Slipstream - April 2004

Parade Rally - Good News!
by Carey Spreen
Does any of the following sound familiar? You entered a PCA Rally a
while back; it could have been a rally sponsored by your local PCA Region,
or your Zone, or it might have been a Parade Rally. Whichever it was, it
seemed really complicated; overly specific but somehow vague at the same
time; and you got into a really big fight with your partner before the thing
was over. You thought it was going to be a pleasant tour through the countryside,
but it turned out that you were so busy looking for obscure road
signs and landmarks that you completely missed the scenery. And that was
if you DIDN’T get lost!
If any of the above rings a bell with you, we’ve got good news: this
year’s Parade Rally is breaking the mold. Yes, it’s still a TSD (Time-Speed-
Distance) Rally as specified by the PCRs (Parade Competition Rules), but
that’s where the similarity to any past Parade Rally ends. According to
Parade 2004 Rallymaster Ed Tix, here are the main differences:
It will be SHORT. The Parade Rally is designed to take much less time
than the maximum allowed by the PCRs (4 -1/2 hours). About three and
a half hours is all you will spend, and you may not even need the built-in
break! But take it anyway, so you won’t be early to the next checkpoint!
It will be EASIER TO FOLLOW. This year’s Parade Rally is a Tulip Rally,
so called because it uses both text and diagrams (which resemble tulips) to
show the route instructions in written and graphical form (see example
below). Each diagram has a circle, or bulb, indicating where you will be just
before the next instruction should be executed. Extending from the bulb is a
line ending in an arrowhead, which shows which way you should turn (or
NOT turn, as the case may be). Included in the diagrams are symbols that
help you identify the intersection or landmark that is part of the instruction.
What this means for you right-brained folks is that you can look at
the diagrams and intuitively know what you will need to do at the next
instruction without having to decipher ‘rally-speak’. However, the left-brain-
ers can still read the instructions to which they are accustomed. At last,
intuitive and analytical interpretations of the instructions may actually agree!
It will be considerate of NON-AIR-CONDITIONED PORSCHES
(and their passengers). Those of us who live in more temperate climates,
or who just own Porsches that did not have air conditioning as an option,
will be allowed to take an early out-time. This means that we will be done
before the heat of the day has a chance to make its presence felt, which, in
July in Fort Worth, tends to start around mid-morning. And because the
Rally is shorter than ever, even if you get the very last out-time, you’ll still
be eating ice cream well before the day’s high temperature hits.
And the Number 1 difference between the 2004 Parade Rally and
some of the Rallies that have come before:
It will contain NO NASTY TRICKS, TRAPS, OR MIND GAMES.
Granted, this is a Parade Rally, so it has to keep the experienced rallyists interested,
but Rallymaster Ed has tried really hard to avoid the type of exasperating
twists that may have prompted you, your significant other, or your favorite
rally partner to swear off rallying forever. Everyone from first-time novices
who don’t know a CAST from a SOLRIP, to battle-hardened rallyists who can
nail a PAUSE to the hundredth of a minute using only a wristwatch and their
right foot will have a more-or-less equal chance of winning their classes.
And speaking of classes there will be FOUR competition classes this
year, instead of the usual three: Unequipped, Navigational, Equipped, and
a new class called Unequipped Plus, which was created to accommodate
the latest generation of Porsches with built-in computers that can read out
average speed. And if you are still reluctant to compete, you can join a
touring group that will be able to run the same route with the same
instructions, but just for fun, without the pressure of competition.
So join us for the 49th Parade Rally in Fort Worth. It will change how
you think about rallying and for the better!
Email: mayos@imagin.net or
FAX at (817) 267-4939
• ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION SERVICE
• SUSPENSION AND ALIGNMENT SPECIALISTS
• TIRE SPECIALISTS –
O.E.M.
DOT COMPETITION
RACING SLICKS
• SPECIALISTS IN EARLY PORSCHE FUEL
INJECTION SYSTEMS
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