I was wondering if somebody could give some details as to the 2005 ORRC rallies? I.e. which ones are drivex/navex, more fun/less fun, special/tricky instructions, etc? I'm trying to get more of a feel & history of these events

Also, I don't see Lanark on the list. Will it be held in 2005, and are there any other fun events like that not on the list?

Thanks!

January Jaunt
Ontario Winter Rally
Greenspond Go-Round
Spring Run-Off Rally
Blossom Rally
Discover Ontario Car Rally
Automapic
Brain Buster
Northern Lights Rally
President's Prize

I'll have the full 2005 calendars up on the MLRC webpage later this week.

Also, we have an awesome new sponsor for the OWR.    Details to follow.

RyanHuber wrote on 12/19/4 at 16:40:05:


Yes, Lanark Highlands will be held again in 2005. Craig H. had pretty much decided that by the next day, so look for the same old crew of organizers!  

Jeannie

So - are Lanark, Snowy Safari and Ontario Winter challenge the only drivexes?

I'm thinking that Lanark Highlands is the easiest of the three since it's run in late fall. I'm not familiar with the other two, but I've heard lots about the challenges of those roads in deep winter!

Jeannie

Well, the run-off areas on the Lanark are more hazardous.  Many more magnet trees and ditches.  There are NO SNOW BANKS on the Lanark.  There are tons of deer.

The Lanark is the only gravel drivex.  It may be a little unfair to say one event is easyier than other.  What is great about rallying is that each event presents different challenges.  That being said, the Lanark will be more difficult in 2005.

I was a little dissappointed by the low turnout for the Lanark.  I actually had two less teams than in 2003, even though this was an ORRC, and as it turned out, the second last one (after Frostbite got pulled) but I put so much more effort into it.  Suffice it to say that if I don't get competitors support as an organiser, I feel less inclined to continue to put in that huge effort.

There has been some occasional background discussion about the drivexes and the ORRC.  I would like to see a separate drivex series in RSO.  That would offer navex challenges and drivex challanges (quite different) to different and some common competitor segments.  It may boost entries in the drivexes (like Lanark, at least).  I would envision OWR, SS, Lanark on a drivex series (and maybe SMCC could offer one in the Laurentians!).

In the 'easier/more difficult' vein, I was talking about my own subjective feel -- I've had a decent amount of practice on gravel roads through the navexes during the summer, so Lanark, while challenging (we almost never made the CAS), did not fill my heart with fear as much;).  Whereas I've had no practice driving in snow, with this car, trying to go fast, for a long period of time at night, somewhere far in the country roads of Ontario...  

Oh, and you can count on me for the '05 Lanark - it's the only event my Navigator will commit to so far in advance -- we had an absolute blast last time!:->

That was strictly a winter series.   Lanark is not a winter event.  An RSO drivex series would be more rounded with an event like the Lanark included.

I got involved on the tail end of the yoko winter series.  It seemed like it was getting a little crazy, huge fields, lots of caged cars, people driving with helmets on, some teams were semi-officially blasklisted in Quebec, I think, because they were simply racing under the guise of a "road rally" and comparing their earliness.   Cars were ending up in rivers.  Police were showing up at the finish, unhappy.  It wasn't long after that it was over. I think maybe we were all pushing our luck.  Rallying is great fun, we all like the sort of extreme nature of it, but you have to realise that at least in road rally, there are more risks to the public etc, and you have to keep it all very sane!  I know I don't want to end up in court as an organiser.