Gimmicks That Should Be Avoided

Some types of gimmicks are prohibited or strongly discouraged in the TRC Gimmick Rallye Rules. Others just create problems that are best avoided.

Special Instructions (SIs)

Provide for Special Instructions (SIs) and other emergency instructions and signs. There must never be any gimmicks based on Special Instructions. Doing so would make it harder for other rallyemasters to provide directions that must taken at face value.

Contact Information

To avoid difficulties publishing the results, it is strongly recommended that you do not include gimmicks on: car number, driver & navigator name, or email addresses.

Delete Gimmick (DG)

Older rallyes sometimes used a DG (Delete Gimmick which caused you to find this coursemarker) instruction to undo a gimmick, after rallyists had caught the gimmick and recorded the resulting coursemarker. Rallyemasters that use DG assume that rallyists understand what gimmicks they want to delete, and what the result of deleting the gimmick will be. This was particularly frustrating when there was a "DG" in both the full and partial credit coursemarkers of a combination gimmick. Was the gimmick being deleted by the full credit CM the one that seperated it from the partial or the one it had in common with the partial? Who knows? You usually needed to know the rallyemaster.

Rallyists (especially less experienced rallyists) can easily end up deleting the "wrong" gimmick, and may do the wrong thing in response to deleting the right gimmick.

One alternative to using a DG instruction is to send rallyists who catch the gimmick into a CP. By asking rallyists which RI they are working on, the CP workers can determine whether rallyists are entering the CP normally, or whether they are entering the CP early/late because they caught a gimmick.

Another alternative to using a DG instruction is to set up the gimmick with a "monster" style instruction that is in effect only for a short time.