HISTORY > 2009 > INFORMATION 2009 > BRIEFING BY THE CLERK OF THE COURSE

BRIEFING BY THE CLERK OF THE COURSE

Since I can’t greet everyone personally, I wish to welcome all those taking part in the 2009 Historic Revival of the Mille Miglia, an international touring and regularity event for historic cars.

As those of you who have already participated in previous rallies already know, let me remind you that this is a regularity rally. Its main feature consists in staying in the time limits assigned to complete the different sectors and the regularity stages, maintaining an average speed that has been set by the organisers. Therefore, driving very fast is not important!!
I urge you to drive carefully at all times, to scrupulously obey the traffic regulations, and to follow the instructions given by the Race Marshals, the Police and the entire team of the organisation, in order to best experience this wonderful adventure.

I’d like to ask you now to carefully read the following explanatory notes that will give you a complete understanding of the structure and organisation of the event.

Important information about the event:

The 2009 Historic Revival of the Mille Miglia takes place in compliance with the International Sporting Code (and its appendices when applicable), the National Sporting Code (including appendices when applicable) and the attached Supplementary Regulations (RPG).

1) The Clerk of the Course (DG):
The head of my staff, I am responsible for all major decisions. I will be available all along the route of the rally and at the end of each leg, ready to help you with all your needs. The Deputy Clerk of the Course will remain in Brescia, at the results centre. Results will be visible at the end of each leg and on the website www.1000miglia.eu .

You can call the staff of the Clerk of the Course on +39 0303463451 (you will find this number on the back of the rally ID Card you use for your meals).

2) Competitor Relations Officers:
For information regarding the rally, at least one Competitor Relations Officer (recognisable by their red bibs) will be available to answer any questions, at the checks, scrutineering, sealing, at the start and finish of each leg and at the time controls (CO).
            Given the precious help these officers provided to entrants during the 2008 rally, the organisers thought it appropriate to increase their numbers.
 
3) Race Marshals:
Along the route I would like you to follow the advice and directions provided by post chiefs (in red bibs), road marshals (yellow bibs), timekeepers (orange bibs) and safety officers (green bibs).
In addition, the organisers have provided “support vehicles” (recognisable by their red flashing lights and the fact that they have UFFICIALI DI GARA written on them). There is approximately one for every 40 cars taking part in the event and they will be driven by officials who are there to help you as well as, whenever deemed necessary, providing you with assistance from the Clerk of The Course. These officials will also act as Judges of Facts and will notify the Clerk of The Course or the Stewards of any wrong-doing with respect to the Rally Regulations (RPG) or Italian traffic laws.
Any infringement of these rules can result in the Stewards of the Meeting awarding penalties up to exclusion.

4) Medical Assistance:
As well as the Rally Doctor, the organisers have arranged for 6 resuscitation doctors to be present, supported by expert nursing staff. They will follow the rally in 4 cars and 2 Italian Red Cross (CRI) Ambulances, ready to deal with any needs you may have.
In addition, all the provincial “118” (national emergency service) operational
centres along the route will have been alerted, in order to ensure maximum availability in case of need.

5) Traffic Police:
A number of Police officers will follow the rally along the entire route to ease traffic. Please DO NOT take advantage of this fact to flout current Italian traffic laws.
If these officers witness any unsportsmanlike behaviour or violations of traffic laws they will intervene immediately; they can also be called by the Judges of Facts to intervene.

6) Administrative and technical checks:
The checks will be carried out as per the times and places listed in the RPG.
In addition, on Thursday, in Piazza della Loggia, Technical Officers will “seal” all vehicles with a metal cord and its respective lead seal with the Mille Miglia  logo.
The start times from Brescia, Ferrara and Rome will be given out at the administrative checks.

7) Radio Control of the Vehicles:
At the start of every leg, every vehicle will be equipped with a GPS receiver. This is obligatory and will transmit the position of the car to the headquarters of the Clerk of the Course and to the website www.1000miglia.eu .
The device has two buttons, one to request medical assistance and the other to notify the Clerk of the Course of any mechanical problems.
Another of its functions is to interact with special antennae connected to the timekeeping system.
Removing, tampering with this device or misusing it will result in action taken by the Clerk of the Course. It is strictly forbidden to remove the device from where the staff of the organisation decide to position it.

8) Road book (Radar):
The organisers have provided you with a specially drawn up road book containing all the directions you will need to avoid getting lost along the rally route. It is designed to be easy to read!

9) Bulletins:
Before and during the event, the organisers, the Clerk of the Course and the Stewards of the Meeting may issue memos (bulletins) to notify entrants of any changes to the route, changes to the programme or any other useful information. These bulletins, which will be posted on the Official Notice Board, will also be hand-delivered at the end of legs or at check points and you will need to sign to show that you have received them.

10) Running of the rally:
The teams will have to take or make sure that their car is taken to Viale Venezia – Brescia, at least 30 minutes before their start time.
Cars will be given the START SIGNAL on the basis of their competition number,  in increasing order: 3 cars will start every minute. 
“THE STARTING LIST” will be published on the Official Notice Board – Brescia – Fiera Brixia Expo. Other Official Notice Boards will be located near the leg finish in Ferrara (Chiostro Sant’Anna - Via Boldini) and Rome (in Castel Sant’Angelo)

In the event of WITHDRAWAL, the competitor MUST IMMEDIATELY INFORM the Clerk of the Course (+390303463451)

11) Route:
The itinerary is 1,482.50 kilometres long, divided into three legs, and includes:
49 Regularity Stages (PC), 18 Time Controls (CO), 17 Passage Controls (CT).

