Time, Speed, Distance (TSD) Rally
The Time, Speed and Distance (TSD) Rally on Tuesday morning, June 11th, will take you around the beautiful Birmingham area and beyond. The route will incorporate the curvaceous roads outside Birmingham and nearby regions. You may travel by some famous motorsport facilities as well as beautiful countryside. We will start the TSD Rally at the Birmingham Porsche Center. It will take a little over four hours to run including two-three short breaks (gas stop, potty, regroup) and spans approximately 110 miles. You will be back in time for the traditional afternoon Ice Cream Social!
Here is a short video of the tentative roads planned for the Parade TSD Rally Route: Parade 2024 TSD Rally Preview
The competitive part of this event is following the course and matching the assigned speeds (never over the speed limit) and then observing how you are doing by having you check-in at checkpoints (controls) along the route. Consider bringing a clipboard, some writing instruments, and especially your smart device (required).
In 2021 we introduced automatic Richta live timing and scoring and this year we will do the same. Everyone will use the free Richta Competitor app (on your GPS enabled smartphone or tablet) that provides you with a rally clock, your score in real time at each checkpoint (control), as well as your total score as your progress thru the route. And no score sheet to turn in. We will have a display in Hospitality at the finish that provides your score for each checkpoint (control) along with the scores of other cars. There will also be a display with a live map of the course where you can watch the remaining competitors follow the route. This will provide a great social setting to discuss how and what you did along the route.
UPDATES the last 2 years and continuing this year include:
Any GPS Navigation system can be used in any rally class.
Allow for navigators to be as young as 13 years of age under the JPP option when registering.
Competitors are classified by the level of sophistication of the equipment they use in the event. The rules allow all competitors to use any GPS equipment in addition to the Richta Competitor app on your smartphone or tablet (required).
There is a new TSD Rally Class (R06) and R04 / R05 Classes have been changed. In the picture below we have highlighted the classes that have been changed and added . Please review before Phase II registration.
Please click here to review and print the classes.
Two TSD Rally Schools will be held on Monday afternoon after you have toured the concours and had lunch and before heading out on your “free night” of exploring the local shops and restaurants. Whether you have never rallied before or just want a refresher, be sure to attend one of the TSD Rally School’s as we discuss the improvements and changes to how checkpoints (controls) will be handled. Our TSD Rally School is designed for the novice and taught by past TSD Rally champions and Rallymasters. You will learn about the rally, what to bring, what to expect, tips for staying on time, what to do at a checkpoint (control). The school will also cover the rally General Instructions (what they are and how to use them), terminology, sample route instructions, Q&A session and more.
We plan to have a live Zoom rally school a couple of weeks before Parade where we will discuss the use of the Richta Competitor app. We will record the Online Rally School and post the recording online. There will also be an opportunity to try out the Richta Competitor app the day before the rally on a short practice course on roads adjacent to Parade headquarters.
Registration for this event occurs in Phase II of Parade registration. Only one person, either the entrant or co-entrant, should register for the rally. Two and only 2 registered Parade entrants are permitted in the vehicle for this event.
Parade GUESTS are not permitted to compete in this event.
A Porsche is required.
The status of entrants for the TSD Rally will be verified at Parade Check-In and the start of the rally.
Junior Participation Program (JPP) members may not drive in the TSD Rally but may navigate with their sponsoring PCA member driving. JPP navigators may be as young as 13 years of age (and must be identified and registered). No one under 13 may be in the vehicle during this event.
College Age Family Program (CAFP) members may either drive or navigate in the rally.
If you would like us to help you partner up with a fellow Parade Entrant, let us know and we will try to match you up. There will also be a message board at the Parade Check-In that provides for messages, i.e. looking for a TSD Rally driver or navigator, meal tickets wanted or available, etc.
What class do I sign up for? During the Phase II Registration you will select one of the 6 classes in which to compete for awards. Classes are determined by the year of the Porsche used and type of equipment or navigational aids used. All entrants may run using a GPS Navigation system. The more experienced TSD rallyists typically run in either the R01 or R02 or R03 classes. The TSD Rally classes are defined in the PCR's (Parade Competition Rules). Entrants are responsible for classifying their own vehicle. Changes can be made at the TSD Rally table at Parade Check-In on Sunday, June 9th. The rallymasters are also available to answer classification questions at paradetsdrally2024@gmail.com
The TSD Rally General Instructions will be available May 9th, 2024, or before, and posted on the Parade website under Time Speed Distance Rally, Rally Docs. Questions about the General Instructions will be accepted by email only until Tuesday, June 4th, 2024.
Questions? You can contact the TSD Rally Rallymasters, Tom Gould and Rik Larson at paradetsdrally2024@gmail.com
The RICHTA Competitor App is a program that runs on your iPhone or an Android GPS based phone or tablet. As you run the rally the app uses your device’s internal GPS to track the current location of your vehicle. When the app detects that your vehicle location matches the location of one of the stored checkpoints (controls), it records your arrival time for that checkpoint (control) and displays that arrival time and announces your score for that leg. The app then sends that information to the rallymaster’s scoring system where it updates the scoring in real time. It also allows for on the fly time delays (shown as TA- and TA+ on your screen) should they be needed. You do not stop at the checkpoints (controls). All the checkpoint (control) information is displayed on your smart device.
The RICHTA Competitor App uses GPS coordinates for checkpoint (control) timing. It does not use any cell phone service provider for the recording of your in time at the checkpoint (control).
It is recommended that your smartphone or tablet be fully charged prior to the start of the event on Tuesday. We strongly recommend that you have a power cord and adapter for the car to insure battery life for your smartphone or tablet for the duration of the rally. You may also want to consider a mounting device (suction or cup holder) that holds your smartphone or tablet in a position that you can view it during the rally. This will also help with receiving a strong, consistent GPS signal.
Information about the Richta Competitor App is available at:
https://richtarally.com/apps/Competitor.html
http://drscca.org/rally/using-the-richta-competitor-app/
(this is from the Detroit Region --- SCCA)
https://youtu.be/xQuV8t1k0Lw?si=B1TMBdN_Ukx244Dr (Android Competitor App setup demo Gould)
https://youtu.be/yIq2CusXiss?si=5woPVGCWYQ5Btqpc (iOS Competitor App setup demo – Gould)
A YouTube video showing the use of the app in action is at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvq7hUv2zA0
(approximately 6 minutes long)
Here is an example of the information displayed on your smartphone or tablet:
The checkpoint summary line shows both your actual time difference from perfect time plus your score for the leg.
Another example --- from 2019
TSD Rally Co-Chairs
Thomas Gould
Rik Larson