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“The most challenging open road race in the world”

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20
50
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Texas
Very interesting (and wildly popular) event held annually here in Texas!


Sadly it looks like they already have a wait list of 10 for this year after filling the original 159 entrants!
 
The open road race community is a really good one. Strongly recommend trying big bend Texas, silver state Nevada, or sand hills in NE. Not sure about the other ones but for sand hills registration fills day one. If you don’t get in volunteer as a coarse worker and get guaranteed entry following year.
 
492
387
DFW, TX
I’m doing the BBOR event next week for first time, so speed limited as a rookie. A friend did this last year and talked me in to joining him this time.
 
39
57
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
New Braunfels, TX
I'm running my Mustang 2002 GT as a rookie in the April 23, 2022 event. I'll be coming from Central Texas, no big effort. However, my navigator will be flying from Las Vegas. IBRenegadeMikie, a veteran of both BBORR and Silver State Challenge is also running his '12 Boss 302 there and he's from the DFW area.

Anybody else going?
 
Quick tech timing advice for first time navigators. Do not - i can’t stress this enough- depend on your iphone built in gps. It’s read rate is too slow. Doesn’t drop enough pins on the map and draws straight lines across corners. It will show your time way too slow and you will be up on the person in front of you trying to make time creating potentially unsafe situations.

Get dual xgps160 and open road race timer app. Will take several practice starts to get used to it. I always use hand held stop watch and known coarse markers for primary and the fancy tech is considered nice to have. Feels like something is always going wrong with it.
 
39
57
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
New Braunfels, TX
JohnJames - Thanks for the advice. Mikie already clued me into NOT using the cell phone, as you say. I navigated for him in last May's Nevada Open Road Challenge - 135MPH target speed. With a lot of luck, we won our class. For this time around, I'll be using a simple Garmin setup and a couple of stop watches. That'll have to do me this first time.

Mark - I'll look for you. I'll definitely spot your car. What's your target speed? I'll be driving my street car, a Mineral Grey 2002 Mustang GT, in the 105 class.

Mikie-Greg 135MPH Class Photo.jpg
 
492
387
DFW, TX
I ran the 110mph class ( max allowed speed was 124, min 80 for this class), finished 15 out of 31 cars just using a stopwatch and resetting the trip odometer timer as a backup. I think we were off by combined 1.6 seconds for both 59 mile runs.

It was a fun event but a little pricey for a rookie. I guess it would be nice if there was a non “magic box” class for each group. I assume the last couple miles, some people are putting their cars on auto pilot via electronic wizardry to get less than a tenth of a second accurate times. Not sure I see the point to that. The 150 mph class would definitely take some commitment either way.

I ran the event in 6th gear except some uphill sections, 14 miles per gallon! I was running 305/30/19s so my speedo was fast by 5-6%. Also, the AC was running as the windows were rolled up. I might be concerned running higher speeds, requiring 5th gear the entire way and the longevity of the AC compressor. I think cool suits would be required at that point.
 

Dave_W

Cones - not just for ice cream
986
1,277
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Connecticut
Are the top teams using something like a road rally "A box" computer (TerraTrip, Timewise, Alfa) that has a real-time +/- display of variation from a target speed?

I did some Time-Speed-Distance rallies in the '90's as both driver & navigator, and the mantra was, "on time, all the time" since you never know where the rallymaster would put a checkpoint. I ran in the "stock" class which only allowed a non-programmable calculator for electronics, and the Stevens rally indicator and several stopwatches were crucial to doing well. Official timing was done in hundredths of a minute instead of seconds to make calculations simpler and finding a stopwatch that would read in 0.01 minutes before the Interwebs was "fun." When we got in a rhythm, the navvie could count down odometer mileages - "14.0 miles in 3, 2, 1, now" and the driver could speed up or slow down to match. The navvie could also call out how early/late the car was at each known mileage in the route instructions.
 
492
387
DFW, TX
If you were not under 0.1 seconds the target time then you had little chance of winning in most classes. I can’t see how that can done without a computer controlling your car’s speed at finish line.
 