  1. First leg: Thursday May 14th 2009, departure from Brescia, Viale Venezia, from     7.45 pm and arrival in Ferrara, Viale Cavour, from midnight.
  2. Second leg: Friday May 15th 2009, departure from Ferrara, Corso della Giovecca,  from 7.30 am and arrival in Rome, Saxa Rubra, from 8.20 pm.
  3. Third leg: Saturday May 16th 2009, departure from Rome, Castel Sant’Angelo, from 6.30 am and arrival in Brescia, Viale Venezia, from 10.30 pm

 

The checkpoints (CO, PC, CT) will be active from the theoretical transit time of the first competitor until 60 minutes after the theoretical transit time of the last competitor.

Two lunch stops of approximately 60 minutes are planned in the second and third legs, in Sansepolcro on Friday and in Monteriggioni on Saturday.

a) Check procedure
The event is divided into sectors, with the word “sector” indicating a part included between two time controls. The target time for each sector is listed in the Time and Distance Table and the Time Card, which will be handed out to drivers at each starting point of each leg and at Sansepolcro and Monteriggioni.
     
Cars must transit the time controls at their given time. The estimated transit time is obtained by adding the actual transit time at the previous CO to the target time allowed for that sector (listed on the time table). The actual transit time will be measured by pneumatic tube pressure switches as the cars cross the check line. The line will be marked by a red sign showing a clock.

If, for some reason, the pressure switch is not working, the transit time of the vehicles will be measured manually by the official timekeepers when the front wheel hub crosses the check line.

Vehicles are not allowed to stop inside control zones, which are stretches about 50 meters long, marked with a yellow sign at the beginning and a beige one with black stripes one at the end.

To avoid picking up penalty points at check points, competitors have one minute from their estimated transit time in which to drive over the pressure sensors. For example, for the 14.45.00 transit time, passing through between 14.45.00 and 14.45.59 will not incur in penalisation.

 

To ensure a smoothly-run event, entrants must follow the following procedure:

  1. crews that reach a CO before their estimated transit time must stop their car before the yellow time control sign, placed 25 meters before the CO, wait until their estimated time, lined up according the race marshals’ instructions.
  2. cars are permitted to enter control areas (the area extending from the yellow sign to the beige one with black stripes) during their minute.
  3. check points will be marked by a red sign with a clock.
  4. transit times will be measured by a pneumatic pressure switch located on the road and marked by a red sign with a clock.
  5. after it has triggered the pressure switch, the car must immediately move forward and leave the control area.
  6. late crews can enter control areas and complete their checks but must try not to obstruct the area for other competitors who are running on time.

b) Regularity Stages (PC)
A number of Regularity Stages are present in each sector.
The length of each Regularity Stage and the given target time are listed on the Time and Distance Table attached to the RPG and on the Time Card.

The Regularity Stages are located in the following places:

1st leg: Brescia 4 PC
  S.Martino d.B. 3 PC
     
2nd leg: Gambettola 3 PC
  San Marino 3 PC
  Forca di Cerro 6 PC
  Terminillo 5 PC
     
3rd leg: Lago di Vico 5 PC
  Radicofani 4 PC
  Pienza 4 PC
  Monghidoro 3 PC
  Loiano 3 PC
  Pianoro 3 PC
  Modena 3 PC

 

The regularity stages in each group are “interlinked”, meaning the end of one is the beginning of the next. Measuring lines, marked on the ground, have a pneumatic tube pressure switch connected to a printing chronometer. Time will be measured in hundredths of a second. To the right of the sensor will be a red sign showing a drooping flag and to the left, a rubber traffic cone. 25 meters before the measuring line you will see a yellow sign with a drooping flag, and 25 meters after the line there will be a beige sign with three black diagonal stripes. The measuring line at the end of the last stage of a group of Regularity Stages will be marked with signs showing a chequered flag. Vehicles are not permitted to stop between the yellow sign and the beige sign. At the end of regularity stages shorter than 300 metres there is no yellow warning sign.

For a Regularity Stage, we request compliance with the following procedure:

  1. vehicles are to line up before the yellow sign, in rough order of their competition numbers;
  2. crews are to gather at the yellow sign, which marks the beginning of the first stage of a group of Regularity Stages. They then must follow the instructions of the road marshal or timekeeper. Nothing will be written on their time card at this point;
  3. Within five seconds of the “VIA” (“GO”) called by a marshal or timekeeper, cars will start, passing over the first pressure tube switch. This establishes the initial time of the first regularity stage. The car is then to proceed in carrying out the rest of the series of stages, trying to keep to the target times that have been given. Anyone who is forced to stop - for whatever reason - is kindly asked to avoid blocking the passage of other competitors and to follow the directions given by marshals;
  4. Having finished the series of Regularity Stages, crews are to continue on without any more stops for time entries or for anything else.

c) Passage controls (CT)

Along the route there will be 17 Passage controls(CT)to ascertain that the pre-established itinerary is being respected.

The approach to the checkpoint is indicated first by a yellow sign on the right hand side of the road, showing the symbol of an old-fashioned ink stamp, located 25 meters before arrival. The check itself is marked with a red sign with the same symbol, and is then followed by a beige sign with three black diagonal stripes 25 metres past it.
At these check points drivers must not get out of their cars. A marshal will stamp your time card.
Passage checks will remain open one hour after the estimated transit time of the last competitor.

Failure to have a time card stamped at a CT will result in the penalisation stated in the RPG.

For all other organisational details, please refer to the RPG,future Bulletins and the rules listed in the CSAI Yearbook (NS 23).

I hope you all have a wonderful time. Together with the organising team, I am at

your service for any further explanations.

The Clerk of the Course
Francesco Alberti

Clerk of the Course Briefing - PDF

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