Johnny Appleseed Rally

Friday, October 10, 2025

Neohio Region, SCCA invites you to enter the 2025 Johnny Appleseed Rally (JAR), the first of three rallies that, combined, form the 2025 United States Road Rally Challenge (USRRC) .The Johnny Appleseed name is a legacy from an SCCA National Rally first organized by Neohio Region in the 1950's. The event has changed form over the intervening decades, but the the name endures.

Competitors can expect an absolutely straightforward, gimmick-free, afternoon/evening Time-Speed-Distance (TSD) road rally with emphasis on precise timing at well placed controls. Columnar "tulip" style route instructions, with Official Mileages for all action points (similar to a stage rally routebook), will be used.

The ~200 mile route will wind southeast through Ohio's Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MWCD), and continue south through the Appalachian foothills, to an overnight stop in Marietta, Ohio.

In an effort to help teams with limited prior timekeeping experience stay on schedule, and to mitigate the possibility of "double jeopardy" penalties (from carrying a timing error through multiple controls), parenthetical perfect cumulative leg times will be provided at most instructions.

Teams of ALL experience levels are encouraged to enter this, as well as the other 2 USRRC rallies.

In addition to the USRRC, this rally will count toward the SCCA Great Lakes Division (GLD) Rally Championship, and the SCCA National Touring Rally (NTR) Championship (National Touring Rally).

Start Location: Comfort Inn - Hall of Fame, 5345 Broadmoor Circle, NW, Canton, Ohio 44709 (Latitude: N41˚51.524’, Longitude: W081˚25.140’).

Lodging:

Thursday, October 9, 2025:

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Comfort Inn - Hall of Fame (see address above). Phone: 330.492.1331. Group rate: $89.00 + tax (room with either 2 Double beds, or 1 King bed). Reservation reference: USRRC. Direct reservation link: https://www.choicehotels.com/reservations/groups/PN09L3 . Any unsold rooms from this block will be released on October 1, 2025.

Friday, October 10, 2025:

Option 1) Comfort Inn & Suites Marietta-Parkersburg, 202 Cherry Tree Lane, Marietta, OH 45750 (Latitude: N39˚24.387', Longitude: W081˚24.742'). Phone: 740.376.1600. Group rate: $100.00(?) + tax, (either 1 King or 2 Queen beds). Reservation reference: USRRC. Direct reservation link: TBA. Any unsold rooms from this block will be released on October 1, 2025

Option 2) Fairfield Inn & Suites Marietta, 200 Cherry Tree Lane, Marietta, OH 45750 (Latitude: N39˚24.370', Longitude: W081˚24.674') Phone: 740.374.3000. Group rates: $129.00 + tax (either 1 King, or 2 Double beds). Reservation reference: USRRC. Direct reservation link:

https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1749052872337&key=GRP&phoenix=true

Any unsold rooms from this block will be released on September 10, 2025.

There are many other lodging options, at varying levels of opulence, in the immediate vicinity of the above properties.

Tentative Schedule (all times EDT):

Sunday, June 8, 2025:

00:00 - Registration Opens.

Saturday, September 27, 2025:

23:59 - Early entry cutoff

Friday, October 3, 2025:

18:00 - Registration closes. General Instructions, Richta setup information, Representative Route Instruction samples, and Zoom meeting access link distributed via email.

Monday, October 6, 2025:

20:00 - Competitor briefing / Novice Q & A session (via Zoom)

Friday, October 10, 2025:

10:30-12:15 - On-site registration,
13:01 - Car #1 starts rally,
20:00 (approx) - Car #1 finishes.

Competition Classes (per SCCA RRR's):

E - Equipment unrestricted.
G - GPS-derived odometer only, and any calculating device.
L - Odometer unrestricted. Calculating device restricted only in that it may not be integrated with odometer.
S - Stock odometer only. Calculating device restricted only in that it may not be integrated with odometer.
Novice - Class S entry in which neither team member has previously entered more than 5 TSD rallies.

Award subcategories:

1st Time: Class S (and N) entry in which neither team member has competed in a TSD rally prior to October 10, 2025.

?? - We will consider providing awards for groups that can credibly bring 4 or more additional paid entries prior to the early entry cutoff. Possible examples: Vintage. Marque. Club or SCCA Region affiliation. Parent/offspring team. SCCA Competition License holders. etc. Contact the organizers with a pitch for an award category, and challenge your friends to enter.

Entry Fees:

SCCA Members (driver and/or navigator has annual membership): $110.00/car before early entry cutoff, $125.00/car thereafter.

Others: Add $20.00 to above (member) fees (to purchase the mandated SCCA Weekend membership for one team member).

NOTE: Individuals who purchase a Weekend membership are eligible for a $15.00 credit toward an annual SCCA membership for 60(?) days following the rally.

Additional Information (Rallymaster): Greg Lester, Ph. 330.256.6531, or email: wgregorylester@gmail.com

NOTE: All teams must enter here. NO WALK-IN ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED ON THE DAY OF THE RALLY!

Please take a moment to update your MSR profile to reflect your current address, email address, phone number, etc. Be sure that your name appears exactly as printed on your SCCA Membership card. If the names does not match, automatic membership validation will not work.

SCCA members are urged to apply for an annual waiver so that they can bypass the signing of a paper waiver at each SCCA event.

IF EITHER TEAM MEMBER IS A MINOR, PLEASE CONTACT THE ORGANIZERS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO OBTAIN AN SCCA MINOR WAIVER FORM. This form must be properly executed in advance of the rally by the minor's parents/guardian.

This rally will be timed with the Richta automated checkpoint system. Each team must carry a "smart" phone or tablet (Android or iOS) running the current version of the Richta Competitor "app". Look for "Competitor Richta GPS Checkpoints" app on Google Play Store or Apple App Store or click on the appropriate link:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.richta.cpa2&hl=en_US

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/competitor-richta-checkpoint/id1448298019

Prior to the rally, all of the checkpoint information (Latitude/Longitude coordinates and target arrival times) will be uploaded to the "cloud". All teams will receive a password that will allow them to download this information. Competitors will NOT be able to view checkpoint information in advance. Upon arrival at each checkpoint, a team's Richta device will sound an alert. It will then display the team's recorded arrival time, its score for that control, and its cumulative score. The device may also display leg "critique" information provided by the rallymaster.

Some helpful Richta user information can be found on the Detroit Region, SCCA website: http://drscca.org/rally/using-the-richta-competitor-app/

Teams are encouraged to register a second (backup) phone or tablet under a "phantom" car number 100 greater than their assigned car number (i.e. Car #1/101, Car #2/102, etc.). The second device will serve as an arrival time "insurance policy", and will help organizers gain a better understanding of the relative timing behavior of various platforms. It will not be used for scoring unless there is a failure of the primary device.