Alabama thread!

coming in tomorrow!!!

oh ok that would be better!

are you considered "sponsored"? sponsored to me actually does mean "paid for". if it's not that then I consider you a distributor or advertisement for a company.

 

and yes I will be attending

 

yes i am sponsored by 3 different companies all of which i am very happy with. I am also a distributor for CVT Tents now.

 

are you competing or going to be a volunteer or something?

that's awesome man. get us some sponsorships haha

 

How many teams are there? I REALLY wanted to do this but with moving to OR is just wasn't in the cards.

 

I believe I saw 46 team numbers.

 

I will be Competing If i had known that yall were actually going to join i would have teamed up with one of yall. how many people do yall have on your team? Whats your team number again?

 

what is going on here?

 

Holy smokes. Well I just visited the site and registration is closed so that's good. I feel like they should have limited it to 30 or less. How can this be competitive? Can someone PM me the rules/ scoring system. I'm just curious.

 

The only people that are sponsored and getting all their shit for free are professional trophy racing and baja people. Like household names in those circles. Companies develop tiered sponsorships based on your level of success, whether you are a poster boy professional, well-known weekend warrior that's been featured in a few magazines, a local hero, etc. Each tier gets a higher percentage off of purchases they would already make and sometimes are given large discounts on new products to help market them by using them.

 

we limited ourselves to 2 for convenience, less chance of breaking down, but another truck for recovery, and less fuel fill up time and such. Me and Justin are a team (18), and Brian and Dave are a team (19)

Scoring system:
For each 30 seconds you are EARLY or LATE to a checkpoint, your team will receive 1 point.

Points for each stage are scored separately, therefore if you arrive late to stage 2, arriving early to stage 3 will NOT offset stage 2s late arrival, you'll just get more points.

If a vehicle in your team becomes disabled, IMMEDIATELY remove it from the trail, so other vehicles can pass. If you block the path of another team, you will accrue points for not only your team, but every other team who arrives late from your blockage. Teams who are blocked must report this to make penalty occur.

If you are blocked by a disabled vehicle of another team, this will not stop you from receiving points for being late, but the disabled team will also receive your points, as well as any they receive. This is only applied if the team completely blocks the roadway or trail, making it impassable. If you can get around, GO AROUND. Take photos if you encounter this and make Zack aware ASAP.

Airing up and down will ONLY be done 1/2 mile or more onto each trail and off public roadways. You shall park while airing up and down as to let other teams pass you without issue. DO NOT BLOCK THE TRAIL.

50 minutes after you are due at a checkpoint, the checkpoint official will move on, and you will receive the MAXIMUM point penalty for that checkpoint.

If it becomes apparent that you will not make multiple checkpoints, you will be required to continue on the route until you reach the campsite of that night, or rally finish line if on the final day. You will receive the MAXIMUM point penalty for EACH of the checkpoints you do not meet.

At certain locations on the route there will be a notation for a possibility of negative points by taking alternate routes. These BONUS routes are more difficult and must be chosen carefully, as some may hurt your time if not executed perfectly.

Speeding will result in 20 points for every 5 miles per hour over the speed limit you travel. This WILL be enforced. If caught, 5mph over could take you from 1st to 18th place instantly.

At each checkpoint you will either be instructed to either stop, or proceed slowly past the rally official. If you fail to meet, or stop at a checkpoint which you're required, you will receive the MAXIMUM penalty at that checkpoint.

If a checkpoint is skipped, you will receive the MAXIMUM penalty for that checkpoint. This does not apply to bonus checkpoints.

At the rally end, scores will be calculated and the team with the LOWEST score will win. In the event of a tie, names will be drawn from a hat.

 

we are discussing the Red Clay Rally.

 

also, first email we received with info about it all:

You're receiving this email because you have signed up for the Red Clay Rally. I am going to briefly touch on general information, things that you may want to begin to acquire before the rally, and things to organize before the competition.


If you do not have a winch, that is fine, but I strongly recommend pairing with someone or having some other type of recovery equipment such as recovery ramps and/or kinetic straps. Keep in mind that at this point I have only mapped approximately 300 miles so there's 200 miles that I do not yet know.

