2027 Ohio Winter Rally

Saturday, January 30, 2027

Neohio Region, SCCA invites you to enter the 2027 Ohio Winter Rally (OWR). This annual hivernal tour of the Lake Erie "snowbelt" counties of far northeastern Ohio traces its roots back to at least 1966. It was one of the core events of the long lamented Ohio Rally Championship (ORC) series.

Competitors can expect an absolutely straightforward, gimmick-free, Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) road rally with emphasis on precise timing at well placed controls. Columnar "tulip" style route instructions, with Official Mileages for all action points (similar to a stage rally routebook), will be used. The ~160 mile route will wind through Ohio's Geauga, Ashtabula, and surrounding counties.

The rally's difficulty will be dictated by prevailing road and weather conditions. Competitors should come prepared to spend extended periods outside in severe winter conditions.

In an effort to help teams with limited prior timekeeping experience stay on schedule, and to mitigate the possibility of "double jeopardy" penalties (from carrying a timing error through multiple controls), parenthetical perfect cumulative leg times will be provided for all instructions outside Free Zones.

The rally will count toward both the SCCA Great Lakes Division (GLD) Rally Championship, and the SCCA National Touring Rally (NTR) Championship (Divisional Rally).

Start Location: DiBella's Subs, 30050 Aurora Rd., Solon, Ohio 44139 (Latitude N41˚23.803’, Longitude W081˚27.964’).

Tentative Schedule (all times EST):

Saturday, January 23, 2027:

23:59 - Early entry cutoff

Tuesday, January 26, 2027:

18:00 - Registration closes. General Instructions, Richta Competitor "app" password, and Zoom meeting link distributed via email.

20:00 - Competitor briefing / Novice Q & A session (via Zoom)

Saturday, January 30, 2027:

12:30-13:30 - On-site registration

14:01 - Car #1 starts rally.

20:00 (approx) - Car #1 finishes.

Competition Classes:

E - Equipment unrestricted.

L - Odometer unrestricted. Calculating device restricted only in that it may not be integrated with odometer.

G - GPS-derived odometer only, and any calculating device.

S - Stock odometer only. Calculating device restricted only in that it may not be integrated with odometer.

Novice - Class S entry in which neither team member has previously entered more than 5 TSD rallies.

Entry Fees:

SCCA Members (driver and/or navigator holds annual SCCA membership): $55.00/car before early entry cutoff, $65.00/car thereafter.

Others: Add $20.00 to above (member) fees (to purchase the mandated SCCA Weekend membership for one team member).

NOTE: Individuals who purchase a Weekend membership are eligible for a $15.00 credit toward an annual SCCA membership for 60(?) days following the rally.

Additional Information (Rallymaster): Ken Swarm, Ph. 216.233.2789, or email: kswarm_2000@yahoo.com

NOTE: All teams must enter here. NO WALK-IN ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED ON THE DAY OF THE RALLY!

Please take a moment to update your MSR profile to reflect your current address, email address, phone number, etc. Be sure that your name appears exactly as printed on your SCCA Membership card. If the names does not match, automatic membership validation will not work.

SCCA members are urged to apply for an annual waiver so that they can bypass the signing of a paper waiver at each SCCA event.

IF EITHER TEAM MEMBER IS A MINOR, PLEASE CONTACT THE ORGANIZERS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO OBTAIN AN SCCA MINOR WAIVER FORM. This form must be properly executed in advance of the rally by the minor's parents/guardian.

This rally will be timed with the Richta automated checkpoint system. Each team must carry a "smart" phone or tablet (Android or iOS) running the current version of the Richta Competitor "app". Look for "Competitor Richta GPS Checkpoints" app on Google Play Store or Apple App Store or click on the appropriate link:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.richta.cpa2&hl=en_US

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/competitor-richta-checkpoint/id1448298019

Prior to the rally, all of the checkpoint information (Latitude/Longitude coordinates and target arrival times) will be uploaded to the "cloud". All teams will receive a password that will allow them to download this information. Competitors will NOT be able to view checkpoint information in advance. Upon arrival at each checkpoint, a team's Richta device will sound an alert. It will then display the team's recorded arrival time, its score for that control, and its cumulative score. The device may also display leg "critique" information provided by the rallymaster.

Some helpful Richta user information can be found on the Detroit Region, SCCA website: http://drscca.org/rally/using-the-richta-competitor-app/

Teams are encouraged to register a second (backup) phone or tablet under a "phantom" car number 100 greater than their assigned car number (i.e. Car #1/101, Car #2/102, etc.). The second device will serve as an arrival time "insurance policy", and will help organizers gain a better understanding of the relative timing behavior of various platforms. It will not be used for scoring unless there is a failure of the primary device.