Seventeen teams entered Cascade Sports Car Club’s fourth event in the 2024 Saturday Rally Series on June 22 –Hey-Hey What Can I Do.

The rally traveled from Milwaukie Lowes, through Redland and Springwater, then a break in Estacada, then Eagle Creek and Boring, ending at the Troutdale Station Food Carts. The route was about 80 miles and took a bit over three hours to complete.

What the rallymasters said

The June rally – Hey-Hey What Can I Do – is an ode to the start of Summer. For our family, many of those summers were spent camping and hiking as our son earned the rank of Eagle with the Boy Scouts of America. The Clackamas recreation area is home to some of our favorite camping locations, Metzler Park being our first choice. Numerous cobbler's songs and tall tales were shared in these woods, creating lasting family memories. We hope as you traveled the roads on this rally, you received more than you were seeking.

Happy trails, rally friends!

Challenges

The June rally was a slightly challenging event with a few simple navigational or time-keeping challenges. Three cleverly crafted loops provided opportunities for teams to see each other traveling in the opposite direction or to take different routes to get to the same place.

The first off course loop opportunity was created by this route instruction:

R on LYONS AFTER “35 MPH”. CAST 32 OR R on SPRAGUE. CAST 32.

Road Rally Rule 6.18 states, “The reference point of the two possibilities which is located first determines which half of the OR instruction is to be executed.”

In this case the sign reading 35 mph occurs before Sprague Road, so on course teams passed up Sprague and continued on to go right on Lyons Road. Off course teams used the second part of the OR instruction and went right on Sprague Road. The off course route was shorter, making off course teams early by about a half minute on Leg 5. The Sprague-Lyons loop provided an opportunity for rally teams to pass each other going in opposite directions.

The second off course route opportunity was also set up by an OR instruction, but it involved a note and an ITIS instruction.

The note directed a pause for 40 seconds at a sign reading End School Zone.
Here are the route instructions:

R on LUSTED (blinker). CAST 42.
S OR OBSERVE “500 FEET”.
L on ALTMAN. PAUSE 15 seconds. ITIS.

From Lusted Road, on course teams went straight (past a back-facing stop sign) onto Pipeline Road where they quickly encountered a sign reading End School Zone where they paused 40 seconds. On course teams continued on Pipeline to a T with Altman, where they followed the main road to the left (L at T is the main road) and skipped the ITIS instruction with its 15-second penalty pause. Off course teams continued on Lusted Road, past the straight on Pipeline. They observed a sign reading 500 feet, used the ITIS instruction to go left on Altman at a crossroad using the 15 second pause, and never saw the End School Zone sign. Off course teams drove a longer route and were about half a minute late on Leg 17.

The final off course loop challenge occurred with this route instruction:

R BEFORE “STOP” AFTER “ADOPT-A ROAD”. CAST 32. OR R on 287TH. CAST 32.

Similar to the Sprague-Lyons loop, this is all about which reference is located first. Since the first reference encountered is the Adopt-A Road sign, the first half of the OR instruction is what you execute. On course teams saw the Adopt-A Road sign, continued past 287th until they came to a fork in the road where they saw a stop sign ahead on the road on the left, so they went right and changed their speed to 32. Off course teams may or may not have seen the Adopt-a Road sign, but they took the right on 287th, and the rest is history. Taking this shorter route made off course teams about half a minute early on Leg 18.

Meanwhile, Note Kashmir was introduced early in the rally and stayed active throughout. Note Kashmir directed you to CSD (change speed down) 5 mph at a sign reading SLOW for the next 0.1 mile. Each time you saw this sign along your route, you reduced your speed by 5 mph for a tenth of a mile. After the tenth of a mile, you reverted to your previous speed. This note occurred eight times along the on course rally route. Its impact was relatively minor, equivalent to a couple seconds pause each time.

L at T. And just to make sure you were paying attention, there were at least half a dozen times when you either didn’t have an instruction at an intersection or the route instruction at an intersection did not instruct which way to go. So you had to know which way the main road goes to decide how to proceed. Most of these were at T intersections, and by now you know the main road almost always goes left at a T.

Unplanned challenges do occur during a rally. Bicyclists, pedestrians, equestrians, local traffic, and other rally cars can impede a rally team’s ability to stay on time. We advise: slow down, use caution, take time allowances as needed. The rally rules stress “safety of the occupants of their own vehicle, other participants, or the public.”

What a rally team said

We really enjoyed this rally. The puzzle complexities and the variety of roads (driver challenge) made for a really fun day.

