RallySprint Course Marking Help Please

[wvonkessler]

Gentlepeople:

I am looking for input on marking a Rallysprint course. It consists of two large fields (stages) that will allow about a 3 mile stage on each field. One of them is overgrown, but can be bushhogged.

However, they are fields, and not roads, and I want to be able to (1) mark a course with a minimum investment; and (2) move the course if areas become too worn/degraded in order to keep the land from eroding.

Cones are one solution, but (1) the setup would be semi-permanent, allowing "practice" at the facility; (2) I can't tie up my region's Solo II cones with such a setup; and (3) permanent cones are not the most inexpensive option. (Plus, they may be hard to see if the field is not cut).

I'm thinking about ski racing bamboo (red and blue bamboo with flags) along with netting to keep folks "in bound" on the course. I don't know what MX tracks use.

Tires are another option, but I don't know how to paint them, and again, they may be hard to see.

If you could please put on your brainstorming hat, and come up with ideas, I would be very appreciative.

Thanks,

Wilson

[Bill Barfoot]

We did a .75 mile course with 11 cones. Get something heavy (like an I-Beam) or rent a section of fence, and drive a course into the ground. Cones mark apexi (or is it apex's) and can be pushed in and out to change the course.

[Mad Mike]

>Gentlepeople:
>
>I am looking for input on marking a Rallysprint course. It
>consists of two large fields (stages) that will allow about
>a 3 mile stage on each field. One of them is overgrown, but
>can be bushhogged.

The PowerPoint slides I used to accompany the rallysprint presentation I made at the last convention in Denver can be downloaded from here: http://www.realautosport.com/SCCARallySprint.ppt

That file will show you what we'll be doing at RallyeSprint Oklahoma, another Hallett Triple this Saturday, the 30th. Hey! You're a short 11-hour commute away - come to Tulsa and see it in person!! ;) Visit www.realautosport.com for event information.

>However, they are fields, and not roads, and I want to be
>able to (1) mark a course with a minimum investment; and (2)
>move the course if areas become too worn/degraded in order
>to keep the land from eroding.

We considered doing a rallysprint on the same large parcel of pasture land we used to rallycross on and since the owner was cutting hay off that field each summer there was quite a collection of 1000-pound round bales arrayed there. That got me thinking about creating an artificial course with strategically placed bales. At half-a-ton each they'd make formidable course delineators, they're biodregradable, easily moved (tractor or pickup with one of those big spikes is all that's required), they were on-site, chances are the bales could be "rented" with the understanding that any broken ones would be purchased but left there (talk about a win-win for the farmer - get paid for a busted bale of hay that his cattle get to eat) and with a little forethought several different rallysprints could be configured in a given day/weekend.

>Cones are one solution, but (1) the setup would be
>semi-permanent, allowing "practice" at the facility; (2) I
>can't tie up my region's Solo II cones with such a setup;
>and (3) permanent cones are not the most inexpensive option.
>(Plus, they may be hard to see if the field is not cut).

Cones are barely acceptable for rallycross so far as I'm concerned - I can't imagine them sufficing in a day-long ClubRally rallysprint.

>I'm thinking about ski racing bamboo (red and blue bamboo
>with flags) along with netting to keep folks "in bound" on
>the course. I don't know what MX tracks use.

That would be cool, but could be kinda pricey. Plus, there'd be little incentive to not just run smooth over them on a regular basis.

>Tires are another option, but I don't know how to paint
>them, and again, they may be hard to see.

Take it from the guy who has rebuilt more than his fair share of tire walls (long-time corner worker and former caretaker of Hallett Motor Racing Circuit), tires are not a good solution for this. When strapped together they'd make a decent corner marker, but once the strapping breaks (and it will) you've got tires everywhere - guaranteed. Then there's the down-time getting that corner 'repaired' and it won't take long before the whole thing descends into chaos.

>If you could please put on your brainstorming hat, and come
>up with ideas, I would be very appreciative.

