I am starting a new thread on this highly important topic, as another thread has been hijacked with it plus it is getting buried.  Several people, the latest being Doug Tompsett, I believe, have made excellent posts on it.

While technically correct to say that no one can stop any of us from driving on public roads,  exercising that right in many cases can be extremely harmful to the sport overall.  It is a privilege not a right to close roads and run stages, whether it be on Ministry of Natural Resources forest roads, public township roads or private roads.  That privilege relies on a relationship of goodwill and trust between all of us and the owner of the road.  In most cases the direct links are representatives of RallySport Ontario clubs in the person of the Organizer of an event.  RallySport Ontario (RSO) is the agent in Ontario for the Canadian Association of Rallysport (CARS) for all rally activities from grassroots beginner type activities to the Rally of the Tall Pines.  In that role RSO has the duty of assuring that every rally activity is properly run with regard especially to safety and considering what is in the best interest of the sport.  RSO has been granted significant powers so that it can maintain that responsibility ranging from deciding if an event should or should not be allowed to run right down to determining if a competitor should receive or lose licensing privileges and even as far as saying a certain club or person is not allowed to organize or enter events or to determine that a certain road is not to be used (blacklisted) for any rally activity. However it rarely becomes necessary for RSO to exercise those extreme powers.

Back to directly addressing the topic of preserving our stage roads.  As I said obtaining and maintaining permission to use certain roads for stages is a very fine balancing act.  As Clerk of the Course of the Tall Pines,  I now deal with 11 different permissions.  Each one is tenuous and could be revoked at any time.  I frequently have to take time to attend a local council meeting to answer a complaint – often from one resident only.  In doing that I frequently have to make promises that each and every one of our people (you included) will conduct yourself responsibly with respect to using that particular piece of road.  I am thus counting on every one of you to respect that trust.

Respecting that trust means displaying good judgement.  Running at high speed on a known rally road in a fully decked out rally car in mid day is clearly displaying extremely bad judgement.  Posting about doing it on a public forum is the worst possible action imaginable.  Running in the middle of the night in an unmarked car at “brisk” speed is still potentially harmful.  The residents are very quick to call and complain to their town, township or the MNR.  What to an experienced rally driver is not very fast is perceived as flat out racing to many residents.

Best action is not to drive on known stage roads unless you have to.  If you do,  do not go in a noisy, decaled rally car and drive like a grandmother on valium.  On behalf of all rallyists,  I ask you to stay off these roads – period.  This can only work if we all work together on it.  

We are working on moving any fast driving other than in the stage rallies onto private roads,  but there is a lot involved in that and it will take time.  Any offers of help will be accepted immediately.  Contact your club or an RSO official.

In addition, anytime we drive our stage rally cars on the public roads, we need to take special care.

The morning after the Perce-Neige this year, driving from Maniwaki to Hull, I was passed by a competitor in his rally car on a double line at an extremely high speed.

Interestingly, this competitor showed a complete inability to actually drive fast on the stages during the rally.

Doug Woods

Doug and Jamie's experiences demonstrate that you never who is watching (or reading for that matter).