MOROC EVENT RULES 2008 Rule Changes are highlighted. A. Competitors and conduct 1. Drivers meeting a. The drivers meeting should be attended by all drivers and their spotters. b. Attending the drivers meeting is the responsibility of the team. Important information about the event, running order, the courses, rules and new rules are discussed at every meeting. 2. Drivers and spotter’s a. Spotters are mandatory. Racing is a team effort. b. The spotters can register as a driver or spotter for another team during the same event. c. The driver and the spotter cannot switch places at any time during the event, unless an injury occurs. d. Each team will be allowed an additional spotter, who in the case of emergency may take the place of one of the team members. The alternate spotter must register at registration and sign all required waivers before allowed on the course. If injury to a driver occurs, the spotter and alternate spotter then must decide who is driving and who is spotting. Once the decision is made, the team cannot switch places. Teams who switch driver or spotter during the event without telling the marshal will be disqualified from the event. e. Teams can switch driver and spotter from event to event, just not during an event. Therefore, If the driver for Team A cannot make a needed event for whatever reason, the spotter can race in his/her place with an alternate spotter. f. Teams must dress the part. Matching uniforms are mandatory. If your team does not have fire suits or uniforms, you must wear MOROC team shirts provided to you by MOROC. Teams must make a valued effort to look neat and professional. g. Teams who compete as PRO STATUS must have fire suits and all safety equipment necessary for both driver and spotter. Teams must wear all necessary protective gear while riding in the vehicle. h. Spotters who are not riding in the vehicle (course by course or event by event) do not have to wear fire suits. 3/4 helmets are mandatory inside or outside the vehicle during course time. 3. Vehicle inspection a. All vehicles must be presented for vehicle inspections during the designated time. b. Vehicles not present for inspections during the designated time will be charged with the maximum time for each course missed. c. Vehicles late will be disqualified from each course until MOROC officials are able to inspect the competitor’s vehicle. 4. Paper work a. All competitor paperwork must be completed before a team may enter the course. b. Paper work includes the following. i. All team members must sign all waivers including: MOROC event, MOROC insurance, and site waivers. ii. Registration forms, tech inspection sheet approved, and fees collected. iii. Teams must have all contingency and MOROC sponsor decals placed correctly on the vehicle. Other stickers mandatory are MOROC competitor stickers and vehicle numbers on each side of the vehicle. c. Team members must also have team shirts and Pit Pass wristbands. 5. Safety a. The vehicle must meet all requirements for it's specific class. b. MOROC officials have the right, but not the responsibility, to advise spotters and drivers of unsafe acts. Acts deemed unsafe by an official must stop immediately. c. Spotter straps are permitted in woods racing events, but spotters cannot stand directly in front of the vehicle. Spotters must be at least a 45* angle. d. Spotters may not touch a moving vehicle…ever. e. Spotters may not touch a stationary vehicle with spinning tires. f. Spotters must stay a reasonably safe distance away from a moving vehicle and should never stand directly in front of or behind a moving vehicle. This stands true during spotting activities. i. It is up to the spotter to deem what is safe. Judges can overrule the spotters’ decisions. ii. If an official warns the spotter of an unsafe act, the responsibility is on the spotter to fix the situation immediately. If the unsafe act is not corrected immediately, an official has the responsibility to disqualify the team. A safety disqualification is considered a serious offense and the team will receive maximum time for that course. g. Winch weights are provided by the driver and must be used during all cable winching activities. Rope winches are not required to use winch weights. h. Winch weights must be bought for that purpose only. Coats, shirts, etc are not winch weights. i. If a team does not use a winch weight when line is tightened, the team will be disqualified immediately. j. Winch weights may not be repositioned when the winch is under load. k. Tree savers must be used in all wire winching activities and must be provided by the driver. l. Alcohol, drugs, and other mind-altering substances are not allowed at the events. Possession is grounds for disqualification. m. MOROC encourages competitors to use gloves, safety glasses, fire suits, neck braces, emergency cut out switches or any other safety equipment related to their vehicle. n. Each team can accumulate up to 6 warnings in total before event disqualification. These warnings are divided by Safety, Environmental, and sportsmanship. If a competitor receives a safety warning, there must be immediate corrective measures taken or it will result by giving another warning. If the issue is still disregarded, the team could be disqualified from the course or even the event. Always remember safety first! 