2010 CQ Off Road Challenge
Rules and Regulations
Contents
1.Event Committee
2.Event Format and Regulating Body
3.Vehicle Equipment Check
4.Compulsory Equipment
5.Insurance
6.UHF Radio Equipment
7.Vehicle Specifications
8.General Rules
9.Environment
10.Advertising
11.Regulations for SS’s (Special Stages)
12.Special Stage Penalties.
13.General Event Regulations.
14.Parts / Groups
15.Scoring, Handicaps and Awards
16.Protest
17.Prohibited Behaviour
18.Sportsmanship
19.Rights of the Organizer
20.Indemnity
21.Media management
Any clarification or information required in regards to the rules and regulations laid downin this event guide can be obtained from:
Event Committee
Joel Brook
Michael Wendt
Mark Thomas
Darren Standfast (President)
Viv Murphy
Brooke Wendt
Dave Watson
C/O CQ Off Road Club, PO Box 9568, Park Avenue, QLD 4701
Event Format and Regulating Body
2.a.The Special Stage (SS) results will determine the overall winning team, 2nd placed team,and 3rd placed team. Scoring will be a combination of the elapsed time, less anypenalties incurred by teams.
2.b.Special Stages will be varied with a major emphasis on safety. Stages will be designedto test
Off Road Driving,
Recovery Skills,
Navigation and
Team Work.
2.c.In the interests of a more level playing field, handicaps will be awarded per car in thefollowing categories – Winches and tyre size.
2.d.The supreme authority for this event is the Event Committee, Joel Brook, Michael Wendt, Mark Thomas, Darren Standfast, Viv Murphy, Brooke Wendt and Dave Watson.
Vehicle Equipment Check
3.a.All team vehicles are required to be available at the appointed scrutineering time. All team representatives must be present at the scrutineering time.
3.b.Each team vehicle must have current registration papers and their Third PartyExtension papers available for inspection. Each driver, must hold and present a currentProvisional or upwards Australian driver’s licence if eligible.
3.c.Vehicles must be presented in a “ready to compete” state, including all compulsoryequipment. After passing scrutineering your vehicle must remain in the vehicle compound until directed. Modifying your vehicle after it’s final check eg – upgradingwinch motors or changing tyre size etc is NOT allowed and you will be disqualified.
3.d.Vehicle/s which are deemed by the Chief Scrutineer not to be of standard orcondition appropriate to compete in the event, or fails the inspection process, mayrender the entrant liable for exclusion.
3.e.A second and final inspection at a latter time, can be applied for. However theremaining members of that team will DNS the stages they would have completed whilethe vehicle/s is/are brought up to competition standard.
3.f.Vehicles must pass the 2nd inspection, or they will be excluded from the event.
NOTE: It is the responsibility of teams and competitors to ensure that all vehicles intheir team comply with the 2009 CQ Off Road Challenge Rules and Regulations.
Compulsory Equipment
4.a.All vehicles shall carry min 1.8kg or two 0.9kg operable dry powder fireextinguishers, mounted securely, within easy reach of the driver and/or navigator.Minimum standard AS1841.5. More and/or bigger capacity’s are recommended.
4.b.Jack, rated for the vehicle, and a wheel brace or equivalent.
4.c.Recovery Kit: (Winch vehicle/s)
1x 8000kg or larger snatch strap
2x 3.25t (min) rated shackles
1x 3m 12000kg Tree Trunk Protector or bigger
2x Pairs of finger enclosed Riggers Gloves or equivalent
1x Snatch Block
1x 20m 4500kg Winch Extension or bigger
2x Cable Dampener – 1kg minimum dry weight. (900x500 recommended size)
Non Winch Vehicle/s (Min)
1x 8000kgs or larger snatch strap
2x 3.25t (min) rated shackles
2x Pairs of finger enclosed Riggers Gloves or equivalent
All recovery equipment to be securely stored at the start and finish of each SS. Securelystored means in a box, bin etc with a lid that can be secured shut. No loose recoveryequipment can be thrown on the floor in the driver/passenger compartment.
4.d.A comprehensive First Aid Kit.An approved sticker/sign placed externally shall indicate its position on board. Sticker must be no more than 1m from kit
4.e.Minimum of one (1) GPS per team. 2 or more is recommended.
