Last year's results are still available
18th Annual Toys for Tots Road Rally By Peter
Schneider - Rallymaster On December 7, 2008 Northern New Jersey SCCA in association with the Subaru of Mt Olive, Motorsport Club of North Jersey and the United States Marine Corps Reserve hosted the 18th annual ‘Toys for Tots’ Teddy Bear Rally. Last year the Toys for Tots program reached 95,000 children in northern New Jersey and we are happy to be a contributing organization which helped achieved that target. The event was a very simple road rally using the back road of Morris, Warren, Sussex and Hunterdon Counties. The rally started at Subaru of Mt Olive and ended at the Pub and Brewery in Long Valley 58.325 miles later. The event required only a car or light truck with a working odometer and a pen to compete. For those that did not see the flyer in the prior issues of Pole Position the entry fee, per car, was a brand new Teddy Bear worth at least $25.00 retail which was donated to the USMC Reserve Toys for Tots Program. This year we had 32 teams competing in the event coming from several SCCA Regions, local car clubs and the general public. Awards for 1st and 2nd in each of 3 classes (Expert, Intermediate, & Novice), Best First Time, Best Subaru, Best Family, Best Husband & Wife, Best RVSCC, Best SCCA & Dead Last But Finished were supplied by the Region.
Stuart Lasser, veteran New Jersey auto
retailer and NNJR SCCA member has sponsored this local rally for each of
the 18 years. The starting location of the rally has included various
dealerships locations owned by Stuart including Saturn of Denville,
Morristown, Livingston and Mt Olive. The rally started out heading west on Route 46 towards Hackettstown. Once the team safely reached the other end of town, they turned on Petersburg Rd and started looking for Photo Clue A. Photo Clue A was a picture of a specific house number on a white post, they were instructed that if they could find the scene depicted in the photo they were to execute a right turn on the 1st road that they encountered. This Photo Clue was designed to test the team’s knowledge of the event’s Special Instructions, the Special Instructions stated that ‘vaild route following clues could not be located on Telephones Poles, Mailboxes or their supports or on any living animals.’ Photo A was very easy to locate but the teams needed to notice that the post in the photo was really a Mailbox support and was invalid. If they noticed this they ignored the Special Photo Route Instruction and continued along the rally route to execute the next route instruction. Those teams that did this correctly was greeted by an on-course checkpoint and were very pleased to confirm that had executed the trap correctly and avoided 240 penalty points. All teams found themselves back on a common route and heading north on Route 517 towards Allamuchy looking for the next route instruction. The second trap in the rally was associated with Photo Clue B. This photo clue was of a specific STOP sign. Along the rally route the teams encountered two STOP signs. The second STOP sign was the correct sign and this was in the center of a small town of Johnsonburg. The 1st STOP sign was at the intersection of Route 612 and 519. Since this was not the STOP in the photo the teams should have proceed across the intersection and about .2 miles later to find the correct STOP sign. This trap was designed to draw your attention away from the 3rd Route Following trap of the rally. Instruction #10, instructed the teams to PU (Pick-up) Warren County Route 519 North. This should have been executed at the intersection just north of the center of Johnsonburg. After you PU Warren County Route 519, you crossed over into Sussex County. Route 519 changed names to Sussex County Route 519, so the PU/onto rule no longer applied. (PU/Onto rule states that once placed onto a road by name or number you have to remain onto that road by name or number until the next active route instruction) Since the full road’s name had changed you should not have followed Sussex County Route 519 when it turned left, but you should have gone ‘as straight as possible’ until you were able to execute Route Instruction #11. This trap was worth 210 Penalty Points and most teams did this trap incorrectly. The rally then did a short loop in Sussex County and headed back south