Rally Bonus 101
- Thread starter LeMaitre
- Start date
One of our first rallys was the Wyoming 8-hour rally. We pushed hard during that ride and came back with little time left on the clock. Because I was in such a hurry to get scored before being time barred, I stupidly refused Tamara's request to review the paperwork before turning it in for scoring. Consequently, I missed claiming the easiest bonus of the entire rally:
STUPID HURTS - Return to the finish line on time and without having crashed during the rally. Claim this bonus at the end of your bonis submission sheet. POINT VALUE - 400 points.
We missed first place overall by LESS THAN 200 points.
Worst part was we actually had enough time for her to review the scoresheet before I submitted.
Guess who no longer turns in a bonus sheet without it first passing the Tamara Test?
STUPID HURTS - Return to the finish line on time and without having crashed during the rally. Claim this bonus at the end of your bonis submission sheet. POINT VALUE - 400 points.
We missed first place overall by LESS THAN 200 points.
Worst part was we actually had enough time for her to review the scoresheet before I submitted.
Guess who no longer turns in a bonus sheet without it first passing the Tamara Test?
First rally I was worried about the clock and making bonus locations. Took a pic of a Skyline sign... missed the "free standing" part of the bonus description. Wrong sign. Later forgot to have my rally flag in the picture.
My best advice I learned was have a routine at each stop. Do the same thing at each location. That way you're less likely to forget to have a flag in the pic, write down mileage, leave your flag.
My best advice I learned was have a routine at each stop. Do the same thing at each location. That way you're less likely to forget to have a flag in the pic, write down mileage, leave your flag.
I am catching up on the forums here today and agree with every single bit of the good advice offered by our peers that have chimed in on this thread... but going back to the very first part: "What I am looking for is a good tutorial on deciding what bonus to choose"... For my perspective, I'd like to offer up the link to leg 1 of the last Iron Butt Rally below. One of my favorite things about rallying is we all have the same book, we all start at the same time & often at the same place, & just about all the bonus selections/routes are as individual as we are! this is just fun for me to watch when thinking about "what's the best route?": https://spotwalla.com/animator.php?id=664&idt=1&speed=80
-Steve
-Steve
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...and here is the link to the entire rally:
https://spotwalla.com/animator.php?id=664&idt=L&speed=80
https://spotwalla.com/animator.php?id=664&idt=L&speed=80
Every rally rider develops their own routine over time, thru trial and error, shared techniques and brute repetition. The best way to learn is to DO.
How not to leave points on the table, (fuck up)? Simple. Read the rally pack.
Read the bonus description before you head there. Read it again when you get there. Follow the bonus requirements, take picture, record info, etc. READ THE BONUS DESCRIPTION AGAIN before you leave. Make absolutely sure you did what you were supposed to do, IN THE LOCATION YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE IN. (Giant bat on a building anyone?)
Assume nothing. If you're not sure, and you've read the bonus several times, CALL the RM and ask. Mistakes happen. Business hours change seasonally. Maybe the hours listed were winter hours and now it's summer. Maybe the item you're looking for really has been removed. You probably won't be the first to call if that's the case. If the RM can verify it's been moved, they will tell you. Otherwise you had better be sure you are where you're supposed to be and no one else finds the bonus.
The bonus is not complete until you do the paperwork. Don't leave the bonus area until you do the paperwork. At some point you may have dialed in your process and gotten good enough to write down the name of that river as you ride over it and remember to fill out the bonus paperwork at the next stop. But don't bet on it for the first several rallies. Stop, record the bonus, READ THE BONUS AGAIN, then when you're sure you did it right, move on.
You should always read the entire rally pack before you start to code or route the bonuses. You never know what trick the RM will have up their sleeve. Get a grasp of the points spread and general idea of what bonuses are like while you read. Make sure you read the foreward of the rally pack and understand how to apply the information there to each bonus. If a bonus lists the hours, but is labeled 24 hour available, you might want to double check that foreward and see how that applies to getting bonuses after the business has closed, when said bonus is listed as 24 hour available.
And if you get Leg X rally pack at a checkpoint, read it all there before you move on. Many a devious RM has put a bonus on page 2 or 3 for taking a picture at the checkpoint, during a small window of time. If you ride off to the the local McD's to sit and route, it will be too late to get that bonus.
Ok, so you're sure you're in the right spot. But you can't find the bonus. Look UP. Look way out. Look for any indication of a structure, fence, trail, etc. I was once looking for a "brass plaque mounted to a post" and could not see anything anywhere that remotely appeared to fit that description. It turned out to be a brass plaque the size of the top of a 4"x4" post cut off at a 45º angle. The plaque did not overhang the post. It was about 3' high in tall grass at least that high, 50' away from the parking area, over a rope 'fence' that bordered the parking area.
Another time I was parked at a bonus doing my paperwork. The bonus was to take a picture of your bike with 5 flags that were in remembrance of fallen LEOs. The flag poles are at the edge of the parking lot, and quite tall. I was parked maybe 10' from the poles. I'm almost finished when another rally rider comes tearing in, rides up to me, looks frantically around and yells to me, "where are the flags!?" The clock was ticking quite loudly at this point in the rally. I just pointed UP and he followed my hint, got off his bike and was taking his pic as I rode off.