Congratulations to the top finishers

First overall and first in the Equipped Category is the team of Marcus Gattman and Brandon Harer with a total f 83 points over 14 scored legs. They zeroed four legs, and seven of their leg scores were single digit. Nice!

Second overall and first in the SOP Class is the team of Alex Castenada and Eric Hanson with a score of 105. They ran three perfect zero legs and got single digit scores on seven legs. Alex and Eric are the team to watch in the Saturday Series competition. With two Series events remaining in the season, they have pulled into the lead in the Unequipped (Stock) category.

Third overall and first in the Novice Class is the team of Barbara Jacobs and Kat Iverson with a score of 235. Although they fell for a rally trick or two and maxed a couple of legs, they managed to get single digit scores on nine legs. An outstanding performance for this novice team who had not

rallied together before this event!

The team of Robert Paxman and Chris Lane finished second in the Equipped Category with a score of 258. Finishing second in the SOP Class is the team of Dave and Kathy Sacry with a score of 264. Right on their heels with a score of 265 is the team of Torm Kelsey- Green and Kasey Klaus in third place SOP.

In addition to car wash coupons, coffee cards and candy bars, the top teams received commemorative “wood cookies” depicting outdoor summer activities, parks and natural spaces lovingly handmade by Rallymaster JoAnn Gattman. The taste of victory is always sweet.

Congratulations to all!

Click here for the complete rundown

Click here for Rally Results

Current Series Standings

Twenty-two teams entered Cascade Sports Car Club’s third event in the 2024 Saturday Rally Series on May 25 – the Trail of the Lonely Llama. The rally led teams through northwest Portland, into Beaverton, to end the odometer calibration transit at the Cooper Mountain Nature Park.

The route wandered through the Scholls and Laurel areas before taking a break at Bald Peak State Park.Then went south into the Chehalem Valley toward the outskirts of Newberg before climbing back up to Mountaintop Road to ride the ridge and take in the expansive views of the valley.

The rally then changed gears and traveled through some of the rallymasters’ favorite roads close to home – Unger, Dober, Reidweg – only to return to the Laurel area for more rally fun before cruising into the pizza joint in Midway. All that, nearly 90 miles, in just a bit over three hours. It was a wild ride.

Challenges

This rally included a couple of simple navigational and time-keeping challenges. A note directed a PAUSE for 10 seconds at BUMP. Although there were a couple of signs reading “BUMPS”, there was only one sign reading “BUMP” and only one physical speed bump within sight of that sign. On course teams used the note once. Off course teams may have incorrectly paused at a number of speed bumps before the note was cancelled.

Another note directed a PAUSE for 10 seconds at “NUEGEBAUER”. This note was introduced early in the event and was never cancelled so it was in effect until the end of the rally. Twice during the event the rally route traveled by a sign that looked very similar but was not exactly the same. On course teams did not use the note.

Twice during the event rally teams were offered the opportunity to use an ITIS instruction which should have been skipped because the main road was left at T. The first opportunity was: L at STONECREEK. PAUSE 15 seconds. ITIS. The intersection Not "NUEGEBAUER" where this occurs is a T where the main road goes left. On course teams followed the main road to the left and continued looking for an opportunity to execute the ITIS instruction. No opportunity occurred, so they skipped the ITIS and its 15 second penalty pause.

The second opportunity was a bit more challenging. The instructions involved were:
L first OPP after “EGGER”.
L on MIDWAY. PAUSE 15 seconds. ITIS.

The first intersection after the sign reading Egger was a T intersection where the main road goes…that’s correct, call it out, the main road goes left at the T. So the instruction could not be used there. On course teams followed the main road to the left and continued looking for an opportunity to go left. They found the opportunity on (you guessed it) Midway. So the ITIS instruction and its 15 second penalty pause was never used.

What the Rallymasters said

Rallymasters Monte and Victoria Saager named this event for a llama they noticed in a field along the route. The poor thing was always by itself in an unkempt field with no company and seemingly no attention.

An extra credit bonus of 15 points was offered to anyone who brought a photo of this lonely llama to the end of the rally, but no one claimed that prize. JoAnn Gattman presented a bunch of photos of llamas, but none were like our lonely llama.

What ralliers said

Thanks for the fun rally, Monte and Victoria! It was a great use of a May Saturday afternoon and made use of some really spectacular and challenging roads! The Bald Peak run is one of my favorite local drives, but even I discovered some new roads around the area to come back to! Slowly getting better with each rally and continue to look forward to what the next adventure will bring.

Had a good time on the rally even though we fell for a couple of traps.