into Warren County. As you can see following the individual route instructions and understanding the “General Instructions” is what rallying is all about, and the objective is to be the team at the end that made the least number of route following errors in order to win. For each mile that you drive off course you collect 100 penalty points and missing an on-course checkpoint adds 200 points to your score. After traveling about 10 more miles along the scenic roads of Warren County you found yourself heading south on Route 613 looking to turn left onto Route 46 East. The teams came upon an intersection and had an option to either proceed ‘straight as possible’ on Ryan Rd or follow Route 613. Since they were not onto Route 613 by name/number they had to remember that per the “General Instructions” each time they encountered a new intersection ‘straight as possible’ was a valid option when the onto rule was not in affect or they could not execute the next active route instruction. Since these two options were not in affect the teams needed to proceed straight on Ryan. If they did this correctly they saved themselves 330 penalty points. Both Ryan and Route 613 joined up with Route 46 so no one got lost and continued on with the rally to the section. After two more route following traps the teams ended the rally at the Long Valley Pub and Brewery to socialize and get a bite to eat and await the results. The rally is scored in three classes (Expert, Intermediate, & Novice), and the winners from Southern NJ SCCA in the Expert class ran a near perfect rally with only 3.3 hundreds of a mile error over 58.325 mile route. (the second lowest score in Motorsport club’s 46 year history) Full results can be found in this issue of Pole Position and here below. Hope to see you at the next NNJR rally in May. Good luck and Happy Rallying. |
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18th Annual Teddy Bear
Rallye A Charity Rallye Supporting the Marine Corps' Toys for Tots Results |
Position |
Car # |
Score |
Driver |
Navigator |
Novice Class |
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First Place Trophy |
1 | 664.4 |
Steven Smith Branchville, NJ |
Katherine Smith Branchville, NJ |
Second Place Trophy |
19 | 763.1 |
Dave Jerchower Fair Lawn, NJ |
Mel Giglio Fair Lawn, NJ |
3rd Place Trophy |
27 | 771.1 |
Joseph Hedrick South River, NJ |
Jean Hedrick South River, NJ |
4th - Trophy Best First Time |
13 | 802.5 |
Jake Gogats Waretown, NJ |
Patty Gogats Waretown, NJ |
5th Best BMW |
2 | 847.7 |
Brendan Swords Wilton, CT |
Michael Verrault Hightstown, NJ |
19th - Trophy Dead Last But Finished |
8 | 1517.3 |
Kevin McCormick Hoboken, NJ |
April Hartmann Madison, NJ |
6th | 17 | 868.5 | Eli Solomon | Teri Solomon |
7th | 30 | 872.3 | Carol Baldino | Joe Nemchik |
8th Best Subaru |
21 | 946.5 |
Kimberly Fish Philadelphia, PA |
Jacob Peters West Conshohocken, PA |
9th | 9 | 963.3 | Christopher Alfonzo | Ayse Figanmese |
10th | 6 | 1032.2 | Elias Rontogiannis | Chris Pongrac |
11th | 15 | 1051.8 | Michael Bitterman | Mary Bitterman |
12th | 28 | 1058.1 | Timothy Larney | Susan Larney |
13th | 7 | 1065.1 | Miriam Schneidmill | Melanie Rush |
14th | 20 | 1086.1 | David Pliskin | Laura Epstein |
15th | 16 | 1178.5 | Michael Bitterman | Matthew Bitterman |
16th | 5 | 1284.4 | Thomas Blackmore | Susan Blackmore |
17th | 22 | 1323.9 | Paul Sousa | Walter Jones |
18th | 11 | 1433.2 | Tod Ludwinski | Allison Crouse |
20th Overtime | 12 | 1621.9 | Alexander Sulit | Stephen Gyarmati |
DNF | 29 | - - | Konrad Sprycha | Kamil Sprycha |
DNC | 32 | - - | Robert Delaney | Kevin Beckmann |
Intermediate Class |
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First Place Trophy |
23 | 751.6 |
Rosemarie Weinstein Parsippany, NJ |
Michael Weinstein Parsippany, NJ |
Second Place Trophy |
10 | 885.6 |
Bart Carlevaro Montvale, NJ |
Linda Louie Montvale, NJ |
3rd | 31 | 889.0 | Joe Moreng | Chuck Maeder |
Expert Class |
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First Place Trophy |
18 | 3.3 |
Jim Wakeman Turnersville, NJ |
Mark Haas Ardsley, PA |
Second Place Trophy |
14 | 9.4 |
Michael Brooks Brooklyn, NY |
Pepi Brooks Brooklyn, NY |
3rd Trophy - Best Placing Husband & Wife |
4 | 20.6 |
Brian Beckmann Andover, NJ |
Lynn Beckmann Andover, NJ |
4th | 26 | 208.1 | Steve Mauger | Steve Novatne |
