General Discussions

Below you'll find info regarding this year's track. It'll be redacted until approximately 1 week before Rally. We've designed the route to force most vehicles to use spare fuel cans. While we can't keep teams from entering town between tracks, we promote using your spare fuel some time along the track or at camp following a track, so teams must come up with a strategy on whether or not to refuel in Harlan on their track B. The fuel stations in Harlan are the only ones you'll pass.

Enjoy.

I stayed at a consistent 15 psi for the entire weekend. I didn't change air pressure until we went home. While teams must choose the air pressure that fits their needs, if you air down only to 20, your performance will suffer.

After obtaining your wristband from Sycamore Camp, It is strongly recommended to return to their cabin to purchase a paper trail map from Black Mountain cabin. Some of their trails are numbered on OnX but most trails also have nicknames or there are other discrepancies such as trail rating and difficulty. We relied heavily on a trail map for the duration of our mapping and it was generally pretty accurate. I will also refer to the names on this map frequently.

Top performers; past winners, fat tires, etc shall be expected to take the hardlines at all times.

If you feel a more capable team is closing on you, STOP to let them pass BEFORE entering the obstacle. Main roads in Black Mountain and Leatherwood may be wide enough to pass while both teams are still moving. You are encouraged to do this only when safe and wide enough to make easy passage. You can also check your maps for bypasses and go around stopped vehicles using this strategy. If you choose to do this, it is possible to miss a checkpoint. Use the shortest route possible.

Always remember: Make it known you are passing by flashing lights and beeping.

Past Red Clay Rally routes have been upwards of 890 miles, 500 miles, etc this is our shortest route:

~137 miles total track

All tracks are Directional and its recommended to turn off other tracks when not using them for a clearer view.

No competitor is permitted to scout the track prior to being assigned to the route.

Trail names along your track you should be aware of:

Fish Fossil

Trail 31

Trail 26/Fuquarwe

Tailgate

Truck Challenge Course

Leatherwood Trail 103

Be prepared for delays at these locations. Read that again.

These are some of the more challenging spots and will most certainly cause issues.

Fish Fossil contains large boulders and a steep ascent at the end with no winch points unless using a teammate truck who bypasses or makes it up without help. If not winching you will have to give it the beans up the hill at the end. Expect delays if you get behind an slow or unfortunate team. All competition teams are expected to attempt Fish Fossil

Fun fact: helping a rival team you're stuck behind is, in fact, helping yourself. Standing around complaining while someone is stuck, then getting stuck in the same spot they were stuck in makes your team look bad. Help keep the flow moving, and pass the slow team on wider sections. There are many opportunities to pass, even while moving, so there are no excuses this year "getting stuck behind a team" for extended periods.

"Tailgate" is a deep washed section. It's narrow driving between trees and ruts going down and a fun ride going up. We do both this weekend.

Leatherwood 103 is a puckering tight right turn down an extremely steep embankment. It's crucial teams are very careful here as a wrong turn here could be bad. There is an alternative way off this peak. We do not offer this track to competitors as the Official RCR track is down the steep hill.

26 to Fuquarwe has a short gatekeeper section most will need to winch on. There are some forks here so be sure to take the correct one or It'll have you driving around the woods asking "Fuquarwe?"

"Truck challenge course" is a soupy playground section followed by a steep climb out of the mud then looping back down into the same mudhole and out a different trail. We accidentally entered "Truck Challenge Course" and decided to keep in the track. It was soupy the weekend we visited.

TRACK A NOTES

We mapped in the heaviest rain this day. Any short stint of wrong turn will obviously not be followed by your team but the moving time of that section should be calculated into your total moving time if really wanting to be extremely precise, therefore slow down for a bit following any small wrong turn we made. The time affected is minimal.

This track will be ran at night.

Notice our wrong turn at 36.899231, -83.181510 account for it but don't take it.

TRACK B NOTES

35 miles to Leatherwood, first onto the classic Rally favorite Little Shepherd Rd, a (barely) paved Ridge road passing some massive rock formations into Leatherwood Park for just a taste of what they offer, followed by an intentional route into Harlan for fuel and supplies before returning to camp. It is expected this be your only fuel stop for the weekend.

A precise 15 minute stop is allotted into your time on track B. This stop shall be taken at Leatherwood's cabin, and it is NOT a checkpoint, it's a self-regulated stop for exactly 15 minutes. There are large lots here and the stop can be used to check vehicles, snack, or use the restroom. Portable toilets will also be stationed here for your use. Please consider patronizing their business while stopped too. They sell snacks, shirts and other swag.

There is an intentional route past gas stations on Track B. These stations will be in Harlan and Evarts on your ride back into camp. They will be the only stations along your route.

TRACK C

Track C will take you to Hawkeye overlook, looping out and back onto the track. Competitors will pass each other in opposing directions here. The area is wide and passing shouldn't be difficult.

Malfunction Junction will get you confused.

Tailgate is a section that appears easier than it is. On our way down it was slick and back up a RZR was broke on the trail we needed to hit so instead we romped it up a bypass. Anyways, I hit a tree here and had to be winched away from it to prevent my window from popping.