The 6th Halloween Rally
or
The 2nd MG Special Stage Rally
Sunday, October 26, 2014
 Last year we started to give the Halloween Rally a little bit of the ‘Look and Feel’ of an old European Rally, something along the lines of the Tulip Rally, the Monte Carlo Rally, or the Alpine Rally.
The rallies in which MG’s actually participated, were quite different from the rallies we are used to in our clubs. We have adopted their system for the directions, the Tulip System, to make finding the correct route quite easy. But what was the challenge, what was the goal of those rallies? The answer isn't quite as simple as you may think, but one thing is certain. The driver and navigator were not looking for answers on billboards and store fronts. There were no trivia questions and no gimmicks. Driving was the name of the game. There were sections with average speed goals, sometimes so high that going flat out wasn’t even going to make it. Essentially, an automobile race on public roads. Sometimes, these sections were closed to normal traffic and drivers went as fast as possible to get to the finish in the shortest time. These timed sections are called Special Stages and the Tulip System was used to direct the participants safely from one Special Stage to the next. It would of course not be a good idea to try to replicate some of that in the Halloween Rally. But we'll be chasing the 'ghost' of these rallies. With Special Stages that include simple, safe, slow, and fun driving, and skill, tests. The route will take you to several forest preserves for the Special Stages without any answers to look out for on the way. The score will be entirely based on the Special Stages!
There was one more element of these rallies, and that was time. To make sure that the participants were not speeding on the connecting sections, between the Special Stages, they were giving a minimum time (in minutes) to get from check point to check point with severe penalties for arriving early. And to prevent long repairs if something broke or big body work after an off-road excursion, there was also a, much milder, penalty for arriving too late. We’ll add this for 2014, real simple again. Please don’t expect that you need calculators, slide rulers, average speeds, or math. And, there will be no reason to go faster or slower than the flow of traffic and posted speed limits. It will just a little bit more of the ‘ghost’ of MG’s rally past.
We will meet at our house in Prospect Heights. The coffee will be ready at 10:00 AM and The Halloween Rally starts at 11:00 AM. The rally is approximately 50 miles long and will take about 3 1/2 hours. We will finish again at Emmett’s Brewing Co. in Palatine.
Reinout and Henneke Vogt
211 East School Lane
Prospect Heights, IL 60070
Phone: 847 342 9804
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Emmett's Brewing Co.
110 North Brockway Street
Palatine, IL 60067
Phone: 847 359 1533 http://www.emmettsalehouse.com
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Please call Reinout Vogt at 847 342 9804 with any questions and keep an eye on www.chicagolandmgclub.com, and Facebook for any last minute updates. We hope to see you for the 2nd MG Special Stage Rally of the MG Clubs of Chicago.
~~ Henneke and Reinout Vogt
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October 2014
Fall Tune-Down and Chili Party
Do you know what your winter project will be? If not come by and I am sure we can find something that should be done before next year’s driving season. I have a low-lift hoist so we can do some underbody inspection or brake work. End of the driving season is time for oil changes, some tune-up work or minor repairs. Bring your own parts, oil and a jug for oil disposal (and yes, you will take your own away). 