5th | 24 | 358.6 | Joan Fitzhugh | Gil Fitzhugh |
6th | 3 | 448.8 | Pat Voskinarian | Natalie Voskinarian |
7th | 25 | 701.8 | Taryn Ross | Jim Ross |
Position |
Car # |
Score |
Driver |
Navigator |
Novice Class |
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First Place Trophy |
17 | 1489.2 |
Jeff Weisberger Fair Lawn, NJ |
Alex Hopwood Fair Lawn, NJ |
Second Place Trophy |
31 | 1538.5 |
Martin Sobin Sparta, NJ |
Sherri Heller Sparta, NJ |
3rd Place Trophy |
10 | 1564.6 |
Steven Smith Branchville, NJ |
Katherine Smith Branchville, NJ |
25th - Trophy Dead Last But Finished |
13 | 2474.0 |
Ray Bradley Newton, NJ |
Katherine Bradley Newton, NJ |
4th - Trophy Best First Time |
29 | 1808.1 |
Jane Marron Stanhope, NJ |
Mike Marron Stanhope, NJ |
5th - Trophy Best Husband & Wife |
18 | 1809.7 |
Peter Stickle Fredon, NJ |
Constance Stickle Fredon, NJ |
6th | 22 | 1843.0 | Brianne Ricciardelli | Janelle Ricciardelli |
7th | 16 | 1855.6 | Rich Bittoni | Terry Bittoni |
8th | 9 | 1861.0 | Phil Daly | Donna Barrando |
9th | 7 | 1919.1 | Donald Semonche | Cindy Semonche |
10th | 5 | 1973.0 | John Gausz | Mary Pat Gausz |
11th | 20 | 1979.4 | Robert Delany | Kevin Beckmann |
12th | 25 | 2040.5 | Joe Dudzik | Brian Ricciardelli |
13th | 33 | 2047.0 | Allynn Della Posta | Joseph Della Posta |
14th | 30 | 2103.3 | Timothy Larney | Susan Larney |
15th | 15 | 2107.7 | Myra Snook | Robby Rodimer |
16th | 14 | 2136.6 | Diane Knapp | Evelyn Metzler |
17th | 3 | 2140.9 | William Gardner | Irene Gardner |
18th | 6 | 2167.9 | Shawn McCabe | Don Finnegan |
19th | 2 | 2191.7 | Harold Wheeler | Antonio Noriega |
20th | 11 | 2195.8 | Miriam Schneidmill | Melanie Rush |
21st | 26 | 2236.3 | Nancy Schulze | Chris Cannone |
22nd | 4 | 2282.6 | Michael DeVito | Linda Hogan |
23rd | 28 | 2330.0 | Robert Ringleben | Heather Ringleben |
24th | 1 | 2346.2 | Paul Mellini | Erin Mellini |
Intermediate Class |
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First Place Trophy |
21 | 1223.1 |
Les Tuerk East Brunswick, NJ |
Mike Weinstein Parsippany, NJ |
Second Place Trophy |
8 | 1383.5 |
Steve Arguello Kinnelon, NJ |
Toby Arguello Kinnelon, NJ |
3rd | 35 | 1595.1 | Lynn Van Nosdall | Michael Row |
4th | 34 | 1619.8 | Jesse Row | - - |
5th | 12 | 1676.1 | Cindy Boerner-Lay | Micah Lay |
6th | 27 | 1710.7 | Kurt Englemann | Deborah Englemann |
Expert Class |
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First Place Trophy |
23 | 303.3 |
Joe Miller Howell, NJ |
Rickey Miller Howell, NJ |
Second Place Trophy |
32 | 403.3 |
David Alpert Livingston, NJ |
Steven Alpert Livingston, NJ |
3rd | 19 | 824.9 | Michael Brooks | Pepi Brooks |
4th | 24 | 960.1 | Dan Pseja | Diane Pseja |
One
Lane Miscellany -
May 4, 2008 Michael &
Pepi Brooks
Epilog: On Sunday May 4, 2008, the Motorsport Club of New Jersey presented “One Lane Miscellany”, its first rallye of the 2008 season. This was a 75-mile trap rallye through some of the most beautiful and challenging roads in northern New Jersey. Michael & Pepi Brooks served as rallyemasters, with John Groot serving as advisor (Peter Schneider also helped to review the course). Eleven cars participated on a beautiful sunny day. The rallye began by the Burger King in Denville, NJ, and ended at the Long Valley Pub & Brewery in Long Valley, NJ. The first trap was a photo clue of an easy-to-see large rock sculpture (which we named Pinecone Rock) that had been erected near a house. The idea was to identify the address of the house. Seems simple, but only three teams got it right, and only one for the right reason. The problem was that the last action of the previous instruction indicated that the road turned to unpaved, and the sculpture was located just before the road turned to unpaved. Since questions are answerable after the last part of the prior instruction and before the first action of the next instruction, the correct answer was a “?”