New England Region

Depending on which group of SCCA participants you are talking to, RAL may mean Rally Against Leukemia, Racing Against Leukemia, or RallyCross Against Leukemia. Regardless of the discipline, it all amounts to charity events targeted directly at raising funds for Leukemia Research at UMASS Memorial Foundation, involving good fun with friends and autos. The weekend’s activities will be centered around New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS).

The weekend will get fired up on Friday evening when the “Rally Against Leukemia” road rally explores approximately 60 miles of back roads surrounding NHIS. The rally requires no special equipment and no previous rally experience. Registration will open at 5:00 PM at the main entry gate at NHIS and a brief beginners’ rally school will be held at approximately 6:00 PM. The first car will start at 7:01, and subsequent teams will leave in one minute intervals. The final checkpoint will include a lap on the winding road course of NHIS, offering for many, the only chance they may ever have to actually drive on a race track. The rally is run Friday night, to allow Solo and Club Racers a chance to join in the fun of the rally. This is a non-championship event. The following classes will be used: Experienced/equipped, Novice (less than 5 rallies), and First timers. A special class could be created if 5 vehicles of a marquee club pre-register.

The Solo department will be holding the Jeff Gordon Challenge and the Bill Goodale Novice Challenge on Saturday. The cone course will be set in one of the parking lots near the entry gates to NHIS. Solo allows a driver to pit his car against a cone course and the clock. These two events are fund raisers for the UMASS cause, costing dollars per run. The experienced drivers will have raised a lot of money in donations in advance so they can “buy” more runs. Vehicles are classed with others of similar performance capabilities. Registration will open at 7:30 AM and first car will dart from the starting line near 9:30. On Sunday, Solo will have a season points event in the same lot.

The NER Club Racing troops will be on the speedway both Saturday and Sunday for Regional Racing. Specially prepared cars and competition licenses are required for these events. Saturday will feature qualifying, practice, and Track Tours. On Sunday, Regional Club Racing and a 3 hour Enduro Race will highlight the day. Spectating is available, but there may be a charge.

An NER wide raffle will take place at NHIS on Sunday afternoon. Tickets will be available Saturday and Sunday at the track, as well as at The Lodge at Belmont, before the rallycross begins.

“RallyCross Against Leukemia” will be held at The Lodge at Belmont, formerly “the Dogtrack”, on Sunday. This is a cone course event, but runs on the dirt parking lot at the Lodge, about five miles north of NHMS on Rt. 106. As well as being a charity event, this is also a championship event for the series’ regulars. This is one of the favorite events of the year because of the Lodge. A lunch buffet gives the drivers and workers a chance to get out of the sun and relax over a good meal. After the racing is done, a raffle similar to that held after the rally will occur while the racers chow down on appetizers and wash the dust out of their mouths. The driver bringing in the highest total in donations will receive a free entry to a future RallyX. Any drivers with more than $100 in donations will get free entry if they desire.