If the sign goes into intricate detail about how much water flows over the dam every hour, read the entire sign before you start doing math. The verbatim answer might be farther down on the sign. If the bonus says to add up the height of "mountains", only add up the elevations of things on the sign listed as "mountains".
Don't discount bonuses that have a hike. They often don't take that long and are worth the points.
No plan is perfect. Be willing to toss out the plan and re-plan if it becomes apparent that you missed something or have fallen off your time line too much. In fact, plan to re-plan. Identify bonuses that you will cut out or add if you are down on time or up on time at a given spot in your route.
Every rally is different. Do as many as you can. Have fun!
How not to leave points on the table, (fuck up)? Simple. Read the rally pack.
Read the bonus description before you head there. Read it again when you get there. Follow the bonus requirements, take picture, record info, etc. READ THE BONUS DESCRIPTION AGAIN before you leave. Make absolutely sure you did what you were supposed to do, IN THE LOCATION YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE IN. (Giant bat on a building anyone?)
Assume nothing. If you're not sure, and you've read the bonus several times, CALL the RM and ask. Mistakes happen. Business hours change seasonally. Maybe the hours listed were winter hours and now it's summer. Maybe the item you're looking for really has been removed. You probably won't be the first to call if that's the case. If the RM can verify it's been moved, they will tell you. Otherwise you had better be sure you are where you're supposed to be and no one else finds the bonus.
The bonus is not complete until you do the paperwork. Don't leave the bonus area until you do the paperwork. At some point you may have dialed in your process and gotten good enough to write down the name of that river as you ride over it and remember to fill out the bonus paperwork at the next stop. But don't bet on it for the first several rallies. Stop, record the bonus, READ THE BONUS AGAIN, then when you're sure you did it right, move on.
You should always read the entire rally pack before you start to code or route the bonuses. You never know what trick the RM will have up their sleeve. Get a grasp of the points spread and general idea of what bonuses are like while you read. Make sure you read the foreward of the rally pack and understand how to apply the information there to each bonus. If a bonus lists the hours, but is labeled 24 hour available, you might want to double check that foreward and see how that applies to getting bonuses after the business has closed, when said bonus is listed as 24 hour available.
And if you get Leg X rally pack at a checkpoint, read it all there before you move on. Many a devious RM has put a bonus on page 2 or 3 for taking a picture at the checkpoint, during a small window of time. If you ride off to the the local McD's to sit and route, it will be too late to get that bonus.
Ok, so you're sure you're in the right spot. But you can't find the bonus. Look UP. Look way out. Look for any indication of a structure, fence, trail, etc. I was once looking for a "brass plaque mounted to a post" and could not see anything anywhere that remotely appeared to fit that description. It turned out to be a brass plaque the size of the top of a 4"x4" post cut off at a 45º angle. The plaque did not overhang the post. It was about 3' high in tall grass at least that high, 50' away from the parking area, over a rope 'fence' that bordered the parking area.
Another time I was parked at a bonus doing my paperwork. The bonus was to take a picture of your bike with 5 flags that were in remembrance of fallen LEOs. The flag poles are at the edge of the parking lot, and quite tall. I was parked maybe 10' from the poles. I'm almost finished when another rally rider comes tearing in, rides up to me, looks frantically around and yells to me, "where are the flags!?" The clock was ticking quite loudly at this point in the rally. I just pointed UP and he followed my hint, got off his bike and was taking his pic as I rode off.
If the sign goes into intricate detail about how much water flows over the dam every hour, read the entire sign before you start doing math. The verbatim answer might be farther down on the sign. If the bonus says to add up the height of "mountains", only add up the elevations of things on the sign listed as "mountains".
Don't discount bonuses that have a hike. They often don't take that long and are worth the points.
No plan is perfect. Be willing to toss out the plan and re-plan if it becomes apparent that you missed something or have fallen off your time line too much. In fact, plan to re-plan. Identify bonuses that you will cut out or add if you are down on time or up on time at a given spot in your route.
Every rally is different. Do as many as you can. Have fun!
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One of our first rallys was the Wyoming 8-hour rally. We pushed hard during that ride and came back with little time left on the clock. Because I was in such a hurry to get scored before being time barred, I stupidly refused Tamara's request to review the paperwork before turning it in for scoring. Consequently, I missed claiming the easiest bonus of the entire rally:
STUPID HURTS - Return to the finish line on time and without having crashed during the rally. Claim this bonus at the end of your bonis submission sheet. POINT VALUE - 400 points.
We missed first place overall by LESS THAN 200 points.
Worst part was we actually had enough time for her to review the scoresheet before I submitted.
Guess who no longer turns in a bonus sheet without it first passing the Tamara Test?
STUPID HURTS - Return to the finish line on time and without having crashed during the rally. Claim this bonus at the end of your bonis submission sheet. POINT VALUE - 400 points.
We missed first place overall by LESS THAN 200 points.
Worst part was we actually had enough time for her to review the scoresheet before I submitted.