Guess that helps me improve and us up our rally game. Should have known you’d catch us. :)

We had a good time today. The rally was a lot of fun. Only got turned around once, and that was driver error.

We can’t make it in July, but we will be back in August looking for some more fun and good memories.

Thanks for the help and support, we look forward to the next rally.

Starting to get the hang of it. Thank you to you and Monte for all your hard work on these events.

Congratulations to the top finishers

First overall and first in the Equipped Category was the team of Bob Morseburg and Cheri Eddy in Car #25 with a total of 37 points over 19 scored legs. They zeroed nine legs, and all their leg scores were single digit. Impressive performance, as always from this team.

Second overall and first in the SOP Class was the team of David and Joann Gattman in Car #1 with a score of 90. Third overall and second in SOP was the team of Alex Casteneda and Eric Hanson in Car #4 with 130 points. Fourth overall and third SOP was the team of Lee and Marc Nielsen with 132 points.

First in the Novice class was the team of Sean Pitman and Grant Heizenrader in Car #16. Second Novice was Mike and Cheryl Knight in Car #18. Third Novice was Dan and Cindy Kuenzi in Car #19.

Finishing second in the Equipped Category was the team of Robert Paxman and Chris Lane in Car #8. Third in Equipped was the team of Andy and Mercedes Lilienthal in Car #6.

Click here for the complete rundown

Click here for Rally Results

Current Series Standings

Twenty-one teams entered Cascade Sports Car Club’s second event in the 2024 Saturday Rally Series on April 20.  The No Foolin’ rally was a fun cruise across Willamette Valley farmland into the foothills of the Cascades ending in Estacada. The 100-mile course took a bit over three hours to complete, including a mid-rally break in Hubbard.

The odometer calibration started at Milwaukie Lowe’s and ended at the historic Butteville Store. Extra time was provided for visiting the store for their famous ice cream, a coffee drink or a breakfast item.  David Gattman, driver of Car #1, reported that he found out from his mom on the morning of the rally that his grandfather went to Butteville School. He appreciated the warm fuzzy feeling of visiting the store where his grandfather likely got school supplies as a child around 1911.

Rallymasters Monte and Victoria Saager planned to hand out snacks and bottles of water at the mid-rally break at the Rivenes Park in Hubbard. However, due to a miscalculation in the drive time from their home in Hillsboro to the park in Hubbard, instead of arriving before teams arrived at the park, they got there just as the first teams were leaving at the end of their break. Oops! Most of the teams were able to grab a bag of chips and a bottle of water before rushing off to the restart.

To add more consternation, a couple of teams were delayed by a train on their short drive to the restart, affording an appropriate use of a time allowance.

Challenges

The April rally was mostly a tour-rally with just a few simple challenges - No Foolin'!

The first challenge was an ITIS (if there is such) instruction directing a 15-second pause at a yield sign. On course teams recognized that although the road they were on made a sweeping curve to the left, there was a straight off that led to the referenced yield sign at which they should correctly pause. Teams that missed the yield sign were just a bit early at Checkpoint 8.

The next challenge was another ITIS instruction directing a 15-second pause at a STOP. The first

opportunity was at a stop sign at a railroad crossing.  However, since STOP is defined in the rally rules as an intersection controlled by a stop sign at which you must legally stop, and since there is no intersection at a railroad crossing, the instruction could not be done there. In fact there was no opportunity to execute that instruction prior to the next route instruction, so the ITIS instruction should have been skipped. Teams that paused at the railroad crossing earned some penalty points on Checkpoint 10.

Soon after, a note was introduced directing a 15-second pause at each LAKE. In short succession, four sideroads were encountered, each with LAKE in their name. A fifth sideroad named LAKEVIEW didn’t count, so teams that paused a total of one minute correctly executed the note. Teams that also paused at LAKEVIEW earned 15 penalty points on Checkpoint 11.

The next challenge was a mileage trap. An instruction directed you to CAST 43 (average 43 mph) for 1.5 miles then CAST 37. The next instruction directed you to go right. Teams that did this correctly completed the 1.5 miles before going right. Teams that didn’t wait the full 1.5 miles took the first right and earned penalty points on Checkpoint 14.

The final challenge was a main road trap. You are looking for the first opportunity to go right. You come to a T intersection at which you could go either left or right. If you decide to use the right first opportunity at this T,  then you’ll use the next instruction which is to go right on a road named Skinner ITIS (if there is such) with a 30-second pause. However, if you happen to notice that the road to the left at that T has a back-facing stop sign but the road to the right does not, then you know the main road goes right by protection so you can’t use the right first opportunity instruction at the T. You correctly follow the main road to the right and use the right first opportunity to go right on Skinner. Teams that used the Skinner ITIS instruction earned penalty points on Checkpoint 20. 

