· BRIEFING BY THE CLERK OF THE COURSE
Since I can’t greet everyone personally, I wish to welcome all those taking part in the 2008 Edition of the Mille Miglia Historic Revival, an international touring and regularity event for vintage cars.
As those of you who have already participated in previous rallies already know, let me remind you that this is a regularity rally. Its main feature consists in staying in the timelimits given to complete the different sectors and the regularity stages, maintaining an average speed that has been set by the Organizers. Therefore, driving very fast is not important!!
I urge you to always drive carefully, scrupulously obeying all the rules of the road, and to follow the instructions given by the Race Marshals, the police and the entire organizing team, in order to best experience this wonderful adventure.
I’d like to ask you now to please read with care the following explanatory notes that will give you a complete understanding of the event’s structure and organization.
Important information about the event:
The 2008 Edition of the Historic Mille Miglia Revival takes place in compliance with the International Sporting Code (and its appendices when applicable), the National Sports Regulation (including appendices when applicable) and the attached Supplementary Regulations (RPG).
1) The Clerk of the Course (DG):
As the Clerk of the Course and the head of my staff, I am responsible for all major decisions. I will be available during the rally at the end of each leg all along the route, and will be ready to help you for all your needs. The Deputy Clerk of the Course, will remain in Brescia, at the standings and results center. (Results will also be exhibited at various other locations along the route. )
2) Competitors’ Relations Officer:
During the entire event--from the beginning of the pre-event checks, from start to finish of every leg, all the way to the end--at least one Competitors’ Relations Officer will always be present. He will be wearing a red jacket labeled “Competitors’ Relations Office” and will be at your disposition for any clarification as to the rally’s progress or your “times”. He will also keep you up to date in case of any change in organization.
3) Race Marshals:
Along the route I would like to request that you please follow the advice and directions provided by Post Chiefs (in red jackets), Road Marshals (wearing yellow bibs), timekeepers (orange bibs) and safety officers (green bibs).
In addition, the organizers have provided “support vehicles”. There is one for approximately every 50 cars taking part in the event, driven by officials who are there to help you in case of need or whenever it is deemed necessary by the Clerk of the Course.
The Road Marshals along the route, these support vehicles’ crews, and the Judges of Fact will notify the rally organizers of any wrong-doing with respect to the Supplementary Regulations or the Road Rules. The Stewards of the Meeting can decide to how to punish these offences with a penalty.
4) Medical Assistance:
Along with the Rally Doctor, the organizers have assured us that six doctors specialised in emergencies will also be present. The doctors, along with Italian Red Cross (CRI) volunteers, will be riding on CRI vehicles and following you constantly. There will be one vehicle for approximately every 60 cars). In addition, all the provincial “118” (national emergency service) operational centers along the route have been alerted beforehand, and will be available in case of need.
5) Traffic Police:
A number of police officers will follow us along the entire route to ease traffic. Please do NOT take advantage of this fact to flout current Italian traffic laws.
6) Administrative and technical checks:
The checks will be carried out as per the times and places listed in the RPG.
In addition, on Thursday, in Piazza della Loggia, Technical Officers will “seal” all vehicles with a metal cord with its respective lead seal reproducing the logo of the event.
7) Vehicle radio control
During the technical checks a GPS unit will be given to all competitors. This OBU (on board unit) must be kept on board throughout the rally, permitting the car to transmit its position to the Clerk of the Course headquarters and onto the website www.1000miglia.eu. The device will have two buttons, one to request medical aid and the other to notify the Clerk of the Course of possible mechanical problems.
Please, return the GPS UNIT to the Organisation at Montichiari CO 8.
Removal, tampering with or abuse of this device will result in action taken by the Clerk of the Course.
8) Road-book (Radar)
The organizer has provided you with a specially drawn up road-book containing all the road directions you will need to avoid getting lost along the rally route. It is designed to be easy to read!
