2005 Nor'wester Regulations

ENTRY & FEES

1. The entry fee is $700 for one passenger vehicle and two drivers, or $550 for one motorcycle and rider.. Make checks payable to Rainier Auto Sports Club, Inc (Mastercard and VISA are also accepted).
2. The additional fee for a third vehicle driver or second cycle rider is $150.  (Two-person motorcycle teams are possible if organizers have room to transport one rider)..
3. Entry will close August 1, 2005 unless a maximum number are recieved sooner.
4. Entry fees (less $100 deposit) are fully refundable through August 1, 2005, after that date an additional $100 may be retained.  No refunds are possible once a vehicle has left the start line.
5. A maximum of 25 automobile and motorcycle entries will be accepted. The organizers reserve the right to refuse any entry without providing a reason, and to assign vehicle numbers as they see fit.
6. Lodging on route has been arranged in advance.  The entry fee includes 3 nights accommodations (double occupancy), two lunches, and an awards banquet.

DOCUMENTATION & ELIGIBILITY

1. The rally is open to the general public. Minimum age is 18 unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.
2. Entrants must sign a liability release before participation is allowed.
3. Entrants must present valid driver's licenses (with motorcycle endorsement if applicable), vehicle registration, and proof of vehicle liability insurance.  NOTE:Canadian law requires that proof of insurance be carried at all times!  Entrants should also carry a passport or birth certificate for border crossings.
4. Drivers may be changed or added during the event, but this must be prearranged with event organizers. Trading drivers among vehicles is freely allowed on transit sections, but any trade on a TSD section must be approved in advance by the organizers.  (ie: This could be allowed for press purposes, but not allowed if it appeared to give a scoring advantage.)
5. No passengers are allowed in a rally vehicle (except in an emergency) unless they have been registered.

SCRUTINEERING & VEHICLE ELIGIBILITY

All vehicles:

1. All vehicles shall be road legal and licensed in strict compliance with regulations of its state or country of registration.
2. A maximum of four additional forward facing lights are allowed, and all lights must dip to low beam with a single switch. Forward-facing roof mounted lights are prohibited.
3. A "business band" radio that receives & transmits on 151.625 Mhz is suggested (see RADIO & COMMUNICATIONS).
4. A vehicle may be excluded from the rally at any point due to unsafe condition or the actions of the occupants. This includes violations of these rules, multiple citations, and acts that endanger the general public or discredit the event.
5. Any participant cited for reckless driving will be disqualified.

Cars, Trucks, SUV's:

1. Vehicles must be equipped with OEM seat belts for all as a minimum.
2. A roll bar is required in soft top vehicles.
3. Forward facing roof mounted lights are prohibited
4. A tow strap, 5BC minimum fire extinguisher and highway flares or DOT triangles are required.
5. No fuel cans are allowed inside the vehicle, and any additional fuel tank must be an OEM or otherwise certified installation.

Motorcycles:

1. Fuel must be contained in a single OEM or comparable quality afternarket tank.
2. Use of auxiliary gas cans or containers is prohibited.
3. Helmet use is required at all times.  Helmets must be DOT and/or SNELL approved.
4. Organizers will transport one 50# container of clothing or gear for each cycle, plus 2 spare tires.  A packing list must be provided, as this may be required at customs.  Please pack securely in a weatherproof bag, not hard-sided case.
5. A "buddy system" is required for cycles.  This means that entrants must declare their riding partner before the event start and such group must keep track of each other throughout each riding day.  (This doesn't mean a "buddy" has to stay behind with a dead cycle, but must pass this information to event officials before leaving the scene).