6. Environmental a. Competitors shall keep all fluids inside their vehicles. It is the responsibility of the competitors to remove all spilt fluids during the event day. b. Trash bags will be provided by MOROC when needed, but must be disposed of properly by the competitor. c. Use of environmentally damaging compounds, fluids, etc. is not permitted for weight in the tires. This includes Lead. d. When navigating between obstacles; trees, bushes, and all other vegetation must be avoided. e. Each team will be awarded 6 warnings in total. These warnings are divided by Safety, Environmental, and sportsmanship. Spills are considered environmental hazards and can and will result in a warning. f. If the issue is not fixed, the competitor may be given up to 2 warnings per course and/or disqualified from the course. 7. Official Racing Flags a. MOROC uses official racing flags. These flags are used at all events. b. These flags include: Start, Finish, Stop, Caution, and Leave Track. c. Teams will be tested on knowledge of these flags before entering the course. Start Flag Judge will ask "driver ready? Spotter ready? Count down: 3.., 2.., 1... then wave the green flag to start course time. --------- Finish Flag Judge will wave the flag down to end clock time as the team crosses the finish line. --------- Stop Flag Will only be used if there is something wrong. (Spectator on course, another team on course, etc) Official will be on course in or near direct line of view for team on track. The stop flag will also be raised if the vehicle bypasses a gate. The flag will be waived, an air horn sounded, and a judge announcing the call. --------- Caution Flag The caution flag will be waved by an official every time a safety or environmental warning is issued. A small air horn will also be used to get the teams attention of the error announced. --------- Leave Track Flag This flag is used to announce to the team and spectators that the team needs to leave the track immediately. Reasons for waving this flag: 1. Team timed out and will receive max time. 2. Team got disqualified due to safety or environmental issues. 8. Officials a. Competitors must not interfere with an official’s activities. 9. Sportsmanship a. Good sportsmanship is mandatory during the entire event day. If a competitor, spotter, or any other member of the competitors group is arrested for any reason, is rude or abrasive to local authorities or MOROC officials, cheats, destroys property, or displays drunken or disrespectful behavior during the event; the competitor will be disqualified from the event. b. If a competing team is, in any way, intentionally changing the course per their own advantage, the team will be disqualified. This means throwing objects into the course after the teams’ vehicle has made it through, creating large ruts to stop the next competitors in line, etc. If a team intentionally creates ruts, that team will not only be disqualified from the course, but that team will get additional environmental points added to their score. c. Each team will be can receive up to 6 warnings in total before being disqualified from the event. These warnings are divided by Safety, Environmental, and sportsmanship. i. If Sportsmanship points are issued and corrective measures aren't taken immediately, the competitor may be given up to 2 warnings per course and/or disqualified from the course or event. d. Sportsmanship points can be issued at anytime during the event, not just while on course. 10. Injury Reports a. Reporting of Injury i. If injury happens while on course, stop and turn off the vehicle immediately. Call a TIME OUT and call out to the closest judge that you have been hurt. Give the judge some direction of action. ii.Any team member involved in an accident while on the event premises must notify a MOROC official before leaving the premises. If the injured person is unable to make such a report, a representative of the injured person must inform MOROC officials of the injury. iii. If a driver loses consciousness at anytime during an event, the driver cannot compete for at least seven days and must be cleared, in writing, by a qualified physician. b. Injury Aftermath i. If a team member is injured during course time and the team is forced to stop racing because of the injury, time is stopped on the course immediately. Once the team is prepared to begin racing as is, or with an alternate team member, the team must restart the course from the beginning of the course as if the team had not yet started course time. ii. Teams are allowed alternate spotters. If the spotter gets hurt, the alternate spotter can step in. If the driver gets hurt, the spotter and alternate spotter can then decide who will drive and who will spot. Once the decision has been made, it is final. The new driver and spotter cannot alternate responsibilities. iii. In the event of a 2nd injured team member, the team must forfeit. iiii. The degree of all injuries is to be determined by the event officials. If the injury is serious enough to decrease team members’ performance or responsiveness, MOROC officials have the right to not allow said team members compete. iiiii.  Injuries life threatening must be cared for immediately by emergency crews. 11. Walking the courses a. Teams should walk the courses before racing, but it is not mandatory. b. The ONLY time teams can walk the courses is before the races begin each day. c. If team does not walk the course prior to the event, no TIME OUT CALL can be made. If time is stopped for the team who didn't walk the course, the team will be disqualified from the course. d. Judges are not spotters. Their calls will object to improper driving only. Do not seek advice from them. B. The course 1. Starting position a. Positions in the line-up will be chosen randomly using “luck of the draw”. b. On the second day of competition, vehicle position in the line-up is reversed. 