>> TUSLER%MP050@MPA15AB.MV.UNISYS.COM wrote:
.. [clip] ...
> So what is a 'gymkhana,' a
> 'Funkhana,' a 'rally,' and 'auto-cross?' Can the relatively ignorant
> participate in this? <<
And Barry Berg replied:
>> These are relatively the same thing. Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)
calls these events Solo Events. <<
While autocross, gymkhana, funkhana and SCCA Solo II are variants of the same
type of event there are some major differences in the types of events they
normally connote, and a rally is a totally different type of event and is
definitely NOT a Solo event.
An autocross or SCCA Solo II event is a type of single car competition held on a
large open surface such as a parking lot or airport runway. The orange rubber
traffic cones commonly seen in construction areas or in road painting are used
as "pylons" to define the "gates" that make up a twisting miniature road racing
course. Each car runs the course by itself while being timed, and skill and
precision are as important as outright speed as a penalty (usually 2 seconds) is
added to the competitor's total time for each pylon that is displaced. In SCCA
events there are 26 different car classes to allow each car to compete with
others of similar performance.
A gymkhana can be a very similar event, though in most cases the use of this
term implies a slower speed event in which at some point on the course the
competitor must use their reverse gear.
A funkhana is also similar, but in most cases requires both a driver and a
passenger and usually have a sort of humorous component that counterbalances the
need for outright speed. There are usually some additional "skill" tests to be
performed by the driver and passenger acting as a team, and these vary depending
on the silliness or sadism of the person planning the event. <G> Some of these
additional skills might require the passenger to "pop" balloons as the car
passes by, picking up things along the course, shooting baskets, balancing
something on the bonnet, driving in a circle while the passenger holds a string
connected to a central pylon, etc. We even ran a funkhana once where the driver
was blindfolded and had to rely on verbal directions from the passenger!
A rally as encountered at the local level or at a British car meet is a TOTALLY
different type of competition to those listed above. Rallies at this level are
conducted at legal speeds on public roads, and are more a test of brainpower
than horsepower. In its most common form, the time-speed-distance (TSD) rally, a
team of a driver and navigator are given a somewhat cryptic list of route
instructions (e.g.: "Right first opportunity after third green mailbox on the
right.") which the team attempts to follow while maintaining an assigned
specific average speed. The object is not to be the first car to finish, but
rather to finish at precisely the correct time, as penalties are given for being
either late or early. During the course of the event the team will often have to
answer questions or "fill-ins" based on signs or objects seen along the route
(e.g.: "__________ Hardware"). There are also a number of other types of
rallies which are generally grouped under the term "gimmick" rallies where
something other than average speed is the determinant for scoring. Around here
one of the more common of these is a "Hare and Hound" event. In this case there
are no written instructions, but instead the "Hare" car leaves some sort of sign
or marker at various intersections. The competitors, or "Hounds", upon
encountering one of these markers must decide in what direction to proceed. If
they guess correctly they will encounter another marker, usually within a
pre-defined distance. If they don't, they must return to the previous marker and
try another direction. The car with the lowest accumulated mileage (i.e.: the
most correct guesses) at the end of the event is the winner.
While each of these activities has their own appeals, they are all great ways to
spend some "quality time" with your MG or other car. I've been active in all of
them for over 26 years now and currently run my '71 MGB in SCCA Solo II in the D
Street Prepared class, as well as having spent 4 years on the BoD of the Des
Moines Valley Region SCCA as Rally Director. We also have had a lot of fun
taking part in funkhanas whenever they've been offered at meets we've attended
with our 'Bs. If you've never tried them, you should definitely give it a go
when the opportunity presents itself. There will almost always be someone eager
to help the uninitiated to get a start in any of these types of events.
Ric Johnson
Des Moines Valley Region SCCA
Iowa British Car Club
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