Guess who no longer turns in a bonus sheet without it first passing the Tamara Test?
I have a process that I follow and have been improving on over the last 15 years. For me having a process that I follow makes riding in the rally less stressful and more enjoyable.
Of course having a process is not the only thing you need and one of the biggest things you can do is read and reread the bonus requirements. I know this because for the first time in a rally I lost points ( no a lot of points 19,000 ) at the scorers table in the 2019 IBR. It cost me 30+ positions.
I have found though that having a good sound process that you follow starting before the rally and follow throughout the rally will make you rally results better and more enjoyable. It will reduce the stress when things happen during the rally and they will if the rally is long enough.
One of the biggest things that helps me is that I know how to use all of the tools ( GPS, Basecamp, Excel, etc. ) that are required for modern rallies. Just knowing how to turn on a GPS is not enough you have to know how to connect it to your computer and to transfer data to it. I try and use all of my tools on every ride rally or not so that when I really need them I feel very comfortable and not stressed when I need to make a change in the middle of my route.
I am no expert but I have been lucky enough to finish in the top ten 9 times in rallies following my process. What I do works for me but may not work for anyone else.
Here is a link on my website that describes how I plan and prepare for a rally like the IBR. There is two links in the webpage that are links to the presentations that I did at IBA JAX parties some years back.
http://www.gregrice.com/rallys/rallys.html
Of course having a process is not the only thing you need and one of the biggest things you can do is read and reread the bonus requirements. I know this because for the first time in a rally I lost points ( no a lot of points 19,000 ) at the scorers table in the 2019 IBR. It cost me 30+ positions.
I have found though that having a good sound process that you follow starting before the rally and follow throughout the rally will make you rally results better and more enjoyable. It will reduce the stress when things happen during the rally and they will if the rally is long enough.
One of the biggest things that helps me is that I know how to use all of the tools ( GPS, Basecamp, Excel, etc. ) that are required for modern rallies. Just knowing how to turn on a GPS is not enough you have to know how to connect it to your computer and to transfer data to it. I try and use all of my tools on every ride rally or not so that when I really need them I feel very comfortable and not stressed when I need to make a change in the middle of my route.
I am no expert but I have been lucky enough to finish in the top ten 9 times in rallies following my process. What I do works for me but may not work for anyone else.
Here is a link on my website that describes how I plan and prepare for a rally like the IBR. There is two links in the webpage that are links to the presentations that I did at IBA JAX parties some years back.
http://www.gregrice.com/rallys/rallys.html
It was the MISS1 and MISS2 combo bonus. I made a mistake on one of the bonuses that was part of the two combo bonuses so I lost that bonus and the two combo bonuses that totaled around 19,000 points.
Greg,
In another thread a link to this page was mentioned, http://www.gregrice.com/rallys/RallyPlanning.html, found it very insightfull.
Thanks for contributing to the thread.
-Mark
In another thread a link to this page was mentioned, http://www.gregrice.com/rallys/RallyPlanning.html, found it very insightfull.
Thanks for contributing to the thread.
-Mark
Revisiting this thread because I have signed up for 2021 Minnesota 1000. Your various contributions are appreciated.
I will admit that I am still trying to develop my own game plan. Do I go full tech using Greg's or CP's spreadsheets? Do I grab a map and start physically pinning boni locations? How many miles can I ride? How many stops can I do in 24 hours? I am the only one that can answer these questions for me.
Each of us approaches task related to the way we think. Some people are very systematic in their thinking. Other are more philosophical. Still others are very analytical. The goal is the same, to finish the rally with your best effort.
Come starting time I will be saying to myself, what did I forget?
PS. I am going to link to a couple of rally tools posted by Greg Rice.
Rally Time https://forum.ironbutt.org/index.php?threads/rally-time-miles-and-points-planning-spreadsheet.4633/
& Bonus Prep https://forum.ironbutt.org/index.php?threads/bonus-preparation-spreadsheet-for-rallies.4614/
I will admit that I am still trying to develop my own game plan. Do I go full tech using Greg's or CP's spreadsheets? Do I grab a map and start physically pinning boni locations? How many miles can I ride? How many stops can I do in 24 hours? I am the only one that can answer these questions for me.
Each of us approaches task related to the way we think. Some people are very systematic in their thinking. Other are more philosophical. Still others are very analytical. The goal is the same, to finish the rally with your best effort.
Come starting time I will be saying to myself, what did I forget?
PS. I am going to link to a couple of rally tools posted by Greg Rice.
Rally Time https://forum.ironbutt.org/index.php?threads/rally-time-miles-and-points-planning-spreadsheet.4633/
& Bonus Prep https://forum.ironbutt.org/index.php?threads/bonus-preparation-spreadsheet-for-rallies.4614/
I know I lost points in the Big Money Rally. One theme was to take pictures of city signs for populations of less than 250. I found more than one town that had signs with different population numbers on either side of town. So instead of taking two pictures and claiming the bonus twice, I took one picture and emailed them about this 'problem' I found. It was only after not receiving a reply, and after the rally ended, that I found out how stupid I had been.