How it Works

If you haven’t participated in Rally before it is broken down into three parts;

• Transits
• Stages
• Navigation

Transits: Similar to the Rally Raid of Dakar, transits are a set of road instructions that if followed closely and when driven at the speed limit place the entrant at one of the time control points. Getting the transits areas right is important as the timed stages. Penalty minutes are added to your over all score for arriving too early or too late to a time control point.

Stages: This is where the rubber will meet the road. Normally bikes will be started with one-minute intervals. Organizers will work to prevent passing but some passing is eventual, due to slower riders, mechanical issues or accidents. Stages are timed and added to any penalty minutes to give the overall score. Needless to say the faster you ride the stages the lower your score. Each stage will have a bogey time. The Bogey time needs to be beat in order to continue the event. Bogey times are reasonably easy to beat but are needed to eliminate bottlenecks during the rally.

Navigation: The road books are designed to be a challenge adding a third element to be considered. Practice following road books is as important as going fast. Many rallies are lost during the transits and the result of not arriving at timed control points on the exact minute.
Preparing for RallyMoto;

• Physical Conditioning
• Bike Preparation
• Rally Knowledge
• Navigational Skills
• Practice
• Safety

Physical Conditioning: Everyone entering a RallyMoto event should consider his or her physical condition. You will be riding at competitive speeds for up to 15 minutes at a time. For many this is simply a warm up but for the novice, this can be a strain. For even the most experienced riders, dehydration is something that every one should be prepared for. Many studies have determined the simple feeling of dry mouth puts you at the 3 percent dehydration stage. At this point you mental capacities can be compromised by as much as 10%. Riding becomes strange at this point and can best be described as, “Not Fun”. Riders will be required to carry a hydration system. Be sure that you can ride at your fastest speed for up to 15 minutes intervals with out becoming physically exhausted.

Bike Preparation: First of all we recommend that your bike be set up for a standing position. Secondly you need a good set of tires, the Dunlop 908 RR tire is one of the recommended tread patterns and tire design that work well with this terrain MT-21’s are also a good choice. Bikes will need a road book holder, accurate time keeping device, time sheet holder, a writing pen for the time sheets and a flashlight for filling out time sheets after dark if needed. Bikes will need to be able to complete at least 100 miles of transit and stage roads without refueling.

Rally Knowledge: Participants will need to familiar with Rally timing checkpoints. The first and last timing check point will be the Master Time Control (MTC). During the day and in between the MTC you will enter a number of timing check points through out the day for service and lunch and Arrival Time Control (ATC) for each stage. There are posted times for the length of time in between transit or service, it is up to the rider to figure what the exact time of arrival at the time control points. Penalties will be given for arriving early or late outside that minute. You will also need to have good understanding of roadbooks.

Navigation: Riders will need to have a good speedometer, an accurate way to tell time and the ability to read roadbooks. GPS will be allowed on the motorcycles and this is a great aid for reading your progress through the course. GPS is great for mileage checks and the time of day. Riders will also need a good roadbook or roll chart holder for navigation.

Practice: If you don’t ride competitively on a regular basis we suggest you need to start some kind of training. The best way to practice is to find a training area of dirt roads with lots of turns, the section needs to be at least 15 miles long. You can find a shorter section and ride it both ways or even repeat the section. Becoming familiar with a section of road allows you build muscle and brain memory for different events you encounter. Ride slow at first standing the entire time, even in corners. Learn to brake, turn and accelerate standing. Once you feel comfortable standing start to push your breaking with the front wheel in corners, slow at first. Then you should learn to steer your bike by power sliding your back wheel while standing. You will have faster times during the event if you ride sitting but conditioning yourself to stand when the bike starts to slide or an emergency occurs, this can save your ride or life. Standing as a safety tool, will be covered in the safety section.

Safety: A safe ride requires your body, bike and mind are not stressed. There are number of issues that contribute to an accident many of which are not in your control, lets call them NIYC. If you are not “On Your Game” any one of the NIYC surprises will result in an accident. This is just a reminder that you should pay attention to physical conditioning, bike preparation, rally knowledge, navigational skills and practice as a safety tool in addition to helping you enjoy the event and hopefully finish. One other safety issue we will stress is the ability to stand while riding. This gives you an advantage in two areas

1. During normal riding or training standing gives you a better visual apex. During normal rally stages oncoming traffic is not an issue but road conditions and turns are better observed while standing.
2. During a NIYC moment standing will help you survive. Your bike will handle better and you will be better prepared for a rough exit off the trail or road. You should practice enough so that you automatically stand during a NIYC.

Used with permission of the organizers of Idaho Rally.