JCN RALLYS

JCNA Rally Committee and Membership Committee UPDATE:  

A JCNA RALLY is FUN! REALLY!

            If you like to drive your Jaguar and enjoy the Great Outdoors; If you enjoy the company of folks who like the twisty bits; If you relish the sound of your engine screaming like a scalded cat; If you like the challenge of the hunt; THEN, the JCNA Rally Program was created for Clubs and members who enjoy driving their Jags! The TIME, DISTANCE, SPEED format is the most popular and manageable rally format.

            If you want to get to know your new members, increase membership event participation, recruit new members, or just have fun with your Jaguar Club friends, THEN, why not try the JCNA Rally Program. A Rally is a driving event that starts at a specific location like a coffee shop parking lot or donut shop, the participants receive written route instructions. The RALLY MASTER, the person in charge, gets everyone headed in the right direction at timed intervals, like every two minutes, this is when the fun starts, whether you have a navigator or do it by yourself.

            The basic ingredients of a Rally are:

1. The Rally Master is the person in charge of organizing and writing the rally route. The rally instructions are written in sections or “Stages” along the route to the end-rally destination. These “Stages” are usually measured in miles, average speed, and time.

2. Rally Stages usually have “Check-Points”, where your mileage and time are recorded. Self-Check Points are features along the route, i.e., statues, commercial signs, monuments, etc. where the navigator records the time and distance when they arrive at the feature. Alternatively, two-person teams can staff Manned Check-Points and record the times when teams pass by.

3. Writing the Rally Route has always been a challenge for most Rally Masters. In the old days it was created using printed maps from gas stations, Automobile Club maps, THOMAS BROTHERS Map Books, or trial and error. Today, thanks to technology, we can write Rally Instructions using GOOGLE MAPS SATILLITE feature on your desktop computer. This tool makes writing a rally route a piece of cake, as the English would say. The idea of writing instructions for a Rally is amazingly simple. Just use common sense.

4. THE EVENT:

            First, choose a starting location and the end destination, preferably with food features and restrooms. Make sure you have printed enough instructions for the participants. Some Clubs will email the instructions and have their members download the documents, in either case, people are people and they just might forget to bring the instructions along. Also, you might get some folks who decided at the last minute to attend and did not download the instructions, this way you are covered!!! Make sure you have enough pencils and clip boards or notify participants to bring their own.

THE ROUTE:

1. With your GOOGLE MAPS display, select a route that combines interesting features, twisty bits, straights, and convenient check-point locations or features. Make sure your instructions specify all local driving regulations must be obeyed, a speeding ticket gets you disqualified! NO ALCOLHOL prior/during the event!

2. The route instructions are written in a type of shorthand. For example, LT is Left Turn, RT is Right Turn, MERGE means to join another street left or right, T- End is when a street ends at a cross street and you must either turn Right or Left or make a forced U-Turn and go back from whence you came. Those are the basic directional instructions to writing a rally route.

3. Rallies are generally planned for weekends, during the daylight hours, in all weather conditions. Running a rally in the evening might be another challenge for your club. Usually, these rallies start in the late afternoon and end in the evening at a dinner location.

4. We suggest that you include a social event at the end of your rally, a dinner, luncheon, or picnic event is highly recommended. Folks like to share their experiences after driving the event and a lot of laughs can be had from those who get lost or mixed-up, better yet might need couples counseling afterwards, LOL.

5. AND THE WINNER IS… Any event that has a competition component as part of the format is always fun and can be rewarding. The TIME, DISTANCE, SPEED format is such a competition format. You have three competition categories, TIME– team closest to actual route running time, DISTANCE– team that came closest to actual measured course mileage, and SPEED– the team that drove the actual average speed of the course, and finally, the OVERALL WINNING TEAM that managed to successfully come closest to all three competition categories. By having four Awards Categories you increase the participants possibilities of winning one or more of the categories. Make sure you have trophies to hand out to the winners and losers, Most Lost, Slowest Time, SPEEDSTER!

6. The most important thing is to acknowledge everyone’s participation whether they won, placed, or just showed up and had a good time. AND a good time is what the JCNA RALLY Program is designed to create, the celebration of membership, meeting new friends, enjoying the countryside, and most important, enjoying your Jaguar automobile with your friends.