WHO: Santa Monica Sports Car Club/SCCA. WHAT: Monthly First Friday Niter Road Rally, a time-speed-distance navigational rally. WHEN: Friday, February 3rd. Registration opens at 7 p.m., beginners' meeting at 7:40, first car off at 8:01. WHERE: Registration and rally start at the Bank of America rear parking lot, corner of Devonshire and Sepulveda in Mission Hills. WHY: You love driving and the challenge of friendly competition. You want to take the first step in learning how to work with a navigator for performance rallying or "Targa"-type events. You want to experience some of the most exciting "driver's" roads in Southern California. HOW: Bring your street-legal car, a navigator, a pen, a flashlight, a watch that can be synchronized with official rally time, and $18 for entry fees ($10 for SCCA members.) We'll give you a set of route instructions. The object of the rally is to follow the instructions at assigned average speeds in order to arrive at checkpoints exactly on time (to the hundredth of a minute.) And by the way: you won't know the location of the checkpoints until you get there. And it's dark. WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW: It's not a race. We're sanctioned by the SCCA and run on public paved roads, so assigned speeds are within posted speed limits. BUT, the roads are usually challenging and fun to drive, and the pressure of staying on time leads to a very exciting experience. We award trophies in four classes of competition, based on equipment and experience. If you're a novice, you'll run in your own special class so you don't have to go up against the experts. CAN I USE MY GPS? Absolutely. IS THERE AN APP FOR THAT? Several. THIS MONTH: We're going to the Santa Clarita area. The route includes parts of Soledad Canyon and Sierra Highway, with lots of opportunities for brisk cruising and a few twisty bits. There will be a few "traps" to make the rally interesting for experienced competitors, but not so tough that beginners will have a hard time. The rally should take about 90 minutes. SPECIALS: We award "marque" trophies on nights when we get five or more entries representing a particular make or model, so if you're part of a club or meet-up group, bring your friends...you might just get your own special class. FOR MORE INFO: Visit ffn.smscc.org. More questions? Post 'em here or PM me. Hope to see you on the 3rd!
In case anyone is planning on attending, one correction: the entry fee is $20, not $18 (sorry, I was using last year's pricing.)