9) Bulletins
Before the event, and during its duration, the organizers, the Clerk of the Course and the Stewards of the Meeting may issue memos (Bulletins) to notify of any changes to the route, changes to the programme or any other useful information. These bulletins, which will be posted on the Official Notice Board, will also be hand-delivered at leg finish lines or at check points and you will need to sign to show that you have received them.
10) Running of the rally
The teams will have to take or make sure that their car is taken to Viale Venezia – Brescia, at least 30 minutes before the expected start time.
Cars will be given the START SIGNAL on the basis of their competition number - in increasing order - at 20-second intervals.
“THE STARTING LIST” will be published in the Official Notice Board – Brescia – Fiera Brixia Expo. Other Official Notice Boards will be located near the leg finish lines in Ferrara (Chiostro Sant’Anna - Via Boldini) and Rome (at Castel Sant’Angelo)
In the event of WITHDRAWAL, the competitor MUST IMMEDIATELY INFORM the Clerk of the Course (+390303463451)
11) Itinerary
The itinerary is 1,287.06 kilometres long, divided into three legs, and includes:
49 Regularity Stages (PC), 8 Time Controls (CO), 9 Timed Passage Controls (CTT) and 11 Passage Controls (VT)
- First leg: Thursday, May 15, 2008, departure from Brescia, Viale Venezia, from 7.30 pm and arrival in Ferrara, Viale Cavour, from midnight.
- Second leg: Friday, May 16, 2008, departure from Ferrara, Via Montebello, from 08.00 am and arrival in Rome, Saxa Rubra, from 7.30 pm.
- Third leg: Saturday, May 17, 2008, departure from Rome, Castel Sant’Angelo, from 06.30 am and arrival in Brescia, Viale Venezia, from 10.00 pm
The checkpoints (CO, PC, CTT, VT) will be active from one hour before the theoretical arrival of the first competitor until one hour after the theoretical separture of the last competitor. Transit of cars will be allowed only during this period of time.
Two lunch stops of approximately 25 minutes are planned in the second and third leg, in Urbino on Friday and in Buonconvento on Saturday respectively.
a) Check procedure
The event is divided into sectors, with the word “sector” indicating a part included between two time controls. The target time for each sector is listed in the Time and Distance Table and the Time Card, which will be handed out to the drivers at each starting point.
Cars must transit through the time controls at their given time. The expected transit time is obtained by adding up the actual transit time at the previous CO to the target time allowed for that sector (listed on the time table). The actual transit time will be measured by pneumatic tube pressure switches as the cars cross the check line. The line will be marked by a special red sign showing a clock. If by any chance the pressure switch is not working, the transit time of the vehicles will be measured manually by the official timekeepers when the front wheels’ hub crosses the check line.
Vehicles are not allowed to stop inside the control zone. This is approximately 50 meters long along the route of the rally. Its start is marked by a yellow notice sign, and its end by a beige sign with black stripes.
Competitors have 60 seconds of tolerance to transit through the check points without being penalized. For example, for the 14.45.00 transit time, passing through between 14.45.00 and 14.45.59 receives no penalization. For the 14.45.20 transit time, 14.45.20 to 14.46.19 will not be penalized. And for 14.45.40, 14.45.40 to 14.46.39 is acceptable.
With a 20-second interval between cars, participants need to follow the procedure explained below to ensure a smoothly run event:
- If your crew arrives near the CO before their expected transit time, they should pull their car over to the right hand side of the road to let the others pass. This should be done before they reach the yellow notice sign located 25 metres before the CO. They must then wait their turn.
- Vehicles may enter the control area (between the yellow sign and the beige one with black stripes, located 25 metres after the timekeepers’ desk) 20 seconds before their transit time.
- The check point will be marked by a red sign with a clock on it.
- Transit time will be measured by a pneumatic tube pressure switch located on the road at the location of the red sign with a clock.
- After it has triggered the pressure switch, the car must immediately move forward and leave the check area.
- Cars running late may enter the check area to carry out the required operations, but they must try not to obstruct the check operations of competitors whose transit respects the schedule.
b) Regularity Stages (PC)
Some Regularity Stages are foreseen in each sector.
The length of each Regularity Stage and the given target time are listed on the Time and Distance Table attached to the RPG and on the Time Card.
