Glossary of events

TABLETOP RALLY:
These events take place in the comfort of the pub! The idea is to plot a route onto your OS map (as you would if you were competing on a Road Rally, Nav scatter or 12-car rally) but instead of driving the route and answering clues on the road, you are set questions that can can be answered straight of the map. i.e. Spot heights, Grid squares, Pylons etc. These are very good practice for any budding navigators!

NAVIGATIONAL SCATTER:
This is an event held on the public highway during the winter evenings. It is a test of navigational and driving skills where competing crews must visit 75% of the specified grid references in any order they choose. The event lasts for approximately 2½ hours.

GYMKHANA:
A Gymkhana is similar to an Autotest but it is a lot more technical and demanding on the driver as the emphasis on accuracy and control, not time.

AUTOTEST:
This is a test of driving skill held on a sealed surface. The competition consists of driving through and around cones, through garages and slaloms travelling forward and in reverse and are timed to the second. They usually take place on a Monday evening or Sunday.

GRASS AUTOTEST:
This is laid out the same as a sealed surface Autotest but uses a field instead. These are good events for novices to learn advanced car control techniques as the surface is more slippery.

PRODUCTION CAR TRIAL (PCT):
This is an event that is based around driver skill and good vehicle traction. They are held usually on a technical, twisting course that ascends a steepening slope. The competition is trying to drive the car up the slope as far as possible. The further up you can take the car the less penalties you attract. these events are held on Sundays.

ROAD RALLY:
These events are held on the public highway starting late on a Saturday night and going through to the early hours of Sunday morning.They are regulated by the MSA and the routes are approved by the police and other appropriate agencies. An event will have a maximum of 90 competing cars. Classes are for Novice, Semi-Expert and Expert crews and on some larger more high profile events, a class for Masters. The crews can use a multitude of OS maps to traverse their own plotted route around the area of the event. The route can sometimes cover over 200 miles during the event. Competing cars range from totally standard models to suitably modified machines.

STAGE RALLY:
These events are held on private property such as Forestry Commission land or disused airfields. There are many types of event but a specifically prepared car is needed to compete. The crews are competing against the clock in classes based around engine size.

SPRINT:
A speed trial against the clock on racing circuits and disused airfields. Classes for everything from standard production cars to fully prepared racing cars.

HILLCLIMB:
This is just a sprint that goes up a twisty tarmac hill! It also uses the same classes of car as sprinting.

MARSHALLING:
Marshals are highly important to the running of all motorsport events. They offer levels of expertise in safety that helps spectators and competitors alike. There are many areas of marshalling ranging from crowd controlling and safety to time-keeping and event organising.