting but not finishing any stage or test – Exclusion.
vi) For not starting any special stage or test within maximum earliness or lateness – Exclusion.
vii) For not completing a test correctly, or taking the wrong route on a stage – Bogey time.
viii) Traversing any part of a stage in the opposite direction to rally traffic will result in exclusion from the event.
ix) For making a false start before 00 second of a minute – elapsed time plus 60 seconds.
x) For not being ready to start special stage or leg is the sequence given on the timecard – prescribed start time with the clock running.
xi) For not being ready to start any section or leg at time due – 60 seconds.
xii) For not complying with any reasonable instruction by an official provided a warning is given that a penalty will be applied – 60 seconds.
xiii) For abusing a Marshal – 60 seconds. (Each occurrence).
xiv) For any instance where a competitor has been proven to have unreasonably baulked another competitor – 60 seconds. Any consistent baulking will result in exclusion from the rally.
xv) For reversing into a stop control from the wrong direction or stopping within the declaration area between the flying finish and stop control. – Bogey time 1st occurrence. Any further infringement will result in exclusion.
xvi) Actual time taken for a stage will be the time used.
xvii) For any competitor who causes or is part of a serious blockage on a special stage, whether intentional or otherwise, if his actions prevent any other competitors from completing the stage competitively – Bogey time.
xviii) For servicing in a no service area – 10 minutes for the 1st occurrence. Any further infringement will result in exclusion.
Results
a) Provisional scores for all competitors shall be posted at one time. Scores shall be posted on the Official Notice Board not less than one (1) hour and not more than three (3) days after the arrival time of the last possible finisher. The Official Notice Board must be located at the finish of the rally or some other designated place which shall be easily accessible to all competitors and specified in the ASRs.
b) Corrections made to the scoring after protests have been considered, will be contained in the provisional results.
c) When the protest proceedings have finished the results are final if:
i) The provisional scores were posted within the limits allowed.
ii) No protest decision has been deferred.
iii) No appeals have been submitted.
d) Competitors having equal number of penalty points shall be considered tied. Subsequent positions shall be enumerated according to the number of vehicles listed ahead. If a tie breaker is to be applied, other than the ones described in this Regulation, it must be specified in the ASRs.
h) In the case of Championship Rallies, equal positions and Championship points will be awarded. A tie breaker will be applied unless specified in the ASRs, for the purpose of distributing awards.
i) If a tie breaker is applied the following method shall be used:
i) Smallest number of crew;
ii) Furthest cleanest on road section from start;
iii) Furthest cleanest on road section from finish;
iv) Smallest capacity cc. rating;
v) Toss of a coin.
Protest Time Limits
The following time limits shall apply for these Rallies:
a) Any protest by a competitor concerning the accuracy of a marshal’s watch or control location, must be submitted within 30 minutes of the competitor’s Time-In at the finish of each Section.
b) Any protest by a competitor concerning a delay allowance request must be submitted within 30 minutes of the competitor’s Time-In at the finish of each Section.
c) Any protest from a competitor concerning a mistake or irregularity occurring during the rally or which became evident during the rally, must be submitted within 30 minutes of the competitor’s Time-In at the finish of each Section.
d) Any protest from a competitor concerning the calculation of a score must be submitted within two (2) hours of the posting of Provisional Results at the designate location and time to a Steward.
e) The Steward may grant an extension to a competitor’s allowable time to submit a protest in order to make it physically possible for the competitor to submit the protest.
f) The Stewards decision on a protest considered at the finish of the rally is final.
Awards
a) Awards shall be presented as follows:
i) 1 to 3 cars in class – 1st place only
ii) 4 to 6 cars in class – 1st & 2nd place only
iii) 7+ cars in class – 1st, 2nd & 3rd place
