TSD RALLY
TSD is the form of rallying that many people in SCCA think of when you mention rally. In a TSD rally, the route instructions give assigned speeds in addition to information to keep a team on course. These speeds are always legal and usually below the posted speed limit. A TSD rally is a competition of precision driving – it is NOT a race.

The goal of a TSD rally team is twofold: to stay on the prescribed course and to drive at exactly the given speed. The perfect team would be on course, on time, all the time. To score teams against this goal, checkpoints are sprinkled throughout the course at unspecified locations. Each team is timed by a crew at the checkpoint or control and their time is compared against a "Perfect Time" (computed from the assigned speeds and exact distances measured by the organizers before the event). Each team receives a score based on its time for that portion or leg of the course. For each second early or late, the team is given points. The team with the lowest total score for all legs wins. However, each leg is independent, time late or early on one leg cannot be "made up" on subsequent legs. After being timed by a checkpoint crew and receiving a score, the team is assigned an out time to begin driving the next leg. Just as there are several classes of race cars, there are several classes of TSD rallyists. The differences are based on the equipment you have installed in the car. You can have a computer that calculates average speed or a simple hand held calculator or just the seat of your pants. There is even one rally series where the odometers of the cars are removed or covered up so the navigator has no means of calculating average speed.

PRO RALLY
The hairiest form of rallying is PRO Rally™. This IS a race. The cars are started one at a time, at one minute intervals, down a road that is legally blocked to all other traffic. Each car is timed over the course and the fastest car wins. The competitors do not get a chance to pre-run the course, so this is the first time they see it. They are given a set of route instructions that are similar to TSD but have no assigned speeds. The obstacles on the route are measured in hundredths of a mile and described by "tulips" (symbolic representations of turns, intersections, jumps, etc). These cars require full roll cages, competition seat belts, fire extinguishers and skid pans to protect the underside of the car. The driver and co-driver must wear helmets and fire suits. Additional, long range driving lights are helpful as PRO Rally™ events frequently continue late into the night.

HOW TO GET STARTED IN PRO RALLY
If you have never been involved in motorsports, you should begin by joining an auto club (that's why we're here!) and enter their events. It's best to start with autocross, to begin to learn car control at speed. Then you should rally to learn to follow route instructions, and to work with a navigator. You can learn about both of these on other pages of this site. A hybrid of these two is RallyCross, in which normal cars run at (fairly low) speed on a more-or-less smooth dirt surface. Learning to control a car at speed on dirt is essential to PRO Rally.

If you are already competing, and you want an event in Real Cars, on Real Roads, going Real Fast, come to PRO Rally.

SPECTATING
How do you watch Rally? You can catch a PRO Rally event on TV, but it's a lot more fun being there! You will find "Spectator Stages" at virtually every event. This gives you a chance to see how these cars run and the best part is that it is FREE. Spectator guides are available at Rally headquarters. Watch the Texas Region newsletter or this web page for the next event in our area.

WORKING
You can sign up to be a worker on a PRO Rally. Some jobs require experience and training, others do not. This is a great way to learn how the event operates, how the speeding cars are controlled and the event kept safe. You will get a chance to see how the cars are prepared and talk to the competitors.

ENTERING
To enter a PRO Rally, you will need a properly prepared car, a license, and a navigator (or 'co-driver'). The contacts at the bottom of this page can help you get started with the first two.

Once you've chosen your class, then you'll either have to buy or build a car that fits the rules for the class. The best way to get your first PRO Rally car is to buy one used. Most of the little tricks that we have learned the hard way are usually already taken care of. Racecar constructors and other rallyists are the sources to look for if you go this route.

THE LICENSE
Contact SCCA (see below) to apply for a PRO Rally license. When it arrives, a rulebook will accompany it. Read it, learn it, and believe it. Here you will find the requirements for safety harness, crash helmet, driving suit, car preparation limits and requirements, and so on. Certain information about how an event is to be conducted is also included.

RALLY SCHOOL
If one is offered in your area, you should attend a PRO Rally school. If not, get together with an experienced rallyist, and go over the procedures of a typical event.

YOUR FIRST EVENT
Make your first event a "Coefficient 2" Divisional PRO Rally. These are shorter events and more low-key, with other novices entered as well. This will serve as the easiest method of teaching you the basics of competing in a PRO Rally, and at fairly low expense.

THE EXPERIENCE
Whether you go as a spectator, worker, official, or competitor, you will come back a little different. There is an excitement about the sport. You'll find down to earth people who are ready and willing to help AND you get to play in the woods! You don't watch a rally. You become a part of it.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
By now you should be looking for a way to be involved. We have contacts across the country that are ready to help you get involved in their beloved sport. For more information about PRO Rally, write or give us a call.

SCCA Rally/Solo Department
P. O. Box 19400
Topeka, KS 66619-0400
Direct Line: 785-357-7259; Fax: 785-232-7215
E-mail: peformancerally@scca.com

Locally (Texas) you can contact Sasha Lanz, Divisional PRO Rally Steward.

Rallyists are perhaps the most technical members of SCCA. A recent survey had the option of responding by snail mail or Email. Well over half of the responses from rallyists came in by Email. There are also a multitude of sites to visit if you want more dust-kickin' entertainment.