Rallye des Jonquilles 2014
Discussion
The Crack Fox said:
benjj said:
As for the groups, have a look at Bruno's site here, it gives all the entries (scroll down)
http://www.lagrangeauxdamiers.com/categorie-102301...
I'm in the McRae catagory then. First time I've done this, I'm in probably the slowest car in the catagory, with a 10 year old girl navigating. Neither of us speak French. This should be fun http://www.lagrangeauxdamiers.com/categorie-102301...
At each time control I would leap out to have our roadbook stamped, the wife would breast feed the baby and my 4 year old would be fed a snack by the lovely French ladies at each stop. Not a problem.
I'm in the Colin McRea group aswell... worryingly it looks like I have one of the most powerful cars in the group. This is going to make it even more embarrassing once we come home dead last after getting hopelessly lost just 2 miles into the rally, having a huge argument and end up following some french farmer thinking 'he must know the way'...
Even so, it will be a great weekend
Does anyone know what is the time gap between each car setting off?
Even so, it will be a great weekend
Does anyone know what is the time gap between each car setting off?
Rochester TVR said:
I'm in the Colin McRea group aswell... worryingly it looks like I have one of the most powerful cars in the group. This is going to make it even more embarrassing once we come home dead last after getting hopelessly lost just 2 miles into the rally, having a huge argument and end up following some french farmer thinking 'he must know the way'...
Even so, it will be a great weekend
Does anyone know what is the time gap between each car setting off?
Usually 30 or 60 seconds, no more.Even so, it will be a great weekend
Does anyone know what is the time gap between each car setting off?
Oh, the winning car from your class last year. They're running with you.
No, sadly I'm not joking.
benjj said:
Lastly a note for first timers: make sure your navigator has some kit to hand - a few pens and pencils and so on, highlighters are handy for marking off your progress so you can still see the instructions.
Any more navigating tips for first timers? -Map of the area (which is best - Michelin, IGN?)
SatNav (is this cheating?)
Will we get the Route Instructions beforehand?
dempsey said:
benjj said:
Lastly a note for first timers: make sure your navigator has some kit to hand - a few pens and pencils and so on, highlighters are handy for marking off your progress so you can still see the instructions.
Any more navigating tips for first timers? -Map of the area (which is best - Michelin, IGN?)
SatNav (is this cheating?)
Will we get the Route Instructions beforehand?
SatNav totally and utterly verboten. By all means use it to get down there, I will be, but then removed and tucked away somewhere you can't get at it.
Map wise I'll probably just sling in a large format France map. If you do it right you just use the roadbook for everything.
As for general navigating tips, will write something up and post it here later.
Navigator confirmed and Ibis booked, just for Saturday, travelling home Sunday evening.
Mate said he would polish up his map reading skills, told him not to worry and send him a copy of the pace notes...
"Pace notes?!! OMG! I thought it was going to be a genteel bumble along country lanes."
Too early to call on that one.
Mate said he would polish up his map reading skills, told him not to worry and send him a copy of the pace notes...
"Pace notes?!! OMG! I thought it was going to be a genteel bumble along country lanes."
Too early to call on that one.
Ladies & gents, a few little updates:
1) Seat wanted for Mission Motorsport navigator
I am looking for a free seat in one of the PH cars for a Mission Motorsport navigator. I'll be running with an MM guy, as will Jim Cameron (Tankslider) in his 911. For anyone interested you'll receive the cream of the British Forces, a spooky ability to read maps and routebooks, utter fearlessness while hammering along and you'll almost certainly learn a few new swear words.
The MM beneficiary will be arriving in Arras with the MM team so you don't have to consider the logistics of the crossing etc. Likewise he'll have his own billet in the Ibis so no need to share a room.
Please drop me a line asap if you're willing to help, PM here on PH or on ben.williams@bjjw.com.
