Rallies have traditionally included everything from extremely competitive two person teams to families out for an afternoon drive. Their is usually a lunch break at the midpoint, and rallies usually end at a spot where food and beverage is available. Regardless of how competitive you are, rallying is a lot of fun if you like to spend time in your car, see some terrific scenery, and and spend time with congenial people. The concept of a road rally is simple. Each team is given a set of directions to follow.
Teams leave the start approximately one minute apart.
The first leg of the rally allows teams to calibrate their times and mileage with the rally master's. This is important as you have a specific amount of time to reach an Official Mileage Point, or Check Point. During each rally leg between check points you are given directions and specified travel speeds which will change often. The rally master knows how fast you were supposed to travel and how far you went and calculates an exact time you should arrive at each check point. Official rally times are kept with very accurate clocks and are the official time your trip is held against.