Rally Organiser's Handbook - MotorSport New Zealand

COMPLEXITY OF ORGANISATIONOf all MotorSport NZ competitions rallying is probably the most complex for organisers.Except for Clubmans Rally events they generally cover a wide area, involve several roadowningauthorities, affect the public through road closures and involve an army ofvolunteers to run the event on the day. The actual running of the event requires a very wellplanned programme to ensure a large number of people are in their various locations atthe correct times and know what they have to do.The art of being a good organiser is to have anticipated all possible hitches and be readyto deal with them. In reality no rally runs without problems. The purpose of this handbookis to help organisers to plan their events well so as to be ready to deal with them whenthey arise and so not only do they not affect the event but also virtually no one evenknows that they occurred.THE NEED FOR CAREFUL AND EARLY PLANNINGIn organising a successful rally nothing can be more beneficial than making an early startto the planning. In most cases the key organisers will be volunteers who have other workand family commitments. They cannot simply drop everything to concentrate on the rally.Carefully plan the necessary tasks that have to be done, share the workload and enjoy thechallenge.In general terms the planning needs to start for the next year's event within a month or twoof the completion of the previous event. While the intensity of activity at that early stage isnot great it is the groundwork and thinking done then that makes things easier closer tothe date of the event. It also keeps the costs in control if you can plan your purchasing andshop around for the best deal.The timetabling of tasks for an organising committee is discussed in more detail in thenext section. The key dates given in that section is the latest that those tasks must becompleted. Please always remember that a task completed early is likely to be handledbetter than if it is rushed at the last minute with those involved burning the midnight oil.APPOINTING A COMMITTEEHaving decided to organise a rally event for the next year it is the responsibility of the CarClub involved to appoint an organising committee. This should be done as early aspossible, preferably 9 months in advance. Often the Club will simply appoint one personwho will take the role of Chairman of the Event Organising Committee. It is then up to thechairman to select and appoint the people that will be needed to fill the important positionsfor the event.The composition of the committee to organise a Rally may include:• Chairman • Chief Marshal• Secretary/Treasurer • Communications Officer• Clerk of the Course • Route Checker• Assistant Clerks of the Course • Publicity Officer• Chief Safety Officer • Chief Scrutineer• Chief Medical Officer • Competitor Relations Officer• Results OfficerPAGE 5RALLY ORGANISERS HANDBOOK2009 Edition