2) Restaurant booking
A few people have asked about booking something for some tuck. The bar we're meeting in at 18.00 looks like they do some nice stuff at reasonable prices so I suggest we book there. I'm quite happy to make a group booking but we'll need to act fast as Arras is quickly filling up that weekend with around 320 of us rallying + support crews, marshals etc. I propose a booking at 20.00 for a nosebag and then we can get back outside and on the outside of a few more light ales. Please let me know by copy and pasting this bit of the thread below
Dinner booking at 20.00
Benjj - 1 place
3) Navigating
I'll post up a few tips in an hour or so below.
1) Seat wanted for Mission Motorsport navigator
I am looking for a free seat in one of the PH cars for a Mission Motorsport navigator. I'll be running with an MM guy, as will Jim Cameron (Tankslider) in his 911. For anyone interested you'll receive the cream of the British Forces, a spooky ability to read maps and routebooks, utter fearlessness while hammering along and you'll almost certainly learn a few new swear words.
The MM beneficiary will be arriving in Arras with the MM team so you don't have to consider the logistics of the crossing etc. Likewise he'll have his own billet in the Ibis so no need to share a room.
Please drop me a line asap if you're willing to help, PM here on PH or on ben.williams@bjjw.com.
2) Restaurant booking
A few people have asked about booking something for some tuck. The bar we're meeting in at 18.00 looks like they do some nice stuff at reasonable prices so I suggest we book there. I'm quite happy to make a group booking but we'll need to act fast as Arras is quickly filling up that weekend with around 320 of us rallying + support crews, marshals etc. I propose a booking at 20.00 for a nosebag and then we can get back outside and on the outside of a few more light ales. Please let me know by copy and pasting this bit of the thread below
Dinner booking at 20.00
Benjj - 1 place
3) Navigating
I'll post up a few tips in an hour or so below.
Navigating on the Rallye des Jonquilles
Ok, sorry about the slight delay in writing this up but hopefully it'll help a few people.
Firstly the rally is not timed - it is a navigational competition. This means that in order to do well you need to get the route bang on at every stage.
At signing on you will receive a bunch of stuff, most notably your roadbook and your time cards. The roadbook is explained below, the time cards will be the ones you hand to the marshals at the start/end of each stage and will have spaces on them to fill in on route with any questions/code boards that are required to complete the stage. Some of this may be in sealed envelopes that you are only allowed to open once you start a stage in view of a marshal.
The roadbook is laid out as below (this is an actual RdJ roadbook from 2012). Reading left to right you can see as follows:
1) Total distance - this is the accumulated distance from the start of the stage (there are 3 on the day) to the end of the stage. Those of you NOT using measuring equipment (Brantz, Halda etc) will probably be using this minute by minute unless something goes wrong.
2) Inter distance - this is the distance from one turn/instruction to the next. These are very useful if you do go wrong and need to backtrack to a known point/position. If you do do this then you can use these inter distances to finish the stage.
3) Tulip diagram of instruction - these are pretty easy to get your head around. You are always approaching from the bottom of the box, the arrow is your destination. It'll show junctions, other roads etc. These will almost always be struck through (the French style is by two lines striking out the road(s) you don't want.) They can also show the village signs (the sort of 'Welcome to XYZ' etc) where you simply stay on route unless instructed otherwise.
4) Info 1 - these will be notable road signs or general points of reference.
5) Info 2 - These are generally used to illustrate the names of towns or other info on road signs.
6) Notes - Misc info, sometimes telling you that this route was used on a famous historic rally and other interesting info.
Using your roadbook:
The really key thing for any navigator, in addition to getting the route correct, is to keep notes of where you have been. I'd advise you to pack a specific nav bag including a few pencils, pens, highlighters etc. It is important for the nav to strike through or mark each instruction off as you make progress (you can see where my wife struck through in the above photos). If/when it all goes tits up this can be a very useful aid to getting back to a place you know is correct and carrying on.