2. Event flow a. Every team is responsible for arriving at their first scheduled obstacle course for the day and finding their correct position in line-up. b. Teams have three minutes to get to the start of the course from the time they were called to start. After 3-minutes course time will start whether the team is ready or not. If a team breaks down and does not inform the head judges that they are broke down and time starts on their course, they will recieve maximum time for that course. i. The starting line up will be announced at the drivers meeting. ii. Groups will not be pre-staged in the parking lot. iii. Event officials are not required to guide the groups to the first line-ups. c. Once a competitor has finished an obstacle, they must proceed immediately to the next scheduled obstacle course. d. Competitors must be ready to start the obstacle course as soon as the preceding teams attempt is complete. e. If a competitor does not arrive in time to see the attempt of the preceding team, they will not be allowed to walk the course. f. The line up will remain the same throughout the entire day. If a competitor has to pit and make a repair, it is up to the driver to get back into the correct line up. It is not the MOROC officials’ responsibility to track down competitors when called to an obstacle. 3. Gates a. Obstacles are marked with gates that define the course and the competitors must maneuver their vehicles between the gates without touching them. b. Gates are generally created using event tape, trees, or other natural objects. Some event locations may require the use of cones or flags. Cones or flags will also mark the start and finish gates. c. There are no points for hitting cones or tape. d. The obstacle course must be started at the first gate and exited at the end gate. The start and finish gates are most often the same gate. e. Competitors must travel through the courses in a logical order. f. If a competitor leaves the course for whatever reason from in-between 2 gates, the competitor must re-enter the course in the same place and must share their intentions with an event official. If the competing team does not return to the same place they left the course, the team will receive a max time for that course. g. MOROC uses the 3-tire rule. Three of the vehicles tires must be in or on the gate. Only one tire is allowed to go off course. The gates mark the course. h. If the vehicle gets two or more tires outside the gate, the gate is considered bypassed. The team must back up or turn around and retry the obstacle before going on. Once the vehicle is successfully maneuvered through the gate the team can continue through the course. i. If a team completes a course after bypassing a gate and did not correct their mistake, the team is disqualified from the course. j. Pay attention. Red flags will be waived if gate is bypassed. There will also be a short whistle from an air horn to notify the team a call has been made. If the team does not hear the judges yell, the air horn, or see the red flag, the team may be out of luck. 4. Course time a. Course time starts once a team member or vehicle breaks the plane of the start gate in any way. b. Teams have three minutes to get to the start of the course from the time they were called to start. After 3-minutes course time will start whether the team is ready or not. c. Competitors may not throw anything into the course.  If this occurs, sportsmanship points will be given. If the team does not fix the course to it's original layout or cannot for any reason, the team will receive and additional point. d. Obstacle time stops when the vehicle breaks the plane of the end gate. e. The competitor can ask the official at any time what their remaining time is. 5. Official Time-out a. An official time out may be called due to spectators on the course, official down, foreign vehicles on the course, etc. When an official time out is called, time will be paused. The driver may not move the vehicle or work on it. The spotter cannot change the position of the course in any way, nor work on the vehicle. If the situation directly affects the teams time, the team, may opt to restart the course. This is only an option if the team is remaining unaware of their current time. If the team is aware of their current time, there is no “redo” of the course as it could be a competitor advantage. 6. Recovery Time/Delay a. Competitors are required to move their vehicles to the side of the course if their vehicle breaks on an obstacle and cannot complete the course on its own power. If the vehicle is immobile due to breakage, the team must examine the situation and figure out the recovery points. The teams should move quickly to get the vehicle off course. Have straps ready for recovery crews. b. Only driver and spotter are allowed to work on their vehicle during course time. If they get outside help, they will be immediately given a time out and be given maximum time for that obstacle. 