REAL TRUCK CLUB CHALLENGE 2005 - THE RULES
Revised March 1, 2005
General
Real Truck Club Challenge is a grassroots, club-based event in which 20 four-person teams will be chosen by the Four Wheeler staff from entries received. Teams will compete against one another in a variety of off-highway events. Criteria for selection will include, but will not be limited to, the aesthetics of the vehicle, its build quality, and its conformity to RTCC rules. A cash prize of $1,500 for First Place, $1,000 for runner-up, and $500 for third will be awarded. Real Truck Club Challenge will be held at the Badlands Off Road Park in Attica, Indiana, August 5-7 (Friday through Sunday), 2005.
You will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement that acknowledges Four Wheeler's copyright on all Real Truck Club Challenge information and photos for all media, including the Internet. Further, at the discretion of Four Wheeler SOME OFFICIAL COMPETITION RESULTS MAY NOT BE MADE AVAILABLE UNTIL PUBLICATION of the Real Truck Club Challenge story in Four Wheeler Magazine.
Entry forms, along with a photo of your truck, MUST land in the Editor's mailbox in the Four Wheeler office NO LATER THAN NOON, May 18, 2005. Entries without photos will be disqualified. If your club's entry is selected, we will notify you no later than June 21, 2005.
PLEASE NOTE: Each team will be assigned no more than four wristbands - one each for driver and spotter, and two more for whomever the driver designates.
You or your co-driver must be your truck's only drivers in the Challenge. Substitutions may be made in case of medical situations or events clearly beyond the control of the competitor.
Each driver must hold a valid driver's license from his state of residence, and be 18 years or older. Driver and co-driver must always wear helmets during competition.
You may use your co-driver or any other driver/co-driver as a spotter for any of the obstacles, but are limited to one spotter per event. Staffers and judges will not serve as spotters unless you exceed a time limit and need to be extracted. We must keep the accumulation of bodies in the Real Truck Club Challenge competition area as small (people-wise) as possible, so you must limit your on-course crew to a total of two. Your two other wristbanded support members must remain in the spectator area or the staging area during competition. Wristbanded support members may help with vehicle repairs as long as those repairs are being made off-course and not while the clock is running during actual competition. Anyone attending Real Truck needs to sign a liability release form and have the appropriately colored wristband. There will be a special parking area for support vehicles. We will issue one (1) parking pass to each team.
When traveling anywhere with the entire field, please make sure that the vehicle behind you follows the proper route at any fork or turn. On the dirt roads, travel slowly and leave space between your vehicle and the one ahead of you. When convoying from one event to another, there will be a staff vehicle to escort you as a group. Please follow that vehicle and always keep the Challenger behind you in sight at all times so everyone makes it to the next event on time.
Any section of the park that is marked by yellow tape, parked staff vehicles, multiple orange cones, or anything similar is to be considered closed and off-limits. Pre-running or pre-walking courses before OR AFTER the formal walk-around is not allowed. Doing so will be considered unsportsmanlike conduct and will result in immediate disqualification.
VEHICLE
To compete in Four Wheeler's Real Truck Club Challenge, you must be prepared to show proof of insurance and current vehicle registration from your home state- yes; your club's entry must be a real truck, one that's capable of being driven legally on the street. It must be equipped with a standard, safety-glass windshield and it must be in place during competition, a fire extinguisher, solid front-and-rear recovery connection points and a full hardtop or metal rollcage. It must use a factory frame and full bodywork, must be street licensed, and must have working lights, horn, turn signals, and windshield wipers, and must roll on tires no taller than 40 inches.
If your vehicle is selected, all commercial lettering must be removed. Mufflers or spark arresters are required, whether or not you run them at home. Tube frames are prohibited. A WINCH IS MANDATORY and it must be securely mounted and include a hawse or roller fairlead. Use of tire chains during Real Truck Club Challenge is prohibited. So is use of Matt Tracks and/or similar products and hardware. Tires must be DOT-certified. Swapping between tire/wheel types and sizes during the event is prohibited, though tire pressure may be modified. Beadlock wheels ARE allowed, as is hydraulic assist steering. Full hydraulic steering and rear steering are not allowed. VERY IMPORTANT: All vehicles will be inspected upon event check-in by the judging staff for legality/equipment/safety compliance. Any vehicle that fails to meet these criteria or is deemed unsafe by the judges will have until the end of check-in (6:00 p.m.) to correct the problem or be disqualified and replaced with an alternate competitor. JUDGES DECISIONS ARE FINAL.
SEATBELTS ARE REQUIRED AND MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES.
