A shortest-distance rally is an untimed RoadRally following an undefined route. The object of this rally was to visit several interesting locations by the shortest route possible. Each team received a map with eighteen 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. Teams used the Richta GPS Competitor smartphone app to verify they visited each waypoint. With this year’s theme, locations to be visited were mostly ranches or farms. A rancher’s version of the traveling salesman problem! The team who visited all the required landmarks in the shortest distance was the winner.
Contestants were required to download and use a GPS-based odometer app to ensure consistency of mileage measurements across all entrants. An odometer check route was set up as a backup option if an entrant failed to obtain or use the GPS odometer on the rally. Four contestants had to avail themselves of this option.
Contestants started from Crow’s Country Café in Anna, who generously hosted our check-in as they had done in years past. Teams then set out on their chosen course over scenic roads in Collin and Grayson counties. Eighteen cars completed the rally. The field included several MINI Coopers from the Metroplex MINI Club, as well as a 1963 Austin Healy, beautifully restored and trailered to the event. The weather was great for rallying, with or without the top-down! The Healey made it back without any hiccups, and no one got seriously lost (or admitted to it). The rallyists ended back at Crow’s. There, we enjoyed tasty food and camaraderie, followed by results and awards. All in all, a successful Rally Day!
The shortest route recorded was 66.4 miles (more than a mile shorter than my educated guess). With one exception, we observed a 10.5-mile spread between the longest and shortest routes among the competitors. Our Long and Winding Road Award went to Car 6, who clocked in at 106.8 miles, certainly getting their money’s worth of scenic driving!
Awards were given to each entrant class’s lowest scores (mileage). Congratulations to the winners! The team of Misty and Ethan Wiseley took home First Place honors in the General Class and First Place Overall. Very close behind, Brad and Lucinda Clark, and Philip Yori and Chris Tosch tied for First Place in the First Timer Class, while Gary and Donna Joy were First in the Novice class. I’ve included the full results below.
All in all, it was a fun and successful Rally Day. Thanks to John Camp (and grandkids) for conducting the safety check/pre-check, as well as the GPS Odo app checks and release of rally vehicles on Rally Day. Thanks to Tammi and Buck Entriken for helping with Rally Day operations. And thanks to Liz Witt for untangling the scoring spreadsheet, enabling us to announce rally results to our patient crowd of competitors.
What ralliers said…
“It was great! Loved the theme.”
“Well done again!”
John Poulos – Rallymaster, Rally Chair, and SCCA Texas Region ARE for RoadRally
