New kind of Rally Driving

[TomoHawk]

While driving from Hotel to car show last weekend, I got an idea for a way you can do a rally course without a navigator.

Instead of putting the diagrams on sheets to read, the intructions could be recorded onto a cassette tape or CD. This would guarantee that if you were going the right speed, you would reach each point where a stop, turn, or whatever, would be made. All you need to do is listen, and do what the instructions tell you. Of course you'd need a CD player, or a cassette tape player, in your car.

For example, if you were driving down the road to an intersection 2 miles away, you would hear the instructions to "Drive 30 MPH" and then about 4 minutes later, you would hear an instruction to "turn right in 10 seconds" and 10 seconds later, "turn right." If you can maintain the correct speed or the distance, you'd be spot on.

Cheating would be very difficult, but it would also be possible to finish the course if you were off by pausing the play-back.

Probably the most difficult thing to do would be to drive the course yourself, while recording theinstructions. Your speed would have to be as correct and steady as those driving the course later.

I think I will try one of something simple like a recording of the drive to school or to the Post.

thx

[EScanlon]

And pray that the traffic conditions when recording match the conditions when playing it back....EXACTLY. Otherwise ANY variation in speed, acceleration or braking...heck after a bit, EVEN the rate and radius of the curves you do effect will eventually add up to put you out of synch.

If you don't take that into consideration and cite landmarks by which they can re-calibrate / verify the position of the recording, then it won't fly.

Ever taken a tour in a museum or historical site with those Narration players you rent at the entrance? Those have full function tape controls (Stop/Rewind/Fast Forward/Pause/Play) specifically because people don't walk at the same rate from exhibit to exhibit.

FWIW

E

[TomoHawk]

That's why there is a 5- or 10- second warning before a turn. For recording the instructions, you would probably either take the most prabable or the tightest line around curves. But that's the idea of this style- to carry your average speed down the road to the next point. Just like in a TSD rally, where you get penalized for being early or late. You would need to learn to drive aggressively to keep the correct pace without being reckless. Even then you could pause the recording for a moment.

[Zedrally]

Good idea, but won't work if you base it on TSD, (Time, Speed, Distance).

Without a fixed reference(s) along the route all that will be achieved is utter confusion and many pissed off drivers.

Might I suggest you consider instructions such as drive along this road until you see such & such, then turn left/right/SO etc. The such & such is a fixed reference easy spotted by any driver keepuing his eyes on the road (and traffic).

[rusty260z]

could you not hook up to a GPS system or electronic points on road (similar to racing systems that tell position of cars etc)

and instructions are only read at certain point, so even if your slower or had a spin off etc, will still get apporiate instructions when required.

[TomoHawk]

Both good suggestions. GPS is good only to the point where the receiver is working. You'll also need map data for the area. For TSD rallies, all you'll need is two brains (people), but otherwise, you'll need the GPS & computer, custom software, etc. all costing money, and the software taking time to create, then creating the computer instructions & verbal instructions for the drive itself. Recording a tape takes only the amount of time to drive the course, then just run it through the computer & burn CDs.

[speedyblue]

My friend did this to get people from the church to out house for a social night (I live in the sticks) By mentioning landmarks and street names etc it was quite easy to follow. Plus they has a commentary on the way to fill in the time between commants, but you could easily add some music if you had the right software. As far as setting it up, they just drove to our house, one person driving, the other making the recording. I believe it took a few goes due to excess giggling. Slap it to a CD and no worries, everyone arrived.

[TomoHawk]

These were good suggestions to improve the idea, mates. I think I'll give a go soon. I'll be driving to the school or somewhere ( like a club meeting) and recording the instructions. Having landmarks to coordinate your playback will be included, because I think I'll do part of the run on the highway. So if you aren't with the playback, you could be a minute (or two!) off the pace. It's a lot like you were just driving to wherever (" It takes me 10 minutes to get to the theatre exit, then 20 to get to the county line...") if you were off the pace, you 'd get to the airport insted of the theatre.:devious:

The GPS idea would be what I call the 'high-tech version of a co-driver" because instead of your navigator calling out instructions at every intersection, the software would do it. This may be compatible with some standard GPS directions software, but you must create the file with the nav data (map coordinates & directions.) but might only work with certain brands of GPS map/directions software.

thx