So disappointed for you Crappy, firstly in crashing your lovely new bike and writing it off, and secondly for not being able to make the Roundup, but so glad that you were uninjured and walked away so calmly. Looking forward to seeing you both tomorrow night..,,,if I survive the wrath of the Roundup riders that is. ♀️
On this Roundup I didn’t google earth every single town sign or dam being used in the Dam Hard To Say Roundup, and it would seem that some towns just don’t have any signs at all, and some Dam co-ords have been a fair bit away from the actual bonus. We did warn the riders that the coords given are not exact - it’s more of an indicator of where the town or Dam is - it’s up to the riders to find the sign, but some co odds have simply been incorrect due to poor mapping programs and data errors in those programs, and have led the riders heading for those particular bonuses astray a little.
We are advising the riders when we find these errors, but we can’t follow many of the riders who are riding in stealth mode. We are also being a little bit lenient on directional signs or pics proving the location, if nothing else is around for the rider to take a picture of. Looking for these things might be fun when the sun is shining and you are fresh on the bike, but when you’ve been in the saddle for 13 or 14 hours and it’s dark and the wildlife has come out to play, trying to find something that just isn’t there increases the frustration level. I understand. This is rallying in Australia in it’s infancy stages.
We have been following the riders as much as we can from the info we are getting in, and many riders have sms their pics on the fly, which assists us in scoring and following their movements, and can assist them in knowing that their photo is good or bad while they are still close to the bonus, at least until someone else gets the correct town sign or Dam sign, which may either reduce their points at the scoring table or negate them entirely for that bonus. I must say, we’ve had lots of anxious moments watching things unfold, and never ending debates between ourselves about whether a pic is “good enough”. It’s a balancing act of being fair, but also trying to raise the standards of the riders, to help them improve their rallying prowess, particularly those who will be competing in the IBR . Trust me when I say they give no quarter in the big dance across the pond.
We’ve also been Giggling a few times at some of the things riders have done on this ride so far - these antics will make unforgettable tales later, when the stories are related over many a cold beer and the riders themselves will see the funny side of what they have done I am sure.
Most of the riders are taking their rest Bonus now we hope, and the Mobmaster and other scorers are catching a well earned nap.
Me, I’m listening out for the phones just in case I’ve left some poor bugger stranded in the back of nowhere in a place that they can’t even pronounce!
Ahh, rallying. What a hoot it is!
