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Staying on course
TSD road rallies are run on open public roads. Road surface may be paved or unpaved; you may be
expected to recognize the difference.
Staying on the rally course correctly requires a combination of accurately following the route
instructions and accurately following the Main Road. To be a successful rallier, you need to know how to follow the route instructions, how to follow the Main Road, and when to do which.
Route instructions
Complete each numbered route instruction (NRI) in entirety
before trying to execute the next NRI. Check your rules for unnumbered instructions used in the event. Examples: notes, lettered route instructions, and special instructions.
Route instructions may be written out plainly in words in
sentences, cryptically encoded in abbreviations and defined terms, and/or drawn in diagrams and pictographs. Be familiar with the rules for this event, especially the definitions.
When a sign is quoted in a route instruction, it must be exact as quoted, left to right, top to bottom.
A portion of a sign can be quoted, but nothing can be skipped. References to landmarks must be identified by a sign.
Main Road
In our TSD Road Rally world, a Main Road exists at every intersection. The Main Road is the rally
route you would follow if you didn't have any route instructions. In fact, you can only execute a route instruction containing a course directing action when it takes you off the Main Road (usually). There
are exceptions to every rule, but this is how it usually works.
Knowing where the Main Road goes at every intersection and
knowing how to follow the route instructions are most critical to finishing any event. Before you can finish first, first you must finish. (Make sure they tell you where the finish is before you
leave the start.)
Main Road Determinants (MRDs) in effect at the beginning of the
event are identified in the rules or the route instructions. They vary from event to event, so review them carefully. On a simple tour, the MRDs might be nothing more than (A) Straight as
possible. On a complex trap rally, the MRDs will be considerably more involved, such as Variable Main Road rallies where the MRDs change frequently during the event.
For our examples, we're going to assume the MRDs are (A) Onto, (B) Protection, (C) Left at T, (D) Straight as possible. Apply them in order, one at a time. If the first one doesn't define a single route leaving the intersection, then move to the next one.
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