A shortest distance rally is an untimed RoadRally following an undefined route. The objective of this Texas Region rally was to visit several interesting locations by the shortest route possible. Each team received a map with seventeen waypoints and had up to 30 minutes to determine their most efficient route. They then drove to these specific locations on the map while avoiding missed turns and other sources of extra mileage. The Richta GPS Checkpoint smartphone app verified that they visited each waypoint. With this year’s theme, locations to be visited were in Denton County horse country. A horseman’s version of the traveling salesman problem! The team that visited all the required landmarks in the shortest distance was the winner.
Contestants started out from The Prairie House Restaurant in Cross Roads, which generously hosted our check-in and map planning. To ensure the consistency of mileage measurements across all entrants, teams were required to conduct an odometer calibration run before setting out on their chosen course over scenic roads in Denton County. 22 cars completed the rally, driving a variety of vehicle types and brands. The weather was Texas summer hot, but not unbearably so for rallying! The rallyists ended back at The Prairie House. There we enjoyed tasty food and camaraderie, followed by results and awards.
This year’s waypoint configuration was relatively challenging, resulting in several different “shortest distance” routes chosen by contestants and a wide spread between the shortest and longest routes. The shortest recorded route was 73.2 miles. For such skill and efficiency, the Car 15 team deserves a package-delivery job offer from FedEx or Amazon Prime!
Our “Long and Winding Road” award went to Car 8, who covered 96.1 miles, certainly getting their money’s worth of scenic Denton County driving!
Awards were given to the lowest scores (mileages plus penalties) in each entrant class:
The team of Zoe and Ronen Kahana (left) took home First Place honors in the General Class and First Place Overall. Very close behind, the team of Sheri Humphrey and Drew Brock (center) came in First Place in the First Timer Class, while Lizz Witt and Ronnie Arnold (right) were First in the Novice class. Congrats to the winners, shown after regaining their bearings.
Here are the results for The Horse Country Challenge:
