Call for Volunteers – 2025 RALLY OF CANBERRA  -  March 21^st – 23rd 2025

Good afternoon all,

This year’s major WICEN Event, the 2025 RALLY OF CANBERRA will be undertaken on the weekend of Friday 21^st, Saturday 22^nd and Sunday 23^rd March  2025.

This year’s rally is basically a repeat of the 2024 event with the Service Park once again at Exhibition Park along with the Rally HQ and the WICEN Net Control Station will also be at Exhibition Park.

This year’s Saturday competitive stages will once again be conducted in the Pierces, Tidbinbilla and Uriarra forests.

·        Special Stage 1 & 5 is called “Defib” as it’s a quick stage that is a bit of a “Heart Starter”. It is 5.34 KM’s long and runs in the Pierces East area starting just off Paddy’s River Road and run back to the Cotter River. It will have a Start and Stop point only. Meet Point will probably be around 6:00 AM at Cotter Reserve (Actual time and location is yet to be set), First Competitive car is scheduled to start at 8:53 AM and last car out of SS5 is expected around 4:00 PM.

·        Special Stage 2 and 6 is again “Oakey Camp” and is a competitive stage of 22.22 KM’s and starts at Vanities Crossing Road (just up the hill from Cotter Reserve) and finishes at Tidbinbilla Lane (which is down near the entrance to Tidbinbilla Tracking station). This stage will have a Start, SOS A, SOS B, SOS C, SOS D and Stop. Meet times haven’t been set in concrete as yet but it is anticipated that the meet time will be 6:00 AM at the Old Cotter Pub carpark or on Paddy’s River Road at Pierces East.  First Competitive car is scheduled to start the stage at 9:05 AM and the second running of the stage should finish around 5:15 PM at the latest (unless there is an incident on the course).

·        Special Stage 3 and 7 (Kingfisher) is a competitive stage of 10.10 KM’s and starts at Mineshaft Road (just up the hill from Murrays Corner Picnic Area) and finishes at Big Johns Road (AKA “Cottage 5”) which is a few hundred yards further down Paddy’s River Road from the Vanity’s / Oakey Creek Roads corner.  This stage will have a Start, SOS A and Stop. Meet time is anticipated to be 7:00 AM at Cotter Reserve.  First Competitive car is scheduled to start the stage at 9:55 AM and the second running of the stage should finish around 5:30 PM at the latest (unless there is an incident on the course).

·        Special Stage 4 and 8 (Blue Range) is a competitive stage of 18.69 KM’s and starts at East West Road (about 2 KM’s towards the Brindabella’s from the Uriarra / Brindabella Roads intersection) ) and finishes in the forest at the top of Sherwood Road (Off Mountain Creek Road).  This stage will have a Start, SOS A, SOS B, SOS C and Stop. Meet time is anticipated to be 7:15 AM at the East West / Brindabella Roads intersection.  First Competitive car is scheduled to start the stage at 10:27 AM and the second running of the stage should finish around 6:15 PM.

The Sunday competitive stages will be conducted in the Kowen forest area and consist of 4 stages, each being run twice with 3 of the stages being new this rear 

·        Special Stage 9 & 13 (Bald Millpost) is a competitive stage of 9.44 KM’s and starts on Gumnut Road and finishes at Millpost Lane (Both of these are near the big HQJOC Roundabout on the Kings Hwy).  This stage will have a Start, SOS A and Stop. Meet time is anticipated to be 6:30 AM at the Hibernian Road / Kings Hwy intersection.  First Competitive car is scheduled to start the stage at 9:16 AM and the second running of the stage should finish around 3:00 PM.

·        Special Stage 10 & 14 is a new stage called “Mr Grumbles” named after a long time local Rally supporter. It is a competitive stage of 17.81 KM’s and starts at the end of the old Kings Hwy (now Sparrows Hill Road) and finishes at an intersection on Fernside Road within the forest.  This stage will have a Start, SOS A, SOS B, SOS C and Stop. Meet time is anticipated to be 6:45 AM at the Corner of Sparrow Hill & Orchard Rds (Off Kings Hwy).  First Competitive car is scheduled to start the stage at 9:44 AM and the second running of the stage should finish around 4:30 PM.

