It would be impossible for someone who’s never driven a race car to enter the Indy 500, or for someone who’s never played football to be invited to quarterback at the Super Bowl, so imagine being encouraged to compete in what many consider a sport’s pinnacle event as an utter novice. At the same time, imagine that there’s pretty much no way those novices could negatively impact the event, even while participating alongside those who’ve been competing in the sport for decades. Impossible, you say? Think again, because EVERYONE is encouraged to enter this year’s United States RoadRally Challenge®.
Taking place Oct. 10-12, 2025, and running from the “north coast” Lake Erie shoreline, to the “south coast” banks of the Ohio River, this year’s United States RoadRally Challenge (USRRC) will introduce teams to the varied landscapes of eastern Ohio through three days of fun and challenges on the Johnny Appleseed, Ohio Milk Run, and Cleveland Alley Rallye TSD rallies.
New Here?
If you’re completely new to RoadRally, you’re probably wondering what TSD (Time-Speed-Distance) rallying is. In short, a TSD rally is an on-road automotive contest in which each team must follow a predefined course, using assigned average speeds and other timing directives, so as to arrive at each of a series of timing controls (“checkpoints”) exactly when due.
TSD rallies are generally divided into “Tour” and “Course” (trap) categories.
On “Tour” rallies, the course-following is intended to be absolutely straightforward, so that precise timing is the sole focus of the competition.
“Course” rallies may include exercises in course-following and/or timing logic (“traps”) intended to test teams’ understanding and retention of the rules specific to that rally (“General Instructions”). The degree of difficulty and subtlety of these “traps” varies widely.
No matter which type of rally you’re running, you and a friend will be in your car, on public roads, following specific directions (Route Instructions) prepared by the event’s “rallymaster”.
In other words, SCCA RoadRally is simple in concept, challenging in execution, and a hell of a lot of fun regardless of whether you’ve run 1,000 RoadRallies or this will be your first.
What the USRRC Weekend Holds
The 2025 USRRC consists of three RoadRallies spanning three days – although teams can opt to enter one or two instead of all three. Descriptions are below, along with links to a registration page for each day’s rally. Registration is now open for all three USRRC RoadRallies:
Johnny Appleseed Rally
Friday, Oct. 10, 2025
Rallymaster: Greg Lester
Starting in Canton, OH, this RoadRally is a straightforward afternoon/evening TSD rally winding southeast through Ohio's Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District (MCWD), then south through the Appalachian foothills to an overnight halt in Marietta, OH. "Tulip" style route instructions will be used (if you don’t know what that means, don’t worry. You’ll catch on quickly when you see them.). In an effort to help those with limited previous timekeeping experience stay on schedule, parenthetical perfect cumulative times will be provided for nearly all instructions.
Ohio Milk Run
Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025
Rallymaster: Ron Johnstonbaugh
Setting off from Marietta, OH, the Ohio Milk Run is another straightforward TSD rally running northbound, and parallel to (but slightly west of) Friday's route.
Cleveland Alley Rallye
Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025
Rallymaster: Jeff Arendas
The USRRC weekend concludes with the Cleveland Alley Rallye. The Alley Rallye is a lighthearted (and lightly trapped) jaunt that will introduce participants to the full spectrum of Cleveland's urban landscape: The post-industrial "Flats," distinct ethnic neighborhoods, grids of narrow brick streets separating century-old warehouses, mazes of alleys and loading docks beneath theaters and office towers, and numerous breathtaking views of the mighty Cuyahoga River. Timekeeping equipment for this RoadRally will be restricted to a stock odometer and a basic four function non-programmable calculator. Also, proceeds from this rally will be donated to Slow Roll Cleveland, a 501(c)3 charity that promotes community engagement through inclusive social bike rides.
Register: Cleveland Alley Rallye
What Else?
If you’re going to compete in this year’s USRRC, you’ll need to download the Richta GPS Competitor app for timing and scoring. This is available on both the Google Play and Apple App stores – find those links on the Richta Rally website.
Once again, this event is open to all! From the most experienced SCCA RoadRally teams to those who hadn’t heard about RoadRally until they read this article, the 2025 USRRC is written for everyone. The fun you’ll have in the car? Why, that’s yours to write.
More information about this year’s USRRC can be found at the event website.
Photo by Greg Lester
