On Sunday, September 18th, we here in West Texas Region SCCA ran our third Road Rally event and 1st TSD (Time Speed Distance) Rally — the Taste of Victory Rally.
We have been trying to implement this for a very long time and were, fortunately, able to finally get our feet wet in planning and executing an enjoyable and challenging event. We were so lucky to have our long-time member and club treasurer, Dan Hendren taking the lead in planning this rally. He ran and organized these events many years ago when SCCA was young in our area, so it was a natural fit to have him teach us the ins and outs of choreographing these competitive rallies.
He spent weeks running the course with his wife, Darlene Hendren, to ensure everything was right for us rookies! Thank goodness, we had no idea how detailed and specific the directions would be!
We opted to keep the event small, as we wanted to make sure we were going to be able to host such a rally safely and accurately. Five teams competed, with a 6th that had to back out last moment. Three teams were married couples, and two were married couples competing against each other with their daughters as navigators.
We are happy to report that all couples are still married after the event!
The route Dan chose took us in and out of neighborhoods and industrial areas along the outer loop of Amarillo, TX. The total trip was approximately 80 miles and took us three hours to complete. Dan chose only three checkpoints; as this was our first TSD, he kept it simple. Some competitors got turned around or lost on the route, but everyone eventually got the hang of it and found their way. We had a great time and many laughs at Hummer’s Sports Bar and Grill in Amarillo when we all clocked in our final times. The entire group agreed that this was one of the most fun and engaging competitions we have done and are looking forward to building our Road Rally program in the future.
Our First Place trophy went to 2nd-year members and club favorites Chuck and Angela Harbor. Our Region’s Chief of Safety, Chris Daniel, and his wife, Autumn Daniel, the RE of WTRSCCA, claimed Second Place. Our Third Place trophy went to Lydia and Khylee Miller. These lovely ladies are not only active members but are also the wife and daughter, respectively, of our Region’s Assistant RE, Larry Miller. Fourth place was claimed by Larry Miller and his daughter, Savannah Miller. He can be seen in photos attempting to take people’s trophies to claim as his own. Lydia, however, has stood her ground and retained the trophy and her side of the bed! Lastly, long-time member Chief Solo Tech Inspector Steven Wong and his significant other, Brittany Barraza, round out the event in 5th place. Steven has dabbled in a little of everything SCCA except this. It was nice to have him try something new!
We chose to plan a competitive Road Rally after the overwhelming success of our two Social Road Rallies last year, both of which were Poker Runs. We have found that running events “For Fun” or having events that don’t require a specific kind of vehicle has allowed us to grow our membership and given the club a chance to enjoy the fellowship that a group of like-minded people brings! Additionally, it will enable our members’ families to be involved in a way that autocross, rallycross, and road racing does not always allow.
We are now looking forward to our next Road Rally, a scavenger hunt-style rally to celebrate the close of our 2022 season. Date and time are TBD!
For Regions who have not pulled the trigger on trying a Road Rally event, don’t wait! Get one in the works and invite as many people as you can! Your members will thank you!
