Rally Master 101 or So You ve Always

Rally. Master 101

or, So You’ve Always Wanted to Put on a Rally

or, So you have some deep psychological issues with authority and inter-personal relationships that you need to work through

Responsibilities of a Rally. Master • Disclaimer: this is not legal advice. I am not your attorney. We’re talking about moral and practical responsibilities, not legal responsibilities or liability. You’ll need to consult your own attorney for advice on the latter.

Think about why you want to put on a rally

You’re taking on significant moral responsibilities – To the riders, to give them a quality rally • Can you make the commitment of time, money, resources? – To the sport, to not do anything to screw it up

Do you feel the need to be loved, feared, or respected? • Probably won’t satisfy that need.

Can you handle the pressure? – Riders making demands on your time – Riders wanting exceptions to the rules

Can you handle that 4 a. m. phone call? – Can you handle bad news? – Can you tell the riders?

Haven’t filled you with despair yet?

Rally. Master 101 • • Planning Starting Doing Finishing

Planning

A B C

A- Always B - Be C – Collecting

• If you think you might ever want to put on a rally, always be collecting bonuses – Start when you leave the parking lot tomorrow – You don’t want to have to go back there, so document everything now

Collect for every possible bonus: • Record GPS coordinates • Get photos • What’s the availability? 24 hours, limited hours? • Get a receipt • Get a brochure • Record video if appropriate

Save all your collected waypoints into a database – If set up correctly, allows for auto-generation of route & answer sheets and waypoint files

Sample rally database Name Code Address City State Directions Latitude (DD. mmmmmm) Longitude(-DDD. mmmmmm) (west is minus) Description 1 Description 2 Availability Potential requirement Validation document Link 1 Link 2 Leg Used? Sequence Number Sheet sequence number Points

Sample bonus entry Name Code Address City State Directions Latitude (DD. mmmmmm) Longitude(-DDD. mmmmmm) (west is minus) Description 1 Description 2 Availability Potential requirement Validation document Link 1 Link 2 Leg Used? Sequence Number Sheet sequence number Points Highest natural point in Manhattan DSV 75 139 Pinehurst Ave (near 183 rd St) New York NY In Bennett Park, off Fort Washington Ave, north of I-95, in Manhattan 40. 852906 -73. 938534 The highest natural point in Manhattan is a stone outcropping in the Washington Heights neighborhood at the far north end of the island. 6 AM to 1 AM Take a photo of the marker in Bennett Park showing the highest natural point on Manhattan. Be familiar with Rule 13 C. Park may be closed for repairs. Photo of marker or photo showing park is closed. http: //americasroof. com/nyc-manhattan. shtml 1 N 34 142 128

Use your GPS • At the potential bonus location, save a waypoint in your GPS • Download GPS data to laptop frequently - daily? • In Map. Source you can look at individual segments of track logs. These are sometimes more accurate than a saved waypoint. Especially if you’re turning around or stopping, it’s recognizable in the track. • Watch for GPS locking onto nearby road or intersection instead of location – Save waypoint twice?

Smartphones as bonus scouting tools • Many smartphones do auto geo-tagging on photos • Take multiple photos - the GPS may not be locked in on the first photo from a cold start. • Many note-taking apps support photos, audio notes, video notes, geo-tagging – Evernote stores lat-long data in the note, accessible through desktop application (not web application) • Also smartphone GPS tracking apps to save waypoints – GPS Essentials (Android) • EXIFtool (PC)- create GPX file from geo-tagged photos • I save waypoints on the GPS, download and store GPS track logs, and take geo-tagged photos on a smartphone. And sometimes audio notes with Evernote. And sometimes video.

Every bonus must be verified • Google Maps & Street View are great for scouting or triple-checking but no substitute for personal visits • The community will help. • Location, directions, availability (time, date. cost), what bonus requirement & verification will be, what can go wrong (closure, alternate proof etc) – Look for gates that close off approaches to the bonus, posted closure hours

Get photos & info on everything around • Want to be able to see the approaches & environment • Also anything that a rider might mistake for the bonus - other markers, signs, etc. • We get lazy having GPS coordinates; should also have directions that can get you there without GPS. • Use video if it helps explain complicated information • See Curt’s video: http: //youtu. be/ugj. Dht. BEPj. E

Establishing view

Detail

Closer in

Closer yet

Bonus detail

Extra information

Curt Gran scouting a bonus – the ultimate

Bonuses / routing • • Consider: legal speeds = distance they can ride Incorporate rest It takes time to snag a bonus, sometimes more Points make riders go where you want Impossible bonus v. sucker bonus Irritation bonuses How many bonuses?

