To shorten the waiting time until arrival of our youngtimer (best case: 4 days. Yeah!) – we started with the first rally training considering the rally rules:
No GPS, No Navi, No Autobahn. All we’ll get is a Roadbook on the day of rally start.
A Roadbook is a book including Tulip symbols to detail a route, but provides additional information on distances, road signs etc. The name of this type of navigation comes from the Tulip Rally, which first used it in the 1950s.
Tulip, or ball and arrow instructions, are simple diagrams of the route junctions with the ball indicating where you come from and the arrow indicating where you are going to. Normally they are given in order.
Looks simple, doesn’t it? As long as you follow the signs and stay on the route you will make it to the target. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
Time for practicing: how to read the symbols & how to navigate the driver… as well as how the driver follows the instructions given by the navigator. The only time we argue is in the car! So here we go. That shall be an interesting one.
Most important tools: a pen, the Roadbook and a Rally trip meter. The real rally will have pass control points included as well to make sure we follow the road book.
Self-created Tulip road book by hubby. We don’t have the target vehicle yet but starting our practice in our VW bus. Hubby is the driver (homework from doc & therapists), I’m the navigator. 33.63km to go!
PS: Have I mentioned that I’m the worst navigator in the world. I sometimes cannot find my parked car in Stuttgart anymore… lol. Now I know why. If I had a Roadbook…
We are successful until we encounter a one way street. The problem we are at the end of it and cannot enter. We keep driving until we got completely lost. When that happens you go back all the way until you remember the last tulip symbol when you were still on track. That’s what we did (it’s not even easy to find the way back… ). We are back at the end of the one way road. Hm. And now?
2 options: 1) enter wrong way against street law or 2) navigator getting out of the car and walking the distance carrying the Roadtrip book in and hand and the trip counter in the other hand. And that’s what we did: I walked 350 meters until we got back en route. Challenge mastered.
We made it. We arrived at the target. Well done! Our price for the first completed trip: ice-cream!
Last Minute Racing 