You may service your truck in any manner you desire, but will forfeit your event points for any event in which you do not compete. The park has trashcans, but no means of disposing of hazardous wastes such as motor and gear oils, which must be captured and hauled out. You must safely dispose of such substances yourself. Further, there is no compressed air available in the competition area.
Whenever you winch you must use a winch cable weight. Failure to do so will result in a penalty and your team will be stopped until a cable weight is in place. If you use a tree for an anchor during winching you MUST use a tree protector. Failure to use a tree protector during winching will result in disqualification from that event.
Loose items need to be secured in the vehicle. Penalties will be assessed if loose items fall from the vehicle during competition and the clock will run until the items are retrieved and stowed inside the vehicle.
Lunch for competitors will be provided during both days of competition. We will also have water available for competitors during competition.
General Rules
It is essential that you follow all instructions given you by Real Truck Club Challenge judges and park personnel.
The decisions of the judges during competition are final. However, protests will be accepted if they are presented in a calm and articulate manner. They must include all the relevant details and a proposed course of action. Protests should be given to the chief judge as soon as possible.
There will be no alternate date and no postponement because of weather. We will run Four Wheeler's Real Truck Club Challenge rain or shine.
Unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated. The severity of the offense will determine the penalty, which will range from points assessments to disqualification from the Real Truck Club Challenge.
Here's the bottom line: just practice good old-fashioned common sense, observe the Golden Rule, keep a cool head, be friendly to each other and remember: Above all else, RTCC is just for fun.
Consumption of alcoholic beverages during Real Truck Club Challenge competition is strictly forbidden. Use of alcohol during competition will be grounds for immediate disqualification. Additionally, alcohol is strictly forbidden inside Bandlands Off Road Park, and also in the adjoining campground.
Expect your coolers to be searched by park security personnel, and expect to be disqualified and asked to leave if any alcohol of any kind is found.
EVENTS
The Sand Hillclimb: Points will be awarded for the quickest time to complete the course. Penalties in the form of seconds are added to a competitors overall time for deviating from the course, etc... If your truck will not climb to the top portion of the course, back down the hill. But if you must do this, USE EXTREME CAUTION. It's possible to roll here. Turning around on the hill is forbidden. Doing so is dangerous and is grounds for disqualification. Your truck will be observed over the entire hill course. If you cannot complete the course your distance traveled will determine your finishing order.
REMEMBER: CRASH HELMETS ARE MANDATORY DURING ALL COMPETITON EVENTS.
The Obstacle Course is timed and is a test of transient response, traction, stability, and maneuverability over a variety of terrain. It is run over a course defined by cones, etc. Points will be deducted for run-over cones as well as other infractions. If you cannot finish the entire course, your distance traveled will determine your finishing order. The exact course will not be known until just prior to the event, and all Challengers will be walked through it beforehand.
The Mud Course is expected to be really deep and really ugly. Challengers may use a branch or similar item to check depth before they drive in. This is a timed event. If a competitor doesn't complete the course, a measurement will be taken to determine finishing order. Winching is acceptable and will not be penalized.
The Buzzard's Roost Trail is an evil, winding trail through a stand of trees that will take you through mudholes and over rock obstacles. You'll be given a time limit. We will have the course marked with cones to make sure you drive through the good parts, instead of around them. Your run will be scored and points will be deducted for run-over cones, backing up, getting out of the vehicle, winching, running off the course, etc.
The Rock Trail is our man-made rock course. You'll be timed as you make your pass. The object is to get through the course before time is called. If you cannot complete the course, your vehicles overall distance traveled will be measured and used to determine the finishing order. We do not deduct points for rock-stacking, but we discourage it. The way the course is designed, a well-built trail vehicle should be able to drive the trail as-is. As with most rock crawling competitions, points in the form of seconds will be added to the elapsed time for infractions such as run-over cones, backing up, getting out of the vehicle, winching, running off the course, etc.
The starting order for competition will be chosen before each event. You will get just one try at each event.
Any truck may opt to skip any event, for any reason, but will forfeit points for that event. Any truck that is late for its starting position at an event will forfeit the points for that event. EXCEPTION: If a truck cannot start an event on time, it may be permitted to go last IF approved by all the other Challengers. Otherwise, once the starting order for an event has been determined, Challengers may not make any changes to it.
ABOVE ALL ELSE, HELP EACH OTHER AND KEEP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE!
REAL TRUCK CLUB CHALLENGE IS ALL ABOUT HAVING FUN!
REAL TRUCK CLUB CHALLENGE RULES AND EVENTS ARE SUJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE!