News from the CSCC Geargrinders, A Review of 2021 —
Cascade Sports Car Club’s Geargrinders Road Rally Program put on nine road rallies and averaged 24 cars per rally, improving over 2020’s average of 18 vehicles per rally. A very successful rally season.
Procedures we implemented in 2020, at the outset of COVID, were continued throughout the 2021 rally season. Online registration was required. Check-in is virtual, and Waivers are e-signed. The Checkpoints – Richta GPS app was used to time and score road rallies. With the use of the timing app, a new style of time-speed-distance road rally has evolved. A three to four-hour rally has 20 to 30-timed legs: legs are short and two to 10 minutes and checkpoints are frequent. Mid-rally time-of-day restarts are common. It’s a different pace and focus, with even more value on being on time all the time. The new style is more beginner-friendly and more supportive of novice rallyists. And it is attracting a new audience.
A New and Exciting Rally Season in 2022 —
The proposed schedule includes nine events, starting with a Rally School in February. The very competitive Saturday Road Rally Series has six rallies. The 57th Mountains to the Sea will be in May, with the traditional Ghouls Gambol, our Halloween rally, at the end of October.
Growing attendance is key to sustaining the road rally program. We continue to work toward increasing attendance by promoting CSCCs road rally events through email, social media, Auspuff our CSCC newsletter, and the Cascade Geargrinders website. Please help by sharing our event announcements and promotions. Let us know if you identify audience opportunities!
Once a month, from February through October, the 2022 Cascade Geargrinders road rally program will offer a chance to go for a country drive on a Saturday morning and play the game that takes you places. You enjoy driving your car, and that’s why you belong to a car club. A road rally is a fun way to enjoy driving your car. Play the game that takes you places—affordable fun for a carful.
Members can save with a Series Pass which includes entry in seven rallies for six. A Series Pass consists of the Rally School and all six Saturday Series rallies for just $120. New this year is a Season Ticket, which saves members even more, as it includes all events in the Series Pass plus Mountains to the Sea and Ghouls Gambol for just $180. Series Pass and Season Ticket holders register just once and run the same car number with the same start time at each rally.
For 2022 Cascade Road Rallies:
• Online registration is required
• Entry requires a street-legal vehicle, a licensed insured Driver, a Navigator, and a smart device (e.g., cellphone or tablet)
running the Checkpoints – Richta GPS app (free download)
• Rallies are conducted under the current CSCC Road Rally Rules.
• Events will comply with the Cascade Geargrinders Coronavirus Message.
You can always check for updates at the Geargrinders webpage!
The Saturday Road Rally Series rallies are beginner-friendly time-speed-distance road rallies that start and end in Portland. Rallies take three to four hours to complete. The first car starts at 10:01 a.m. Entry fees are $20 per car for CSCC members and $30 per car for non-members.
February 18-19 – Friday evening Rally School – Start the season with a virtual review of time-speed-distance road rally rules and procedures. Then run a practice road rally on Saturday morning to test your rally navigational knowledge and driving skills.
March 19, April 16, June 25, July 23, August 20, Sept. 17
May 14- Mountains to the Sea – 57th anniversary of Cascade’s classic rally. It’s a full-day tour-style time-speed-distance road rally, offering an all-paved scenic route that is fun to drive, starting in Portland and ending at the Pacific Ocean. $50 per car for CSCC members and $75 per car for non-members.
October 29- Ghouls Gambol – this daytime rally explores autumn colors around Portland’s foothills and farmland. Optional decorated car show. Caution: May include tricks and treats. $20 per car for CSCC members and $30 per car for non-members.
