The big RallyMoto™ FAQ by Anders!!

The Course

Where are all the rallies? Is there a schedule or calendar?
NASA Rally Sport is having big events on both coast. There's a calendar on this site, and you can also check out the calendar on NASARallySport.com. Since that's the sanctioning body, sometimes that site gets updated before this one.

Is this a cross country rally-raid like Dakar?
Nope, this a point-to-point sprint on closed dirt roads. Every intersection on the racing course is bannered shut, has a pointing arrow beforehand, and is marshalled by a person. It's like a WRC event. There are multiple mid-course stops at the service areas that can be anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes.

How long are the stages?
This will vary from one rally to the next. A single stage can be anywhere from 2 to 20 miles long. A rally might have 4 to 18 stages in a single day.

How far is it from one stage to the next?
The transits in between stages can be anywhere from half a mile to 40 miles. These transits are on open, public, in-use roads. If your bike can make it 60-70 miles on one tank, you'll make the gas stops without problem.

How do we navigate around?
You will be given pages designed to be cut to scroll width with the tulips (pictorial overhead diagrams) of the curves and turns, similar to a Dakar route book, but without GPS information. Largely you'll need this for the transits between stages. The scroll will fit in a standard enduro reader.

Can I get a map and check out the roads?
Nope, practice in the area of the rally is prohibited for 90 days before the event. Some events will have a Shakedown Stage the day before the event, after your bike has been teched, where you can see what the local conditions are like and see how your bike is feeling. Many of these events use roads that are closed to the public anyway, so you probably wouldn't be able to pre-run it even if you knew where to go.

Do I need a roving pit crew like they have at the Baja 1000?
The service areas are usually in the same place all day. So if you can't find some friends to crew for you, it's easy enough to throw a gas container and a bag of tools in with someone else who's headed there from the start. If you can scrounge up a buddy, a truck/SUV/minivan, some tools, and a cooler with some sandwiches you'll be totally set.

The Bike

What classes are there?
In general we're looking at street legal dual-sport bikes and large adventure bikes. For 2009, there are four classes:

• Heavy (800cc+)
• Medium Stock (400-800cc)
• Medium Modified (400-800cc)
• Lite (under 400cc)

For Heavy, Medium Modified and Lite, you can pretty much do almost anything to the bike. And it pretty much won't matter, cause a better rider will beat you anyway. :)

Do you allow two-strokes?
Nope.

My bike wasn't originally legal for the street. It is now, can it run?
As long as it isn't a two stroke, it probably can. You may not be elibigle to score points in championships with such a ride, however. This depends on the rules where you are. Several conditions:

1. It has to be registered
2. It has to be insured
3. It has to have all the road equipment you would expect on a normal street bike, see the next question below.

We check VINs at the events and match them to all the documents, so this has to be absolutely above board.

What do I need to do to my bike?
First, the bike has to be registered for the road, and insured in your state. Secondly, the bike needs these:

• a headlight and a rear light
• exhausts with some kind of a spark arrestor (or a cat)
• horn
• rear mirror
• all legally required lights
• you need a first aid kit
• a road triangle
• a laminated "OK/Red Cross" status sheet. You can download the images here: OK Sheet and Red Cross Sheet.

Now, that's what we require. This doesn't address what you might want to do to make your bike more comfortable or faster or slower or safer. This list also doesn't talk about what class you might end up racing in. It's not on the 'we check it at tech' list, but you'll need an enduro scroll reader as well. So between the scroll reader (about $20), the triangle (about $12), the first aid kit (about $20), some zip ties, it can be less than $50 to prep your bike.

What safety gear do I have to have?
Naturally, safety is a huge issue here. We're talking about full speed racing on closed roads. And there's no run off area like at a track; instead you have trees at the edge of the road.

• Helmet, M2000 rated or newer
• Each rider must wear some kind of a back brace/protector. It is strongly recommended that full "body armor" or a pressure suit be worn.
• Hard ankle motocross-style boots. No touring boots, construction boots or anything less that the best ankle protection. Check the manufacturer's literature on the boot. If it uses "road boots" "touring boots" or " road racing boots" in the description, I'd lean toward no. I would be surprised if anyone made a boot tough to be a motocross boot that didn't label it as such.

What tires should I use?
A rugged grippy knobby... ;) Your best bet is to go to AdvRider.com and find the thread in the Racing forum about that particular event and ask the guys who were there last year what worked.

Do I need big night lights?
That depends on the event. For most events, no, there aren't any night stages scheduled. If there are delays it could be well into dusk. I would recommend that you not worry about it: if it's too dark to go fast, go slower! There's no money to win, and no one's getting famous here. *grin*

I have an LED rear tail light and turn signals that are not technically DOT ... Do I need to throw the stocker back on?
The street legality of your tail light is between you, your state of residence, and any officer who you are unfortunate to attract the attention of. We assume your normal procedure of getting inspected, registered, and insured will take care of any DOT aspects of this particular issue.