. Other traps on this leg were based on hard-to-spot photo clues. The next leg had a simple trap based on a sign. The instruction called for a right turn at the second opportunity after a sign that read “Bonter Rd”. Since the sign was at the near side of Bonter Rd, the first opportunity to turn was actually at Bonter Rd. Eight teams failed to count that as the first opportunity to turn and took a modest detour (although some teams somehow found a way to take a more substantial detour) before being led back on-course. The next trap caught seven teams and cost each of them up to 500 points. It used a “nested either/or” instruction. Teams looking for a right at the first opportunity came to a “T” intersection. About 15 feet before the “T” was a sign that said “No Left Turn.” Therefore teams had no choice—they were forced to turn right—which means this did not constitute an intersection under the rules and therefore was not the correct right turn. Teams who did it correctly, turned right at a signal a short distance away. Teams who did it incorrectly turned left at that same signal. They then went on a long off-course loop before returning to that same intersection where they went straight at the signal. Thus, at any given time, rallye cars could be going right, left or straight at the same intersection. The teams who did it correctly were not out of the woods yet, however. They were looking for either: a left at a “SIG”, or a left at Russia Rd. The first opportunity to execute the instruction was a left at a signal that had a yellow blinking light. Under the general instructions such a light is defined as a “Blinker” and not as a “SIG”; therefore it should have been ignored. Teams who incorrectly turned left at the “Blinker” went on an off-course loop. Eventually, all the teams were led back on-course. A very simple “onto” trap in the next leg cost a surprisingly large number of teams about 150 points each. Teams were instructed to follow signs “onto” Route 181 North. When placed “onto” a road by name or number, the general instructions specify that teams must automatically turn if the road turns, and must continue to do this until they are directed off that road by the next numbered route instruction. At one point, Route 181 North turned right, and many unsuspecting teams ignored the “onto” rule and continued to drive straight. They then went on an off-course loop that eventually directed them back on-course. There were two traps in the next leg. In the first, teams were told to either make a right after a sign that said “Narrow Road”, or to make a left at a “T”. Since the “Narrow Road” sign actually read “Narrow Road Keep Right”, and since the instruction did not specify “RIP” (read in part), that was not the correct sign and teams should have made the left at a “T”. The second trap was based on delta mileages which were provided for most instructions in this leg. A delta mileage indicates the mileage from the end of the previous instruction to the first action of the next instruction. Teams were looking for a right at “Old Four Bridges Rd (0.65)”, which meant the turn was 0.65 miles from the end of the previous instruction. The first “Old Four Bridges Rd” sign they reached was 0.40 miles from the end of the previous instruction, so the correct action was to continue straight until they reached the next “Old Four Bridges Rd” sign, which was 0.65 miles from the end of the previous instruction. Teams who did this incorrectly went around a short loop in the road in the wrong direction, which caused their mileage to be short by a quarter of a mile on this leg and another quarter of a mile on the next leg; it also caused them to miss two questions. The last leg had a few traps. The simplest was a question about a sign attached to a tree that said “Critter XING”. Only four teams remembered that signs on trees do not count and correctly answered “?”. Another trap was based on the “straight ahead priority.” In the absence of the ability to execute a numbered route instruction or an “onto” instruction, teams are supposed to just drive as straight as possible. Only three teams realized that Black River Road was a straight ahead trap; the others went on a 3-mile off-course loop before being redirected on the beautiful and twisty Black River Road. Teams turned in their scorecards at the Long Valley Pub & Brewery and enjoyed well-deserved food and drink while the scores were tabulated and trophies awarded. The winner had a total score of only 301 points, while the team awarded trophies for being “Dead Last But Finished” had a score of 2,337 points, and had traveled an astonishing 161 miles. Everyone had a great time and are looking forward to future rallyes presented by the Motorsport Club of New Jersey. Michael & Pepi Brooks |
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