Congratulate the winners

First overall and first in the Equipped Category was the team of Bob Morseburg and Cheri Eddy in Car #25 with a total of 16 points over 17 scored legs. They zeroed eight legs, and all their leg scores were single digit. Another outstanding run for this team.

Second overall and first in the SOP Class was the team of Russ and Kate Sherrell in Car #2 Christmas tree farm with view of Mount Hood near Estacada with a score of 127. They had twelve single digit scores and no leg score over half a minute. Excellent performance for this SOP team.

There was a tie for third overall and second SOP. With a total of 132 points, just 5 points out of second place, were the teams of David and Joann Gattman in Car #1 and Alex Casteneda and Eric Hanson in Car #4. Very impressive.

Finishing first in the Novice class was the first-timer team of Bjorn and Duncan Roberts in Car #19. Second Novice was Sean Pitman and Grant Heizenrader in Car #17. Third Novice was Michael and Cheryl Knight in Car #15.

Finishing second in the Equipped Category was Car #8,  the team of Robert Paxman and Chris Lane.

Congratulations to all!

Click here for the complete rundown

Click here for Rally Results

Current Series Standings

Seventeen teams entered Cascade Sports Car Club’s first event in the 2024 Saturday Rally Series on March 23.  Rallymasters Cody and Sabrina Garvin’s second rallymaster endeavor – River Run – gave us a scenic drive along rivers and waterways in Clark and Skamania counties, ending in Woodland, Washington. The 110-mile route took about three and a half hours to complete.

The odometer calibration ended at Steamboat Landing Park on the Columbia River in Washougal. The first break was at Salmon Falls Park & Ride / Cape Horn Trailhead. The second break was at Lucia Falls Park. Each break provided a 15-minute opportunity to stretch your legs, clear your mind, and enjoy a truly beautiful encounter with nature.

Challenges

The March rally was mostly a tour-style rally, meaning there were only a couple of simple challenges (tricks and traps). Both were ITIS (if there is such) instructions, meaning the instruction could be skipped if the instruction following it could be executed first. All teams went in the same direction, but they had to decide whether they could use the ITIS instruction – and its 15-second pause – or not.

The first challenge – R on 212th ITIS, PAUSE 15 seconds – occurred at what appeared to be a T intersection. However, the road to left was signed dead end. So there really was no intersection so the R could not be executed there. The correct action was to skip this ITIS instruction and its 15-second penalty pause.

The second challenge – L on 58th ITIS, PAUSE 15 seconds – occurred where 58th is a sideroad on the left. However, the road straight ahead has a back-facing stop sign (RRR 3.3 – PROTECTION). Arrows at the intersection and paint on the roadway all indicate the main road goes left here. The correct action was to skip this ITIS instruction and its 15-second penalty pause.

What ralliers said

We had a great time as always!

We are slowly getting the hang of it, definitely a better understanding than the 1st time. However, a

lot more to perfect.

Appreciate all of your hard work on putting these on and being so welcoming and helpful!

Anybody else see the pot belly pig roaming in a yard? I believe it was in the last section at 30 mph for 8 miles looking for last two CPs.

Congratulate the winners

First overall and first in the Equipped Category is the team of Bob Morseburg and Cheri Eddy in Car #25 with a score of 17. They zeroed eight legs, and all their leg scores were single digit. We don’t expect less from this team.

Second overall and first in the SOP Class is the team of David and Joann Gattman in Car #1 with a score of 48. In addition to a couple of zeroes, all but one of their leg scores were single digit. Very good performance for an SOP team!

Tied for third overall and Second Place in the SOP Class are the teams of Alex Casteneda and Eric Hanson in Car #4 and Joel and Aksel Bristol in Car #14. Both teams had 104 points. This was a particularly special finish for Car #14 as this was their first run as SOP.

Finishing first in the Novice class is the team of Bill Kayser and Bjorn Freeman-Benson in Car #11. Second Novice is Barbara Jacobs and Jamie Anderson in Car # 9. Third Novice is Dan and Cindy Kuenzi in Car # 15.

Finishing second in the Equpped Category is the team of Gary David and Gabe Stephens in Car #6.

The top three teams in each class received a car wash coupon, a coffee card and candy bars. As always, the taste of victory is sweet.

Congratulations to all!

Click here for the complete rundown

Click here for Rally Results

Current Series Standings