Time cards, code boards and other bits:
In order to ensure that you take precisely the right route there are also a few things that rally organisers like to throw in. The first is code boards. These are typically black on white boards A5/A4 size put on little posts on the side of the road. They can have anything written on them: name of a town/place/name etc or sometimes just a code (eg ABC123). You need to enter this information into your time card as you go along.
Secondly (and hardest) are the photo questions. Typically they work like this: you receive an A4 sheet which has about 10 photos on it - these can be anything - houses/monuments/fountains etc. These can be used in a number of ways. Sometimes you may be asked to fill in the villages that the photos are taken in. Sometimes they will ask you to select the photo that you DID NOT see. These are always clearly explained.
That's about it really. Remember that EVERYTHING will be explained for you on the roadbook/timecard. It is your responsibility to read, understand it and do it! Don't assume that the car in front of you is doing it right, make your own decisions and crack on as fast as you can.
Bon route.
Ok, sorry about the slight delay in writing this up but hopefully it'll help a few people.
Firstly the rally is not timed - it is a navigational competition. This means that in order to do well you need to get the route bang on at every stage.
At signing on you will receive a bunch of stuff, most notably your roadbook and your time cards. The roadbook is explained below, the time cards will be the ones you hand to the marshals at the start/end of each stage and will have spaces on them to fill in on route with any questions/code boards that are required to complete the stage. Some of this may be in sealed envelopes that you are only allowed to open once you start a stage in view of a marshal.
The roadbook is laid out as below (this is an actual RdJ roadbook from 2012). Reading left to right you can see as follows:
1) Total distance - this is the accumulated distance from the start of the stage (there are 3 on the day) to the end of the stage. Those of you NOT using measuring equipment (Brantz, Halda etc) will probably be using this minute by minute unless something goes wrong.
2) Inter distance - this is the distance from one turn/instruction to the next. These are very useful if you do go wrong and need to backtrack to a known point/position. If you do do this then you can use these inter distances to finish the stage.
3) Tulip diagram of instruction - these are pretty easy to get your head around. You are always approaching from the bottom of the box, the arrow is your destination. It'll show junctions, other roads etc. These will almost always be struck through (the French style is by two lines striking out the road(s) you don't want.) They can also show the village signs (the sort of 'Welcome to XYZ' etc) where you simply stay on route unless instructed otherwise.
4) Info 1 - these will be notable road signs or general points of reference.
5) Info 2 - These are generally used to illustrate the names of towns or other info on road signs.
6) Notes - Misc info, sometimes telling you that this route was used on a famous historic rally and other interesting info.
Using your roadbook:
The really key thing for any navigator, in addition to getting the route correct, is to keep notes of where you have been. I'd advise you to pack a specific nav bag including a few pencils, pens, highlighters etc. It is important for the nav to strike through or mark each instruction off as you make progress (you can see where my wife struck through in the above photos). If/when it all goes tits up this can be a very useful aid to getting back to a place you know is correct and carrying on.
Time cards, code boards and other bits:
In order to ensure that you take precisely the right route there are also a few things that rally organisers like to throw in. The first is code boards. These are typically black on white boards A5/A4 size put on little posts on the side of the road. They can have anything written on them: name of a town/place/name etc or sometimes just a code (eg ABC123). You need to enter this information into your time card as you go along.
Secondly (and hardest) are the photo questions. Typically they work like this: you receive an A4 sheet which has about 10 photos on it - these can be anything - houses/monuments/fountains etc. These can be used in a number of ways. Sometimes you may be asked to fill in the villages that the photos are taken in. Sometimes they will ask you to select the photo that you DID NOT see. These are always clearly explained.
That's about it really. Remember that EVERYTHING will be explained for you on the roadbook/timecard. It is your responsibility to read, understand it and do it! Don't assume that the car in front of you is doing it right, make your own decisions and crack on as fast as you can.
Bon route.
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