4.f.Minimum of two (2) vehicle mounted winches per team. (Although not required,three per team is recommended)
4.g.Each vehicle must have suitable recovery points on the front and rear of the vehicle.
All recovery points are to be either painted red, or labeled with a red triangle pointingtoward the recovery point. Minimum recovery point is a rated lifting lug (1.4T) with a19mm thread. It is recommended that factory or after market bullbar recovery points haveextra bracing around the shackle hole.
4.h.Minimum of one (1) UHF radio in each vehicle.
4.i.Minimum of one (1) torch or headlamp, in working order, in each vehicle.
4.j.Doors and window nets must be fitted to all vehicles. The window net must cover70% of the window opening. The net shall be made of a non-flammable material withmesh size no greater than 50mm, fitted to the driver and co driver door or roll overprotection structure above the driver and co driver window. It must be secured in sucha way that it can be removed at any time from both inside and outside the vehicle withthe door closed.
4.k.Occupants of all vehicles must wear a certified crash helmet (Australian StandardAS1698), have all window nets fully secured and all seat belts/harness fitted correctlyduring all SS’s.
4.l.10 litres minimum of drinking water per car. Can be in camelbaks, water bottles etcbut must total 10L.
All though NOT compulsory it is recommended to have a 4 or 6 point roll cage fitted toyour vehicle for the event along with a cargo barrier separating the load and passengerarea.
Insurance
5.a.All competing vehicles must have extension on their 3rd party insurance for both theSaturday (30 October 2010) and the Sunday (31 October 2010).
5.b.Vehicles that do not have the certificate verifying their 3rd party extension, will berefused entry to the event. Certificates must be produced at vehicle scrutineering and arenot available on site. There are no exceptions to this rule.
5.c.This extension is from your CTP (compulsory third party) insurer. This is the companythat appears on your registration forms. Extension can be arranged by phone, or visitingone of the insurance company’s branch’s in person. This extension may incur a cost,though some companies offer this type of cover free of charge.
UHF Radio Equipment
A UHF (477Mhz) radio tuned to the competition channel (ch 9) is to be kept on for theduration of the event. It is ALL COMPETITORS responsibility to listen to the competitionChannel at all times from Drivers briefing in the morning until the last SS is run that day!Use of radio’s or Bluetooth devices during SS’s will be allowed. Radio’s will be tunedfrom the competition channel to the SS channel whilst on that stage.
Vehicle Specifications
Please note : Although not compulsory, front and rear cross axle diff locks on everyvehicle are recommended along with durable sill/rear bumper protection.
7.a.Wheels and tyres: Tyre size is limited to a maximum size of 37” Tyres. Wheels are unlimited. Beadlocks arepermitted. Agricultural tyres of any description are not permitted. Wheel chains of any typeare not permitted. Wheel and tyre combinations can protrude the vehicle body but must beaccompanied by flare material.
7.b.Engine: Department of transport modifications only. Must be blue plated.
7.c.Transmission: Unlimited. Non standard gearbox and transfer cases are permitted. Dualtransfer cases are permitted. Ratio reducing gear sets are permitted.
7.d.Drive Train: Traction aids are permitted. Ratio reducing gear sets are permitted. 4wheel steering is not permitted.
7.e.Suspension: Department of transport approval (blue plate) for changes to originalsuspension configuration to vehicle. Eg Change from leaf sprung vehicle to coil sprung.
7.f.Lights: Headlights, tail lights, indicators, and stop lights must be in good and workingorder. Additional lighting is unlimited. Roof mounted spot lights are permitted.
7.g.Recovery: As stated in section 3 – Compulsory Equipment.
7.h.Winches: Min 8000lb recovery winch.
Winch is to be electric and readily available to the general public.
Air or mechanical free spool or disengagement is allowed.
Winches shall be fitted with an operational automatic brake.
Winch cable must be in serviceable condition.
Winch cable hooks must have a working safety catch (No open hooks) for all SS’s. Anysafety catch that is damaged on a stage must be repaired or replaced before starting thenext stage.
: Winch cables shall be of high tensile steel compatible to your winches rating. Mild steelcables, with a hemp centre, are not allowed.
: Synthetic rope is allowed, but it is the owner’s responsibility to make sure that thesynthetic rope is rated the same or better than the standard cable used on the vehicleswinch.