Do I need a GPS?
Nope. Not at all.

Ok, I don't need a GPS. Would it help?
I'll put it this way: none of the guys that are winning have them. And everyone agrees that there's no time to even look at them when you're racing. So if you like more farkle on your bike, go ahead. But's it's absolutely not required and there's not a competitive advantage to having one.

I have an aftermarket something. Is that legal?
There are really two questions here:

1. Will the bike be allowed to compete?
2. Does the bike fit into a particular class?

In nearly all cases, the answer to number one is "yes". The answer to number two is "We'll find a class for you." In this kind of racing, skill and balls make a much bigger difference than a plastic tank or how your carb is jetted.

What kind of numbers do I need on the bike?
In general you need to provide a space 5" by 8.5" wide on each side of the bike for a number. Front number plates aren't required, as there are usually lights mounted there. Check with each event to see if they will be assigning or providing the numbers. Some series, like the Atlantic RallyMoto(tm) Cup, will have additional rules about numbering in their series regulations.

The Money

How much does it cost?
I figured I'd start with this, since it's one of the first questions people ask. Here are the "official" costs:

• Roughly a $250 entry fee. Some a little higher, some a little lower.
• $44 NASA membership (this gives you access to the event's insurance and a one year subscription to Grassroots Motorsports)(web)
• $50 NASA Rally Sport competition license (web)
• $5 Novice Competitor School materials fee at some events

This sounds like a lot if you're used to $40 enduros. Generally these events have to rent out large areas of land and roads. A small rally like Sandblast covers about 600 square miles! On top of that there's the millions of dollars of insurance because we're on public roads. Don't worry about it too much, we haven't had anyone finish one of these and say it wasn't worth the money!

What other costs are there?
Most of the other costs are what would be involved in going for any ride in another state:

• Gas to and at the event
• Hotel or camping
• Food

The Paperwork

Do I need a license?
Yup, you need a NASA Rally Sport Competition license and a NASA Pro Racing membership. Total cost there is a little under $100.

Where can I get a license and membership?
Here's a detailed discussion from the sanctioning body: Competition License Info

How long does it take to get a license and membership?
As a last resort, this can be done at the events. So you don't have to worry about this too much. It's easier for you if you get these out of the way early, but it can be worked around. It can take several weeks to more than a month for the cards to get to you, but as long as you're in the database you'll be fine even if you don't have the cards in your hands.

Are other forms of credential accepted, AMA, ASA, SCCA, IMSA, FIA?
Nope, you don't need to be a member of those. You pretty much need to get the NASA membership and NASA Rally Sport license no matter what. It pretty much boils down to insurance requirements, so there's not any flexibility there.

How do I enter a rally?
It varies from event to event. Every event will publish what are called "Supplemental Regulations". These contain all the official procedures of that event, including the entry information. So here's the breakdown:

1. Go to the calendar of events
2. Find an event near you, and then click on that to go to the web site for that event
3. Look around for the Supplemental Regulations
4. Check out the section on entering

Some events have online entry, some don't, some use PayPal, some you mail a check, some you call in a credit card number. Each event has a different flavor and the entry procedure is part of that. In general you'll send the money and info about you and your bike, just like any other race. :)

Wow, this sounds complicated, is there a rule book online?
Ha! You would be lucky if there were just one rule book! *grin*

• General Regulations for Rallies, aka GRR, is the master rule book for how the event works
• The RallyMoto™ appendix to the GRR is what describes all the bike classes and bike safety equipment
• Each event will have it's own Supplemental Regulations that explain the entry procedure, official deadlines, the event schedule, the route, etcetera
• Then there's probably also rules for the series about how points are counted up and so on.

The Rest

How am I going to know what to do?
All new rally competitors (new car drivers too) have to attend a Novice Competitor Orientation class. Actually, you get to attend them at your first three rallies. It's three hours long and it's usually before registration.

Car and bikes on the same course? What if I get run over?
While rally cars and rally bikes do compete on the same roads, it's not at the same time. We run the bikes first, make sure the last bike finishes, then run the cars. So there's no way a car can run over a bike

Hey, is this a fly-by-night organization? I've never heard of you guys.
NASA has been around since 1991. The NASA Rally Sport division was started up in 2003. Some of the events that now run under the NASA Rally Sport banner have been around more than 15 years, even though for most of that time they were only running cars. Most of the people you'll run in to organizing these rallies have been at it from 10-20 years on the car side.

When did you start running bikes?
The very first RallyMoto™ event was the Sandblast Rally in February of 2007.