Road Rally

MoHud GTA Rallies – 2015 to Present

Welcome to MoHud’s Road Rally program, organized by Rally Chair Ken Relation. We typically plan two rallies a year; one in April, and one in the late October/early November timeframe.  Please check our MoHud.MotorsportReg.com page for details

What is a GTA rally?

“GTA” stands for Game, Tour, and Adventure. This type of rally, also known as a
“gimmick” or “game” rally, is typically a contest run in cars on public roads, with a driver
and a co-driver (navigator). The primary method of scoring is by other than the Time-
Speed-Distance (TSD) format used in other SCCA road rallies. MoHud’s rallies are typically scored by the contestants’ ability to take pictures of their team with specified points of interests and other “bonus” items specified in the route book within a specified amount of time. Points are assigned to each picture of these items, and those who get the most items, combined with doing it within the specified time limit.

Sample Event Schedule

  • 9:00 – 9:30am – Registration and check-in at the designated starting point
  • 9:45am – Teams meeting
  • 10:00am – First team off
  • 12:30pm – 1:30pm – Arrive at finish for dining, socializing, and awards at an establishment

Tips for a fun day

  • Bring:
    • At least one other person (friend, spouse, kids): While we’ve had some entrants try to complete a rally on their own, it’s best (and a lot more fun) to have at least two people in a car so that one can do the driving (the “driver) and the other person reads through the route book (the “navigator”), interprets the clues as to where the various checkpoints are, and helps keep an eye out for the various bonus point items that you may see along the way (kids are excellent at spotting items for the driver & navigator while they concentrate on their tasks.
    • A cellphone or tablet with a cellular connection and camera capabilities: The Internet is quite useful for a GTA event, as you’ll be using it to interpret the clues in the route book to figure out what point of interest you’ll be driving to, then using GPS to figure out how best to get to the point of interest, and then use the camera function to take a picture of your team with the point of interest to prove you drove to it. You’ll also need the camera to take a picture of a teammate with the bonus items you spot along the way to score even more points and try to beat the other teams.
    • A vehicle that is easy to drive and comfortable and/or fun: We have people compete in trucks, sedans, SUVs, and full-on sports cars. Whatever you like to drive, bring it! Remember you’ll be getting in and out of your vehicle for pictures at points of interest as well as bonus item photo shoots. Don’t forget to fill up with fuel prior to the event. If you have an electric vehicle, please reach out to our rally master, Ken Relation, to find out what the event’s total mileage is so that you can make sure your range works with the event. Most charged vehicles will have no issue with events. Our shortest event was only 21 miles in total, while our longest was almost 140 miles. Most are under 100 miles.
    • Supplies: you’ll likely want to have a pen or pencil with you. You may also want to bring a snack or something to drink for the drive, although we typically finish at a place where you can eat & drink while we discuss the day and hand out awards. You can usually make a quick stop at a convenience store (if your travels take you past one) for a bathroom break or to purchase a drink/snack. Since you’ll be getting in and out of your vehicle during the event, make sure to dress appropriately for the weather, whatever it may be.


From the past, when MoHud organized TSD rallies…

Q: What is a Road Rally?

A RoadRally is traversed over public roads within the legal speed limit. The challenge is to drive on time, arriving at points along the route neither early nor late (it’s NOT a race). Each team needs a simple watch which can be synchronized to match official time, as well as something to write on and with. Interior lighting (map lights, a flashlight, etc) is also a good idea for night rallies.

After receiving and browsing the route instructions, cars start at one minute intervals. The first section, a short 10-15 mile route, is called the “Odometer Calibration Zone,” and is used to calibrate the rally car’s odometer to the official mileage used to measure the course by the rallymaster. After this section, the competition really begins, as you must follow the course using the instructions in the route book, as well as the general instructions that govern the rally. Meanwhile, you must also stay on time, based on the average speeds given in the instructions at various points through the routes.

MORE AT: SCCA.com >> RoadRally

MoHud has in the past sanctioned two to three TSD (Time-Speed-Distance) rallies per season, occasionally in conjunction with a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute rally club. These events don’t require specially prepared cars or fancy rally computers. They are fun events open to all. Tour some of the most picturesque countryside in upstate New York, or spend a pleasant few hours at a checkpoint along a beautiful county road for a truly memorable experience.

Past events have included the Snowflake, Spring Fever, and Halloween Ramble / Fall Frolic / Great Pumpkin Challenge Rallies.

Related types of events:
COURSE RALLIES – A more complex version of TSD
GTA RALLIES – Historic known as gimmick rallies – fun and games with little or no TSD component
PERFORMANCE RALLIES – [AKA PRO RALLY AND RALLY RACING – SPEED EVENTS ON CLOSED ROADS] are not sanctioned by the SCCA at this time due to safety and insurance reasons. See forum discussions for occasional information about such events sanctioned by other organizations.

Rally links

Does your nearby club organize TSD rallies? Let me know and I’ll add your link here!

READ: The History of the NEDIV PRO Rally Series

In the Beginning

Performance rallyists comprise a small, close-knit group of enthusiasts who labor mightily for little reward save their own satisfaction. From this hearty breed have come many-time National Champions, a bevy of legendary performances and near-misses and some nose-to-nose clashes with courses which zigged while the driver zagged. All are normal outgrowths of the nature and beginnings of the sport, which was anything but normal.

In 1957 nearly no one had heard of a performance rally in the United States. SCCA conducted a National Rally Championship but it was exclusively for time-speed-distance, route following events, a “gentleman’s” social gathering on sunny Sunday afternoons. But the Press On Regardless, which had been run beginning in the early ’50’s, was another country heard from. Detroit Region of SCCA kept this initial U.S. Performance rally alive and in 1958, for the first time SCCA’s involvement became more than superficial. The 1958 POR was run with full SCCA sanction and used the TSD’s National Rally Regulations wherever applicable.

Marge Corbett at a rally checkpoint in the mid-1960s, Joe Corbett Archives

The cover of the booklet that contains instructions for the Windham Mountain top Rallye, MoHud’s premier event of the 1950s.

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