WHO: Santa Monica Sports Car Club/SCCA. WHAT: Monthly First Friday Niter Road Rally, a time-speed-distance navigational rally. WHEN: Friday, March 2nd. 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 $20 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 Palos Verdes, with a course that includes some roads never before included in an FFN. If the weather's clear, there should be some incredible nighttime views! This event will emphasize navigational ability over driving prowess, but will still be beginner-friendly. 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 2nd!
