Call for Volunteers - Subaru Canberra RALLY OF CANBERRA - November 18th & 19th 2023
Good afternoon all,
This year's major WICEN Event, the Subaru Canberra RALLY OF CANBERRA (note the name change, it's been the National Capital Rally for the last 12 years, but it's back to being Rally of Canberra again) will be undertaken on the weekend of Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th of November 2023.
So far we have had around 20 people volunteer (Thank you and you'll get a separate email soon) and about 5 indicate they can't assist this year, so we are still quite short of the required number of radio operators we need to provide the required Safety Tracking network.
As a recap....
This year, the Service Park will be at Exhibition Park utilising both hardstand and grassed areas near the Summernats Burnout strip. Rally HQ and the WICEN Net Control Station will also be at Exhibition Park at the Royal Canberra Agricultural building.
As in previous years, the Saturday competitive stages will be conducted in the Pierces, Tidbinbilla and Uriarra forests.
· Special Stage 1 and 4 (Oakey Creek) is a competitive stage of 24.54 KM's and starts at Vanities Crossing Road (just up the hill from Cotter Reserve) and finishes at Tidbinbilla Lane (which is down near the entrance to Tidbinbilla Tracking station). This stage will have a Start, SOS A, SOS B, SOS C, SOS D and Stop. Meet times haven't been set in concrete as yet but it is anticipated that the meet time will be 6:00 AM at the Old Cotter Pub carpark or on Paddys River Road at Pierces East. First Competitive car is scheduled to start the stage at 7:53 AM and the second running of the stage should finish around 3:00 PM.
· Special Stage 2 and 5 (Kingfisher) is a competitive stage of 10.10 KM's and starts at Mineshaft Road (just up the hill from Murrays Corner Picnic Area) and finishes at Big Johns Road (AKA "Cottage 5" which is a few hundred yards further down Paddy's River Road from the Vanity's / Oakey Creek Roads corner). This stage will have a Start, SOS A and Stop. Meet time is anticipated to be 6:30 AM at the Murrays Corner Picnic Area carpark. First Competitive car is scheduled to start the stage at 8:41 AM and the second running of the stage should finish around 4:00 PM.
· Special Stage 3 and 6 (Blue Range) is a competitive stage of 18.67 KM's and starts at East West Road (about 2 KM's towards the Brindabella's from the Uriarra / Brindabella Roads intersection) ) and finishes in the forest at the top of Sherwood Road (Off Mountain Creek Road). This stage will have a Start, SOS A, SOS B, SOS C and Stop. Meet time is anticipated to be 6:30 AM at the East West / Brindabella Roads intersection. First Competitive car is scheduled to start the stage at 9:14 AM and the second running of the stage should finish around 5:30 PM.
The Sunday competitive stages will be conducted in the Kowen forest area, the order of the stages will be slightly different to previous years however.
· Special Stage 7 (Wamboin Jack) is a competitive stage of 8.82 KM's and starts in the forest off Seven Mile Road (not far from the Kowen Homestead Picnic Area) and finishes at an intersection near the Kowen "Jump". This stage will have a Start, SOS A, and Stop. Meet time is anticipated to be 7:00 AM at the old Kowen Forestry Compound at the top of Kowen Road. First Competitive car is scheduled to start the stage at 8:58 AM. NOTE This stage in this configuration is only run once, however The Start and Stop teams will relocate and set-up to become SS12 (Settlement Power Stage) and the running of that stage should finish around 4:00 PM.
· Special Stage 8 & 10 (Charcoal Kiln) is a competitive stage of 18.67 KM's and starts on Seven Mile Road (not far from the Kowen Homestead Picnic Area) and finishes at Orchard Road / Old Kings Highway intersection AKA "Sparrows". This stage will have a Start, SOS A, SOS B, SOS C and Stop. Meet time is anticipated to be 6:30 AM at the old Kowen Forestry Compound at the top of Kowen Road. First Competitive car is scheduled to start the stage at 9:11 AM and the second running of the stage should finish around 3:00 PM.
· Special Stage 9 & 11 (Bald Hill) is a competitive stage of 11.28 KM's and starts on Gumnut Road and finishes at Hibernian Road (Both of these are near the big HQJOC Roundabout on the Kings Hwy). This stage will have a Start, SOS A and Stop. Meet time is anticipated to be 7:30 AM at the Gumnut Road / Kings Why intersection. First Competitive car is scheduled to start the stage at 9:49 AM and the second running of the stage should finish around 3:30 PM.
· Special Stage 12 (Settlement Power Stage) is a competitive stage of 6.34 KM's and starts on Welch's Road at the Major Kowen Forest Spectator point and progresses through the jump tunnel and follows basically the same route as SS7 (Wamboin Jack) and returns over the jump to finish on the old water tank track on the western side of the Spectator point where competitor will park and the Rally of Canberra AND The Australian Rally Championship podium presentations will take place. This stage will have a Start, SOS A and Stop. The Start and Stop teams from SS7 will be relocated, SOS A is already in place. First Competitive car is scheduled to start the stage at 14:46 AM and the second running of the stage should finish around 4:00PM. NOTE, this stage will be live televised and there will be many spectators in the Start / Stop area.
So, to save you doing the maths, we need to have people to undertake Field Station tasks with 14 Field Stations on Saturday and 11 Field Stations on Sunday, plus 5-6 people in the HQ Net Control Station each day also, so around 20 people required each day.
As in the last couple of years, we are not required to radio in scoring traffic and hence the exercise is a lot less stressful than in earlier years. We will however still need to track vehicles and radio that information back into HQ. This exercise only requires operators to have a VHF 2 metre and/or 70 cm UHF radio capable of 10 Watts and at least a ¼ wave vertical antenna and be able to operate for the indicated periods listed above so some battery calculations may be required. Handheld Radio's are generally NOT a suitable means of maintaining communications, hence our 10 watts and ¼ wave antenna request. If you don't have a suitable radio then we can arrange the loan of equipment from Club and personal stores, just let us know early. For those who have recently obtained their licences or have not done a WICEN exercise before, don't hold back as it's an excellent way of getting out and building up your experience.
So, onto the Begging and Pleading part....
To enable us to create a roster we need to collect some information from you, so PLEASE, if you can assist on the weekend of 18/19 November, even if only for a few hours, please use the below Google Docs link that will take you to our WICEN Volunteer Registration form (Note there is also a Generic Rally Volunteer rego form out there on the RALLYOFCANBERRA.com.au website but we don't need to register there this year as our form now contains all the required fields including T-Shirt Size, Emergency Contacts and Allergies information). You are welcome to bring Family and/or friends with you, just make sure that a registration form for them is completed and submitted as well as your own.
PLEASE REGISTER USING THIS LINK..... https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSduAYFHRkvyUkQwpKQ50rWnC4G18mXFEeJg igykBaPq89sQdA/viewform?usp=pp_url
For some early planning also, the 2024 Rally of Canberra will be conducted at the start of the Rally Championship season and is scheduled for the 5-7th of April (the weekend after Easter next year)
We are happy for people to email and queries, please send them to wicen@crarc.org.au please, not a reply direct to me (though a cc: is fine) and especially NOT a Reply All please.
Cheers all,
Phil Longworth VK1PL
Deputy State Coordinator, WICEN ACT
Life Member, Canberra Region Amateur Radio Club
Communications Manager, Subaru Canberra RALLY OF CANBERRA 2023