CLASSES

Six classes are offered, teams must declare one by 8pm August 14.  A GPS unit is allowed in all except vintage class:
Auto - Passenger cars, trucks and SUV's, unlimited navigational equipment and computers.
Auto SOP - Passenger cars, trucks and SUV's, limited to SOP equipment. SOP is defined as original equipment odometer in the stock location, plus a slide rule, Stevens wheel, and/or electronic calculator. Laptop computers and Curta calculators are NOT allowed (a laptop may be carried, just not accessible during TSD).
Cycle - Motorcycles, with unlimited navigational equipment and computers.
Cycle SOP - Motorcycles, limited to SOP equipment. SOP is defined as original equipment odometer in the stock location, plus a slide rule, Stevens wheel, and/or electronic calculator. Laptop computers and Curta calculators are NOT allowed (a laptop may be carried, just not accessible during TSD).
Vintage - 1974 and older vehicle models, limited to SOP or vintage navigational equipment
Touring Class - Will not be scored but will adhere to the same basic route and schedule as other teams.

SERVICE & VEHICLE REPAIRS

STARTING ORDER

ROUTE INSTRUCTIONS

1. All instructions are supplemented by an official mileage, which will take precedence. If a sign or reference is missing, use the mileage.
2. In the absence of a route instruction, the obvious main road should be followed. Redundant instructions may be used to clarify the main road.
3. All roads used are public, through roads unless otherwise specifically indicated in the route book.
4. There are no course following traps on this rally!

DEFINITION OF SECTIONS

TRANSIT: A time and mileage will be given only for the start and finish of a Transit. These are touring sections, and competitors may proceed at their own pace as long as they enter controls at the correct time.

TSD: In these sections teams must maintain average speeds shown in the route book. A time and mileage will be given for the start and finish of a TSD and controls may be located at any point within the section. Practice is not allowed and vehicles may not enter TSD sections before controls are open.
 

CONTROLS & TIMING

TSD CONTROL: May be visible or hidden, and located at any point within a TSD section. Do not stop at these controls, as the exact passing time of each vehicle will be recorded. TSD controls will open 5 minutes before the ideal passing time for car #1 and close 5 minutes after the last car is due.

PASSAGE CONTROL: Control location plus opening & closing times will be designated in the route book, and cars may enter at any time while the control is open. The organizers may extend control closing time at their discretion.  Some Passage Controls may be noted in the route book as "Extreme" - these are considered optional but have a small penalty associated.

MTC (Main Time Control):  A passage control used at overnight halts.  Location, time, and other info will appear in the route book.  Attendance is important as the MTC's purpose is to account for all teams, disseminate new information, and address questions or concerns.

PENALTIES

TSD CONTROLS:1 point per second early or late, maximum penalty of 60 per control or 200 per TSD. 200 points for entering a section before it's open, or driving in the reverse direction of rally traffic in these sections.

ALL CONTROLS:  200 penalty points for missing any scored control, except "Extreme" controls which are 10 points.

UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT (including illegal service): First offense 50 penalty points, a second offense is cause for disqualification.

NO FAULT SCORING

FORCE MAJEURE & FORCE HOMME

QUERIES & PROTESTS

RADIOS & COMMUNICATIONS

1. A VHF 2-way radio operating on 151.625 Mhz ("Red dot" frequency) is suggested. A hand-held unit is acceptable for cycles.
2. VHF radios are available for loan or purchase ($90) through the organizers (please reserve in advance).
3. CB radios are encouraged but are not a substitute for VHF equipment.  Officials will monitor VHF, not CB
4. Licensed Hams are encouraged to bring their equipment, many officials vehicles will include Hams.
5. NO two-way radio transmission is allowed during any TSD section except in an emergency.  (Monitoring 151.625 is encouraged at all times).

GENERAL

1. Maximum planned distance between fuel is 100 miles, but an extended range is encouraged.  Fuel is the final responsibility of the entrant, and failure of any advance arrangements will be considered force majeure (this also means gas station refernced in the route book is not guaranteed to be open)..
2. The rally was measured with an AlfaPro odometer using steel belted radial tires.
3. Any situation not covered by these regulations will be ruled on at the discretion of the organizing committee.