Wheels Rallye Team

Chicagoland’s Most Exciting Rallye Team

The Wheels Rallye Team Guide To Road Rallying

   While gimmick road rallyes in other parts of the nation may run the gamut from treasure hunts to poker runs, Chicago-style gimmick road rallying is a scientific, challenging, creative and professional style of road rallying derived from TSD (Time, Speed, Distance) rallying and transferred to a palate of thematic game experiences.

  

   You are probably familiar with board games. In most board games you have a set of rules, that you play the game by, and then you have the actual game play itself. In gimmick road rallying, you get a set of rules, (termed General Instructions),  which lay out the schematic for the actual play of the rallye (game).

 

   Then you get the route instructions which, like in a board game, are the moves that get you around the board. Route instructions can be simple (example: Right on Jones) or can be two and three part instructions always directing an action. You never know where you are going until you get there.

 

   But what if you do something wrong? Well, actually, we design road rallyes to trick you into doing things wrong, and we also design them so you will not get lost (okay, okay, sometimes you do get lost, but it is rare, we have a 99.6% of finishers on Wheels Rallye Team rallyes). We make the course so that you can go off course and come back on course again, and not even know it.; we call these bypasses (just like a highway bypass).

  

   Creative thinking on the part of rallymasters devise all sorts of traps (gimmicks)  which range from on course observation to sneaky hidden addenda posted on a car’s wheel. These elements, put together, into the collage of thematic scenarios  and professional planning, make road rallying a game for the ages. One that can be enjoyed by singles and married people of all ages.

 

   Wheels Rallye Team is committed to being the leader in creative assembly of gimmick road rallyes and fine autosport events that touch both the brass ring of competition and the carousel of entertainment.  The fun does not stop when you finish a road rallye, it continues into the endpoint where you get a precise Living Synopsis of the course, can get questions answered about what you may have done, and where the exclusive Wheels Rallye Team Awards are presented.

 

   Then a day or two after the rallye you can see the official results posted again, on the official Wheels Rallye Team Website at wheelsrallyeteam.com along with championship points and comments about the rallye (sometimes including photos, and graphics).  You may have a question or two about the event and we want you to submit it at the website and you will receive a prompt e-mail answer. The more you know about the sport the more fun you will have. So Come on out….!!!!

 

      We have attempted to organize this Guide into parts that both define and explain the basic concepts and standard conventions of gimmick road rallying.

  In doing so we have prepared a Glossary that gives detailed explanations of commonly used terms (either alphabetically or grouped when we deem necessary.) In the back of this Guide you will find alphabetical listings of terms and explanations to more easily reference what you are looking for in the guide.

 

   Our attempt in this guide is to shorten the learning curve involved in understanding road rallying. While there is a lot of material included here, it does not have to be learned all at once. It is our intention to display the latest fundamentals and thoughts involved in gimmick road rallying. To that extent, we have tried to anticipate questions and provide solutions along the way.

 

   While no guide can make up for road rallying experience, this guide can induct you into the “in the know” group of rallyists who continually turn in good scores on road rallyes because they don’t misunderstand basic uses of defined words and established conventions.

 

   Of course Wheels Rallye Team is always available to you online for questions and rallye discussions.

Road Rallying Guide

Acute – a turn of more than 90 degrees at an intersection where there exists more than one opportunity to turn in the manner described. (Example 200)

 

After – Completely past the sign, landmark, road, mileage or object referred to in the instruction. (See Example 201 in the left column)

 

 

Ahead – To continue straight  (or most nearly straight)  at a point where you would have not gone straight in the absence of the ‘ahead’ instruction (See redundancy).

 

At – Even with, for mileage estimates; in the vicinity of, for course following instructions. Note if you are on a road you are at it.

 

Bear – A turn of less than 90 degrees at an intersection where there exists more than one opportunity to turn in the manner described.

(See Example 202)

 

Before – Any navigational aid identified by the use of the term ‘before’ must be visible from the execution point of the instruction. The instruction must be executed at the last opportunity prior to the navigational aid. (SEE EXAMPLE 203).

 

Checkpoint – A vehicle accompanied by an official checkpoint sign pertaining to your direction of travel.  Proper checkpoint procedure is to pull off and park in front of the checkpoint vehicle (never blocking the sign) and walk back to the passenger window of the checkpoint and submit your score sheet for signing. (It is a wise decision to bring your route and general instructions to the checkpoint as well in case the personnel have any questions for you).

 

Compass Heading— North, South, East, West and their combinations (ex. Northeast).

 

Cross – To go completely across.

 

Direction—Right or Left.

 

Double Arrow – A two headed black arrow on a yellow background usually found at a Tee. (See Example 205)

 

Established Road – A road at a traffic signal, a marked sideroad, a marked crossroad,  a road for which you must stop at by law, a road that you must yield to by law, or a numbered route.

 

Integrity of an intersection –  Stop signs, Yield Signs, traffic signals, ramps and cutoffs are all said to make up the integrity of an intersection.  In the case of stop signs, yield signs and traffic signals, only one of each may be considered at an intersection; any ‘after’ instruction involving a stop sign, yield sign or traffic signal must be executed at the intersection AFTER the intersection where the object presides. In the case of ramps and cutoffs, only one route instruction may be performed at an intersection. (Example 204).

 

Intersection –  Any meeting and/or crossing of two or more existing public roads. 

 

Keep –  To proceed in the direction or compass heading indicated  to proceed so as to position a navigational aid in the indicated location. Keep may or may not take you in the direction or compass heading that appears as straight as possible. A Keep Instruction can also indicate a compass heading or direction to travel (such as Keep Right or Keep Left or Keep East).

 

 

Marked Road—A road immediately preceded by a black on yellow warning sign that depicts the intersection. See examples below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Example 200: ACUTE

Assume the instruction: Acute Right. A is not an acute turn because there is only one way to turn right there. B is an acute because there are two ways to go right.

A

B

Example 201. AFTER

Using the diagram immediately below: Assume an instruction: Right AFTER Smith Street. You would do the Right at Jones (B) NOT AT Smith. Assuming the route instruction: Right AT Smith (A) would be done at Smith Street.

A

B

Example 202: BEAR

In the diagram below: Assume the route instruction: BEAR RIGHT. Figure A is NOT a BEAR since only one way to turn right there is evident. Figure B is a BEAR since you have two possible right turns at that location.