Each team will need a copy of the Richta Competitor app to be installed on an iPhone. It is free and available from the Apple App Store. This will be used by the team navigator.

What is the Richta Competitor app and why do I need it?

In TSD road rallying, your arrival is timed at numerous checkpoints along the rally route. Your score at each checkpoint is based upon how close you come to the rallymaster’s calculated perfect time for that checkpoint. The app uses the phone’s GPS technologies to time arrival at a checkpoint based upon the checkpoint’s GPS location coordinates. This eliminates the need for old geezers sitting along the route with clipboards and timers to check in participants when they arrive at checkpoints. It also provides instantaneous timing and scoring as the team passes the checkpoint.

Running the app on a device while you are running the rally is required for you to be scored at the rally’s checkpoints.

How does the Richta Competitor app work?

We have used another app, the Richta Rallymaster, to record the locations of checkpoints we have established. That checkpoint location data, along with other event data, is stored in a cloud-based database. Prior to the start of the rally, you launch the Richta Competitor app and connect to the name of our rally. The app then downloads the checkpoint locations and stores that data on your device.

As you run the rally that app uses your device’s internal GPS to track the current location of your vehicle. When the app detects that your vehicle location matches the location of one of the stored checkpoints, it records your arrival time for that checkpoint and displays the arrival time and your score for that leg.

There’s no need to slow down or stop at a checkpoint. Your device will make a ringy-dingy sound when you have reached the checkpoint. Just continue to follow the route instructions.

How do I run the rally using Richta Competitor?

Because of processing demands the Competitor app must be the only app running on the device while you’re using it. Be sure to close all other apps.

In order to do its work the app must constantly access the GPS hardware on your device. This requires considerable and constant power consumption. Our rally is not that long, but you’d be smart to have your device fully charged or keep your device externally powered while running the rally.

Monitor the app – it should always be displaying on your device screen. If the app should crash for whatever reason, simply pull over and stop your vehicle at the earliest safe opportunity and restart the app.

Position the device for the best possible exposure to the sky – the GPS in your device needs visibility to the satellites it uses. Up on the dash with as much visibility as is possible through the windshield is good.

Mount your device in some fashion. You really don’t want the distraction of that thing sliding around while you’re rallying. Again, we’re staying very basic so its up to the navigator to handle as they see fit.

As you pass through a checkpoint the app will ping, and and a new entry for the checkpoint just passed will appear on the list of passed checkpoints. Tap the checkpoint entry and a dialog box will pop up with detailed information about that checkpoint timing.