: Steel cables will have professionally swaged loops. Synthetic rope will be spliced. Anysteel cable that breaks during a stage may be tied in the field to complete the SS but thecable will be replaced or spliced together before the next SS starts.
: Winch cables are to be fully spooled at the start and end of each SS unless damage to thewinch prevents so.
: Rigging will be done to the safe working capacity of the equipment.
: Cable dampener is to be placed in centre third of the winch cable or strap, at the start ofany recovery and any time a vehicle stops for any reason during a recovery.
: No rear winches are to be used during this event.
7.i.Open Top Vehicles: Must have a suitable roll bar for the vehicle. The drivers and codriversprofile when viewed from the front of the vehicle must be within the main hoop.Please note: An open top vehicle must have a roof that consists of 3mm min thicknessaluminum sheet or 1.6mm min thickness steel plate roof panel. It shall extend the fullwidth of the vehicle and from the windscreen frame to the rollover protection and shallterminate behind the heads of the crew. This sheet must be safely secured to the vehicleand must not have any sharp edges. REMEMBER this is for your protection! If it looksunsafe or YOU don’t feel safe in it then why should we pass it?
7.j.General: All competitors will be required to wear a helmet and all cars are required tohave window nets in the up position whilst competing. Each vehicle must have a sparetyre, in relevant size to the tyres that the vehicle will be competing on.
General Rules
8.a.The event is open to all road registered 4 wheel off road vehicle types, providing thevehicle currently was or is currently sold to the general public by a manufacturer. Noprototype vehicles are allowed.
8.b.Unusual or extraordinary 4 wheel off road vehicles can be considered for entry. Anyvehicle failing to comply with any of the rules and regulations contained in this event guideis required to apply for an exemption in writing to the Event Committee, stating theregulations the vehicle fails to comply with. Each request will be considered on it’s merits.An exemption will only be granted when the event committee is satisfied that the vehiclehas no unfair advantage over the other competing teams/vehicles and no safety aspectshave been ignored. Failing to comply with an exemption prior to the vehicle and equipmentcheck will exclude the participant from starting the event.
8.c.Competitors must travel in their competition vehicle during transport stages. Maxspeed of any transport stage is 10km/h. (Brisk walking pace)
8.d.Recovery during an SS, is the sole responsibility of the competing team. Even if theteam has gone beyond the DNF time. It is not the responsibility of the CQ Challengeofficials to recover competitors, unless otherwise advised by the Stage Manager and orEvent Committee. The Stage Manager and or the Event Committee has the right to overseethe recovery.
8.e.In the event of a team pulling out of the event, for any reason, the team must notify theStage Manager, and the Event Committee directly.
8.f.In the event of a serious accident, vehicle or person, competitors must notify either aStage Manager, or the Event Committee directly.
8.g.If a team wishes to withdraw from the event prior to the start of the event, the teamsfull entry will be refunded, if the team has notified the Event Committee prior to the 23rdof October 2010. If a team withdraws from the competition after this date, no refund willbe given, and no further correspondence will be entered into on the matter.
8.h.For any tuning, testing etc of competition vehicles during the 2009 CQ Offroadchallenge, it shall ONLY BE DONE on the special test track as marked on the map. If NOtest track is marked on the map then you must see a member of the Event Committee. Thisrule applies from 6am Friday morning of the 6th of November till 6pm Sunday afternoon ofthe 8th of November. Any breech of this rule will not be tolerated and the offending car willbe immediately disqualified from the event with no refund of moneys. Wheel spin at anyspeed during a transport stage will not be tolerated. Permission is required from the EventCommittee to use any test track.
Environment
9.a.All competition, testing, repair and camp area sites to be left clean.
9.b.Failure to use a tree protector while winching will result in a DNF for that stage plus a100 point penalty. No warnings will be given. It is allowable to use a 75mm or wider12000kg winch extension as a tree trunk protector. No wrapping to shorten or choking oftrees with straps is allowed.
9.c.Knocking a bunted tree over that is on the course, or winching any tree out of theground will incur a major penalty as outlined in section 11 – Special Stage Penalties. Theknocking over of trees to improve ones driving line will result in a DNF. Knocking overshall be at the discretion of the stage official.
Advertising
10.a.Competitors are permitted to fix any kind of advertising to their vehicles provided thatit is not offensive.