Sources for bonuses • Historical Marker Database – www. hmdb. org • Waymarking – www. waymarking. com • Roadside America – www. roadsideamerica. com

Scheduling • Don’t conflict with established rallies in same region – It’s rude and it limits your audience

Location • • • Need to be able to draw riders Do you need meeting facilities? Do you need to have lodging available? Start and end at the same location? Nearby motorcycle dealers? – Give the local dealers a heads-up

Organization • Choice of entity – Chartered club for AMA?

Rules • Team Strange Uniform Rules • IBR Rules • Steal borrow from other rallies

Registration • • Mail in - PO box On line - Ride Master (rides. jasonjonas. com) Deadline for entry / payment Payment plan? Credit cards/Pay. Pay? Waiting list? Cancellation policy – Deadline – Refunds

Establish a point of contact for the riders • Rally should be reachable by email, voice • Good to have a discussion board or mailing list so you can post information once • Have a decision-making authority - who can definitively answer a rider’s question? – Division of labor?

Consider lead time • Many things have lead time that has to be built into your schedule: – Anything customized or with a logo • Shirts, mugs, stickers • Rally flags • Thumb drives (for logo and for data loading)? – Anything printed • Route sheets, rally packets – Reservations – meals, meeting rooms, hotels

Budget • You need a budget & quotes on everything before you can set the rally fee

Everything costs • Don’t make your staff and volunteers dig deep into their pockets • Don’t forget tax, service charges, gratuities etc

Your budget should include:

Banquets / dinners • Start / end • Need a head count, usually cost person • Don’t forget room charges, service charges & tips • Bar? • Equipment rental - tables, chairs, PA system?

Lodging • For yourself, staff, volunteers • Multi-day rallies: don’t forget lodging during the rally

Meeting room rental • May be thrown in with the lodging

Staff & volunteer meals during the rally

Copying and mailing • Rally sheets have to be printed somehow • Envelopes, postage

Insurance • AMA?

Transportation? • How do you and your staff get to and from the rally site (or sites)? • Can be a big problem if your start and finish aren’t in the same place • Vehicle rental, gas, insurance, lodging

Trophies • Niceness = cost

Rally flags • Surprisingly expensive to have them printed

Swag • Good swag makes your riders feel good – Plus, it’s the public face of your rally

What swag? • • T-shirts Hats Stickers Pins Nametags Mugs Weird stuff

Thumb drives for bonus waypoints • Don’t need excess capacity, but smaller sizes are often more expensive.

Computer hardware for scoring • Laptops • Card readers – SD, SDHC, Compact. Flash (CF), Memory. Stick (Sony), x. D (Olympus)

Prepping for the start • Generate final route & answer sheets • Generate waypoint files & copy to thumb drives – Waypoint file data formats: GDB, GPX, TXT • See examples on webpage

What you need at The Start

Rally paperwork and forms • • • Route sheets Answer sheets Information sheets Emergency contact info Signed entry forms and releases Rider lists Releases to be signed AMA paperwork Thumb drives with bonus waypoints loaded

Swag

Registration equipment • Laptops • Card readers • Printer

How are you getting there and who do you need to take?

Staff • Check-in • Tech inspection • Odo check ride leader & scribes

Are you having a start banquet?

Do you need accommodations? • For riders? • For staff?

What to do at the start? • Registration – Sign more waivers – Collect emergency contact info • Tech inspection – License, registration, insurance – Check VIN on bike matches paperwork – Fuel capacity / installation • Odo check • Riders meeting • Dinner

Checkpoints • If you have them

Checkpoint Facilities – Parking – Tables & chairs for riders to do paperwork – Tables & chairs for scorers – AC power for scorers and riders • Extension cords, power strips – Food? Water? – Lodging nearby?

Checkpoint Staff • Someone to check in riders • Enough scorers to timely process riders – Need more for mid-rally checkpoint because of time limitations • Rally management

Computer equipment for scoring • • Laptops Card readers Printer for results Scoring program/database

Finish

Finish Facilities • Parking • Tables & chairs for riders to do paperwork • AC power for scorers and riders – Extension cords, power strips • Food? Water? • Lodging nearby?

Finish staff • • Someone to check in riders Someone to direct riders to scoring? Scorers Rally management

Before the riders get there • Set up space for riders to process paperwork • Set up separate space for scoring – Tables/chairs/AC power

Computer equipment for scoring • • Laptops Card readers Printer for results Scoring program/database

What to do at the finish? • Record time check on riders as they come in • Riders go off and do paperwork • Riders come to scoring when ready – TS policy: when the rider sits down at scoring and says ready, can’t leave or change anything • Rider paperwork gets collected and processed by rally management

Allow time for scoring before banquet/results

Allow time for rally management to determine results • Double and triple check your numbers!

Come to Jesus meeting?

Announce / post results • After dinner

Party

The goal: Everyone goes home safe

For more information • www. davidebsmith. org/cycle/Rally. Master 101