For the Hallett RallyeSprints this weekend we take advantage of what's already on the property whether that takes the form of gravel access roads laid down back in the mid-70s,

http://www.realautosport.com/pics/Beetle/ROtHT-01/hmrcsaab.jpg

the road circuit's tire walls (which we race behind),

http://www.realautosport.com/pics/Beetle/ROtHT-01/hmrcdsm.jpg

access gates,

http://www.realautosport.com/pics/Beetle/ROtHT-01/hrmcrx7.jpg

or rearranging some of the many 55-gallon 'trash barrels' out there - we align them in pairs to create gates that must be negotiated per the supplemental regs.

http://www.realautosport.com/pics/Beetle/ROtHT-01/hmrcblzr.jpg

>
>Thanks,
>
>Wilson

Hope this helps. Feel free to contact me if you have questions, or show up at Hallett Saturday morning and ask them in person. I may have a "no work" codriver slot or two available ... ;)

http://www.hallettracing.com

Halley ...
http://www.realautosport.com

[Bruce]

At the Arkansaw Rallysprints (Arkansaw, Wisconsin, of course) the rallymaster MOWED the course in the field, then used stakes and banner tape to mark corners. It's not very permanent, but it's cheap and fairly easily replaced. There were also a number of hay bales - the BIG ones you move with a forklift - and the course would around those. I hear he wants to use more of those this year.

He also created some foamboard signs with tulips on them for certain corners that were hard to see.

Bruce

[wvonkessler]

Mike:

I appreciate the invite. However, I will be down at the site working out final details with the landowner for a (hopefully) January event, as well as a series of events over the year.

However, I probably will see you at Paris.

Wilson

[Widget Codriver]

... apexi (or is it apex's) ...

fwiw:

... apices ...

Source: http://www.bartleby.com/61/51/A0365100.html

John

[RichardM]

The orange construction barrels we will use in Paris should work. You will get a chance to check them out but not too closely I hope. :-)
Richard

[GK]

We have a 60 acre parcel we have been leasing just north of Denver, CO. We have had about a half dozen rallycrosses and one rallysprint on the site so far. We used a lot of utility marking flags (those bright red and yellow flags on wire) for the rallysprint. They stand about a foot above grade, are easy to install and are very visible) You can get them at Home Depot (in the tool department, by the survey stuff) in bundles of 100 for less than $10.00. We used yellow tape and some survey lath to mark hazard areas and used cones primarily at the start and finish areas.

We ended up with a 2.4 mile stage that we ran forward, backward and even ran twice for a 4.8 mile stage. We get some 2 minute plus rallycross courses as well using a quarter of the property.

[wvonkessler]

Gary:

It sounds a lot like our site. I've already mapped a three mile stage, and that is only on part of the property.

Interestingly, I already got the utility flags to pre-mark the course.

Thanks for the post.

Wilson

[Mad Mike]

>... apexi (or is it apex's) ...
>
>fwiw:
>
>... apices ...
>
>Source: http://www.bartleby.com/61/51/A0365100.html
>
>John

This is why I asked him to ride with me!!! :-o ;-) LOL!!!

Halley ...
http://www.realautosport.com

[Mad Mike]

>Gary:
>
>It sounds a lot like our site. I've already mapped a three
>mile stage, and that is only on part of the property.
>
>Interestingly, I already got the utility flags to pre-mark
>the course.
>
>Thanks for the post.
>
>Wilson

I presume that rally drivers will investigate every chance they get to reduce their distance to the finish control (like I always do) and therefore have been keen to create course markers that offer at least a little 'sting' for trangressing any of them. I think we've only squished a couple of barrels in the Ark Valley Rallye/Rallyeprint Oklahoma!!! series of events at Hallett (I ran sqaurely over one with the original RAS RallyeTruck!) and someone smashed one last month, with no particular damage appearing on any machine yet. Of course, part of the driver's meeting includes a notification that the barrels are as much there to keep cars out of dangerous areas along with the fact that, indeed, some of the barrels were partially full of water. So far, barrels have worked well for us and I have yet to find any hint of course shortcutting or fielded any concerns from drivers about running between them.

Halley ...
http://www.realautosport.com

[RichardM]

Our barrells will be sitting on concrete bridge abutments or unexploded ordinance.}>

Richard Miller

[wvonkessler]

>I presume that rally drivers will investigate every chance
>they get to reduce their distance to the finish control
>(like I always do) and therefore have been keen to create
>course markers that offer at least a little 'sting' for
>trangressing any of them.

I say Pungi Sticks (marked in Blaze Orange of course).

We've got a barn full of hay bales on the property, and and agreement to pay for the ones we wreck. My concept was to pass the cost onto the competitor. They pay $2.00 or $3.00 per hay bale nailed (in the Supps of course) (and the whole course can be seen from one vantage point). When we get to unseen stages, then the difference between the penalty cost and the real cost ($1.50 a hay bale) may self compensate. Plus the straw sticking up out of the radiator is a dead giveaway.

Wilson