10.b.Any event sponsors stickers that are given to competitors to display on the vehicle,must be displayed for the duration of the event. Failure to do this will result in a majorpenalty per vehicle not displaying the sticker. Car/team numbers must be clearly visible atall times and be kept clean.
Regulations for SS’s (Special Stages)
11.a.Drivers must have a current provisional or higher drivers licence issued by any motorauthority that is recognized under the Motor Traffic Act of Australia. Navigators do notneed a license but must be at least 15yrs or older to compete.
11.b.Occupants of all vehicles must wear a certified crash helmet (Australian StandardAS1698) have all window nets and seat belts/harness fully secured at all times during anSS.
11.c.Driver and Navigator combination will remain the same for the entire event,alternating between driver and navigator for any particular SS is allowable unless the EventCommittee specifies otherwise or your navigator is unlicensed. Due to injury or sickness,after approval from the Event Committee that person can be changed. The new person willremain until the event is complete.
11.d.Driver and co-driver must be seated and secured in the vehicle and have the mostforward part of the vehicle aligned with start pegs before the start of an SS. All recoveryequipment is to be securely stored at start and finish of each SS. Winch blankets may beworn over the head and any shackles, snatch blocks etc may be secured in the cab, but allmust be below waist level when seated.
11.e.Timing of the SS will cease when the last vehicle of the team (to the rear of the frontdoor) has crossed the finish line, and all competitors are in the vehicle with seatbelts on, allequipment securely stowed, and all doors securely closed. Competitors shall not movefrom the finish area until instructed by the Special Stage Manager or Time KeepingOfficial.
11.f.No passengers, other than the driver and navigator combination, are permitted in acompeting vehicle during an SS, or during a transport or testing stage.
11.g.When the DNF time is not achieved by any team, points will be awarded from fastestto slowest for those that completed the SS.
11.h.The SS can be marked by pegs, bunting, or stated as a formed track.
11.i.Competitors when instructed by an official must immediately remove themselves fromthe course.
11.j.Competitors must start in their respective ballot or designated order, unless theCompetition Manager grants prior permission for a change in the running order. Anyvehicle not ready to start at the time the previous vehicle leaves the start shall be deemed anon-starter and a DNS recorded.
11.k.No alcohol or drugs are to be consumed prior to or during any SS. A breath and/ordrug test can be carried out at any time whilst competing. The penalty is disqualificationfrom the event if the result is positive for drugs or alcohol.
11.l.The Event Committee reserves the right to decide on matters not specifically coveredin this set of Rules and Regulations and allocate the penalty points at there discretion.
11.m.Stage winners will be calculated on the highest points scored after penalties. Teamsmust complete the stage and record a time to be awarded a stage win.10n.
11.n.SS12 (GPS) - This stage is held on the last day of competition of the CQ OffroadChallenge. Eg Sunday. There is a total of 5 points per team to find with a time limit of 2hrsto complete the stage. Points are awarded for each location found and the required signage handed in at the conclusion of the stage. The return of any incorrect signage will incur a major penalty. All rules and regs for the competition apply for this stage. Egwinching, safety and language penalties. All vehicles must have there headlights on duringthis stage.
Co-ordinates will be placed in a bucket at the control area for the stage. Only 1 co-ordinate maybe taken by a team at any particular time. That co-ordinate must then be retained in the nominated vehicle (until the conclusion of the stage) before disposing of the point at the control area. It is compulsoryfor every vehicle to return to the control area every time a co-ordinate is replaced exceptupon final completion.
Entry and exit to the command post area will ONLY be by the designated entry and exitgates. A strict speed limit of 10kph or brisk walking speed will apply whilst any vehicle isin the command post area. The boundaries for the GPS competition area will be definedand explained at competitor briefing before the start of the stage.
All competitors shall start the stage with the vehicles parked in the designated area andignition off, and all team members standing in the Team Area. Team captains will be in theCaptain area and will be given there 1st co-ordinate by random draw. The clock will startvia a count down as per any normal SS. Eg 5,4,3,2,1 go! Once completed your last co-ordinate, the Team Captain is to radio through to control to advise them that you are on your way in. The clock will stop when all thecars in the team have returned to the command post area and all team members are out ofthere cars with the ignition off and in there designated areas. The Team Captain mustdispose of the last taken co-ordinate in the designated disposal bin in the control area.
There are-
All Points are worth 20 points