After much deliberation on the map format being used during the rally, I have decided that digital maps will be most adequate. This is so that you will be able to enjoy the awesome views the rally offers, while also still needing navigation skills to correctly navigate the course. I will be posting the maps onto GAIA maps website which will be free to download when I later provide direct links to these tracks. The maps will be available in 3 formats, GPX, KML, and GeoJSON. I am only familiar with GPX, so I won't be able to help with the other formats.


In the meantime a GPS app or GPS unit capable of downloading one of these three formats will be required. I have used 2 apps which both use GPX format, HEMA and GAIA. Both of these apps will be fine to run the rally. My mapping partner and I are using GAIA exclusively. GAIA allows you to choose which layers you want to view such as USGS aerial, Satellite, or Toner style maps, which is AWESOME. GAIA is $19.99 on the Google Play Store and is also available for use with Apple. It is, in my opinion, the best overland mapping app available. There are many free GPX viewer apps available but I can't comment on their quality.


Once you choose a mapping app you'll need to "download offline map" You do this within the app itself in the event the device loses cellular service (which it will). The offline map will need to cover from right above Abingdon, VA in the top right corner of the map to Gainesville, GA in the lower left corner. This will encompass the entire route and be a safeguard when (not if) you lose cellular service on the route.


This seems overwhelming but it's really quite easy. If you are not yet in our chat room on the GroupMe app, I will be sending you an invite so you can ask me questions in real time regarding the maps. Once you play with your mapping app of choice for about 10 minutes you'll be a pro. If not... you will begin the rally, get lost, eaten by coyotes, and some inbred hill people will begin living in your roof top tent while playing banjo and squealing like pigs.


Prepare your vehicle. That little rattle you hear, small vibration, leaks, death wobble (cough* Jeep guys).. Those little issues will turn into huge headaches if not taken care of before hand.


Bring spare parts! If your vehicles are known to have weak axles, bring 1 or 2 extra just in case. Tools to perform roadside repairs are necessary also. Fuel. Fuel. Fuel. Have some extra or you'll be stranded. Even the best machines break.


Be well rested prior to the rally! Driving is dangerous, and we are traveling several hundred miles a day, on unforgiving terrain. This isn't a beach trip. YOU ARE GOING TO BE SPENT at the end of each day.


Begin organizing teams NOW. Encourage anyone on the fence about participating to sign up, or make clear that they aren't coming. Be prepared to give me the team participants information, which I will request the coming months. This will be necessary information for me to have WELL BEFORE the rally.


Get the word out! Many people would love to participate in this but haven't heard of it yet! Take to the forums, Facebook, and other social media to spread the word. The more people we have coming the better...


Please go check out our sponsors instagram pages and give them a shout out for being so supportive. Without them, there wouldn't be any Red Clay Rally.


Blue Ridge Overland Gear just sent their goods which will be awarded at the rally.


Black Peak Supply Co. Is designing, and making patches.

CVT tents has agreed to sponsor the event and will be providing goods to the winning participants

2cMed is getting together his med kits to be awarded.

17 Sierra Gear is providing soft goods to winning teams.

Mobtown offroad is supplying off road recovery equipment for 1st 2nd and 3rd place


You will receive an invitation shortly to join a chat room on an app called GroupMe. This is a room created by competitors to chat, strategize and talk smack before the rally. It is optional, but encouraged so we get to know everyone prior to competition. The app is free and chat is active! Hope to hear from you soon.

 

Now I hate that I couldn't join in even more. So much awesome.

 

it's gonna be nuts! you can volunteer to be a checkpoint person or something like that? if you want to be involved.

 

Now after all that shit you guys gave him about wanting a Jeep after the move, is that really something you want?

 

I'm going to literally be moving across the country during those dates...

 

I didn't give him shit about buying the jeep, I said it makes sense for what he wants.

ooooh. gotcha. yeah that kinda interferes lol

 

We gotta get me a little checkbox to click when I post that will show you guys a little red light or something when I'm just trying to stir some shit. lol