SORC has a vintage class - 25 years or older car and no electronics just stopwatches. Good option if you are really bothered by some other guy with too many computers taking your trophy :)

My dad and I have ran the regular class for 5 or so years. We just aim to be within a second and it’s dumb luck after that. Finished top 3 a couple times.

There are a few guys with really fancy setups but they are really the exception.
 
125
112
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Ann Arbor, MI
Wonder if Garmin Catalyst could make a “track” for this event. Could our AIM systems be set up for it as well?
 
Im not familar with the Garmin Catalyst or AIM but one trick with SORC is that the distance is not exact - its kind of close but not exact. The start light flips at the 0 of the minute according to GPS broadcasted time.They write down your car number and start minute at the start line. At the finish line there is a sensor similar to your garage door safety sensors that records when you break the line according to GPS broadcasted time. They do the math on the time difference and the time difference is what counts. The actual exact MPH and distance doesn't really matter.
 
492
387
DFW, TX
I just saw a review of the catalyst and at the moment I don't think it can do point to point events.

I don't really care about being competitive in this event I just don't see the enjoyment of letting electronics controlling stuff.

Get off my lawn!
 

Dave_W

Cones - not just for ice cream
986
1,277
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Connecticut
Wait - if they don't know the distance, then they don't know your speed. It's simple math: speed = distance / time. Or is it that the organizers know the exact distance but don't tell the participants?

At 110mph, 0.1 seconds is 16.133 feet. So that's a 32-foot window around the finish line to be +/- 0.1 off the target time.

Looking at this from a TSD rally viewpoint, if you know the exact distance from start to finish, you can calculate exactly when you should cross the finish line and get a countdown from the navvie that would help you hit it. If you don't know the exact distance, that's where computers help to keep track of accurate distance and time to tell you if you're fast/slow from your target.

All motorsport communities I've had contact with are extremely friendly and willing to help each other. In my experience, seasoned competitors are always willing to give novices advice, as they see novices as the means to keep their sport alive and want to retain them. So ask the top teams how they get so close to perfect times - the results may be interesting.
 
Trying to explain some of the silly aspects of sorc reminds me why I like it so much. I think it keeps people from getting too serious. They publish distances but I’m pretty sure they were measured by farmer bobs 1970 f150 odometer with no matching tires. I also would not be surprised if the move it a few feet every year just to mess with people. I’m betting people have tried to measure it more accurately but it’s probably all for not.

The coarse probably has 50 corners over the ~55 miles. The road is pretty rough. depending on how the road has degraded or been patched year to year and how soft your suspension is lines through each corner will vary from car to car even if the drivers are all perfect. If I take a line 1 foot farther off apex then you on all 50 corners I will probably travel 75 feet farther then you - at 110 mph that’s a half second. I don’t think any device or strategy that measures actual distance traveled will work regardless of how accurate it is.

Here are the perfect times for each class
98CF1B2F-1DB5-4162-9731-9EB05C522465.jpeg

here are my navigation sheets from 90mph. General strategy is to try to finish first leg 10 to 30 seconds fast so we have some time in the bank on the way back. On the way back we will try to bank a bunch of time on the big straight. Last corner normally losses 3 seconds. If everything went well we will be within a second of plan exiting last corner. Navigator counts down to the 0 mark for perfect time and driver tries to time crossing.
A8096E54-0811-4E03-9542-2E8B2983C57F.jpeg
 
39
57
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
New Braunfels, TX
My buddy Doug and I ran the first leg of the BBORR 105MPH class in my grocery-getter, a bone-stock 2002 Mustang GT. We DNFd when my battery went south at the noon break. Rather than risk the possibility of a DQ, I decided not to do the northbound trip. I turned around when officials cleared me to go backward from the grid. It's a good thing, because when I returned to Sanderson to wait out the rest of the race, the car died. Thank God I had AAA to tow me back to Ft. Stockton.

We used 2 stopwatches and a standard, 5-yr. old Garmin. The speedometer was WAY off.
 

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