The Regularity Stages are located in the following places:
| 1st leg: | Brescia: | 4 PC |
| Desenzano: | 3 PC | |
| 2nd leg: | Ferrara: | 3 PC |
| Gambettola: | 3 PC | |
| San Marino: | 3 PC | |
| Assisi: | 7 PC | |
| Terni: | 3 PC | |
| 3rd leg: | Lago di Vico: | 6 PC |
| Radicofani: | 4 PC | |
| Pienza: | 6 PC | |
| Monghidoro: | 3 PC | |
| Modena: | 4 PC |
The regularity stages in each group are “interlinked”, meaning the end of one is the beginning of the next. Measuring lines, marked on the ground, have a pneumatic tube pressure switch connected to a printing chronometer. Time will be measured in hundreths of a second. To the right of the tube a red sign will be posted, showing a drooping flag and to its left, a rubber traffic cone. Twenty-five meters before the measuring line you will see a yellow sign with a drooping flag, and twenty-five meters after the line there will be a beige sign with three black diagonal stripes. The measuring line at the end of the last Regularity Stage of a group of Regularity Stages will be marked with signs showing a chequered flag instead of a drooping flag. Between the yellow sign and the beige sign the vehicle is not allowed to stop. At the end of regularity stages shorter than 300 metres there is no yellow sign.
Regularity Stages are to be carried out with a timed start (free entry); the driver will be free to choose the starting time of the Regularity Stage, starting in any case no later than five seconds after the “START” called by the respective event officer or timekeeper.
For a Regularity Stage, we request compliance with the following procedure:
- Vehicles are to line up before the yellow sign, in rough order of their competition num-bers;
- Crews are to gather at the yellow sign, which marks the beginning of the first Regularity Stage. They then follow the instructions of the road marshal or timekeeper. Nothing will be written at this point on their time card;
- Within five seconds of the “VIA” (“GO”) called by a marshal or timekeeper, cars will start, passing over the first pressure tube switch. This establishes the initial time of the first regularity stage. The car is then to proceed in carrying out the rest of the series of stages trying to keep to the target times that have been given. Whoever is forced to stop--for whatever reason--is kindly asked to avoid blocking the passage of the other competitors and to follow the directions given by marshals;
- Having finished the series of Regularity Stages, crews are to continue on without any more stops for time entries or for anything else.
c) Timed passage checks (CTT)
Along the route there will be nine Timed passage checks to ascertain that the pre-established itinerary is being respected and to reorder the transit of the cars according to their competition number and given target times.
The approach to the checkpoint is indicated first by a yellow sign on the right hand side of the road, showing the symbol of an old-fashioned ink stamp, located 25 meters before arrival. The check itself is marked with a red sign with the same symbol, and is then followed by a beige sign with three black diagonal stripes 25 metres past it.
The drivers must show up at the above checkpoints at their given time (not in advance). Without leaving their car, a marshal will stamp their time card.
The lack of a transit stamp certifying the passage through a CTT on your time card will result in a deduction of 12,000 points
d) Passage Checks (VT)
Along the route there will be 11 VT to ascertain that the given itinerary is being respected.
The approach to the checkpoint is indicated first by a yellow sign on the right hand side of the road, showing the symbol of an old-fashioned ink stamp, located 25 meters before arrival. The checkpoint itself is marked with a red sign with the same symbol, and is then followed by a beige sign with three black diagonal stripes 25 metres past it.
The drivers are to show up at the above checkpoints during opening hours (one hour before the expected arrival of the first competitor to one hour after the expected departure of the last competitor). Without leaving their car, a marshal will stamp their time card.
The lack of a transit stamp certifying the passage through a VT on the time card will result in a deduction of 12,000 points
For all other organizational details of the event, please refer to the RPG, future Bulletins and the rules listed in the CSAI Yearbook (NS 23).
I wish you all a great time. Together with the organising team, I am at your service for any further explanations.
Brescia, April 23rd, 2008
The Clerk of the Course
Francesco Alberti
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