·        Special Stage 11 & 15 is called “Revir Dr” and is the old River Rd stage run in reverse. It is a competitive stage of 17.45 KM’s and starts on Fernside Way not far from the end of the previous stage and runs through to a finish location near the Old Kowen Forestry Camp. The stage will have a Start, SOS A, SOS B, SOS C and Stop. Meet time is anticipated to be 7:00 AM at the Molonglo Gorge Car Park.  First Competitive car is scheduled to start the stage at 10:12 AM and the second running of the stage should finish around 5.00 PM.

·        Special Stage 12 & 16 is called “Old Kowen” and is a competitive stage of 11.6 KM’s and starts at the Spectator Point in Kowen forest, does a large loop in the forest and returns down and across the ‘jump’ and finishes at Old Kowen Road. This stage will have a Start, SOS A and Stop. Meet time is anticipated to be 7:30 AM at the Kowen gate  First Competitive car is scheduled to start the stage at 10:40 AM and the second running of the stage (which is being run as a Power Stage with the Top 10 competitors being run in REVERSE ORDER) should finish around 5:30 PM.

So, to save you doing the maths, we need to have people to undertake Field Station tasks with 16 Field Stations on Saturday and 16 Field Stations on Sunday, plus 6-7 people in the HQ Net Control Station each day also.

As in the last couple of years, we are not required to radio in scoring traffic and hence the exercise is a lot less stressful than in earlier years. We will however still need to track vehicles and radio that information back into HQ.  This exercise only requires operators to have a VHF 2 metre and/or 70 cm UHF radio capable of 10 Watts and at least a ¼ wave vertical antenna and be able to operate for the indicated periods listed above so some battery calculations may be required.  If you don’t have a suitable radio then we can arrange the loan of equipment from Club and personal stores, just let us know early.  For those who have recently obtained their licences or have not done a WICEN exercise before, don’t hold back as it’s an excellent way of getting out and building up your experience.

So, onto the Begging and Pleading part….

Please see the below 2025 Toyota Gazoo Racing Rally of Canberra: 21 to 23 March 2025 Volunteer registration now open message and PLEASE, if you can assist the link will take you to the Volunteer Registration form. Please ensure you complete all the fields and in Section 3 in the “Prior experience” and “What Role” sections please enter “WICEN RADIO OPERATOR” so the team can identify the WICEN / CRARC team and refrain from rostering you for other duties.  You are welcome to bring family and/or friends with you, just make sure that a registration form for them is completed and submitted as well as your own.

We are happy for people to email and queries, please send them to wicen@crarc.org.au please, NOT a reply to me and especially not a Reply All please.

Cheers all,

Phil Longworth VK1PL

Deputy State Coordinator, WICEN ACT

Life Member, Canberra Region Amateur Radio Club

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2025 Toyota Gazoo Racing Rally of Canberra: 21 to 23 March 2025 Volunteer registration now open

Dear Rally Supporter 

2025 Toyota Gazoo Racing Rally of Canberra – 21 to 23 March 2025

Volunteer registration now open

Thank you for your contribution to the event in the past.  We would like to invite you to be part of the team again.

The 2025 Toyota Gazoo Racing Rally of Canberra on 21 to 23 March 2025 is the opening round of the EROAD Australian Rally Championship.

It will again run in the forests around Canberra in similar areas to recent years.

We are always grateful for the efforts of the team of volunteers, and as a thank you for your time and effort we like to offer some gifts and prizes.  In 2025,  we will again have various lucky prizes available to our volunteers.

To get the ball rolling we have two prizes for our early birds.  Register before 15 February to go into the draw for:

Questions can be emailed to volunteers@rallyofcanberra.com.au

We are looking forward to seeing you at ROC25.

Toyota Gazoo Racing Rally of Canberra Organising Team

Email                    volunteers@rallyofcanberra.com.au

Website:               rallyofcanberra.com.au 

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