7. Rollover Recovery a. When a rollover occurs, it is up to the driver and spotter to maneuver the vehicle back onto all fours before course time stops. If the team gets outside help, the team is automatically pointed out. If the team, times out, or takes a voluntary time out, MOROC officials and other competitors are the only persons allowed on the course to help upright the vehicle. The vehicle must be moved off the course immediately thereafter to ensure the event flow is uninterrupted. b. Vehicle must be re-inspected by officials before continuing the course. c. If there is an injury, notify officials IMMEDIATELY. Follow Competitors and conduct rule #10 for directions. d. The vehicle must re-enter the course where it left. Course bypass rules are still in effect. 8. Break-down Time a. If a team breaks on a course and cannot finish the course on the vehicles own power, the competing team will receive the maximum time for that course. b. Once the competitor is pulled from the course, the competing team can receive help from anyone to revive the vehicle to a competitive level. c. The team has an unlimited time to fix their vehicle throughout the day. The only stipulation is: the team must fix their vehicle before the last competitor completes the last course of the day. d. If the broke down team does in fact fix their vehicle before the last competitor completes their course, the team can make up all the courses they missed. A judge will be available to go back with the team to finish the missed courses at the end of the day. e. Note: if the broke down team fixes their vehicle before the end of the day, the team will be placed back in the original order to finish with the group. Once the group finishes the mandatory courses for that day, the judge and the "broke down team" will go back through and finish any missed courses. f. If the team breaks again while making up the missed courses and the break causes the team to be unable to finish a course, the team will then receive the maximum time for the remaining courses. There will be no additional break down time given. g. These break down rules are based within a day. If a team cannot finish the courses on the first day, the team will receive the maximum time for those courses. But, the team can return on Sunday to compete. 9. Inclement Weather/Darkness a. The event will not be postponed due to inclement weather. However torrential rains, high winds, lightning, or any other unsafe weather conditions may delay competitions. b. Inclement weather delays will be called only by a course marshal and will be immediately communicated to all head judges and competing teams. c. If a delay is called, a competitor has the option of completing the obstacle. No points will be counted for that obstacle if they vote not to finish. d. Competitors have the responsibility of keeping informed about the status of any inclement weather delay and resumption of competition. Updates will be available at the information booth. e. When competition resumes, competitors will begin where they stopped when the delay was called. If a competitor opted not to finish the obstacle when the delay was given, the competitors must restart the course from the beginning. f. Competition for the day can be halted due to darkness only by the MOROC marshal and will be immediately communicated to all head judges and competing teams. If a stoppage is called, competitors have the option of completing the obstacle. No time will be counted for that obstacle if they vote not to finish. g. If the competition for the day is halted due to weather or darkness, scoring will be calculated as follows: i. The scorekeeper will determine the winner by the competitor who completed the course/courses with the least amount of time. ii. If competitors were not able to compete in the first course due to stoppage; no refund will be given. It is based on luck of the draw. iii. If all competitors finished the first course, but not all finished the second course, scoring for the second course will not be determined in the scoring for the day. C. Event and Series Scoring 1. Event Scoring a. The least amount of time to get through all the courses for the event wins b. In the event of a tie, the competitor with the least amount of safety, sportsmanship, and/or environmental warnings/disqualifications wins. c. In the event that there is still a tie, the competitor who completes the tiebreaker obstacle in the least amount of time wins. 2. Series Scoring a. The scores that will be transferred for the Series are based on points vs. time. i. This will keep the competition close throughout the entire year. ii. One mistake will most likely not cost a team the series. b. The least amount of points wins the Series. c. Each competitor will receive points based on their placement for each event. D. Course Scoring 1.Gate Hit Penalties a. No Penalty b. Definition: Competitors must maneuver through each gate using the 3-tire rule. Three of the vehicles tires must be in or on the gate. Straddling cones is considered a course bypass. c. Gates that have been hit must still not be bypassed. The original position of the gate marker as determined by the obstacle official will be enforced in this regard. 2. Gate Bypass Time a. Maximum time will be issued whenever a vehicle bypasses a gate and does not return to the bypass point and correct the line. b. Definition: If two or more tires travel outside the gate, the gate is considered bypassed. c. Gates that have been hit are still available for bypass. d. If a vehicle rolls, gate bypass rules are not issued, as long as the vehicle returns into the course where it left and completes the gate without bypassing it. 3. Leakage a. Time will not be accessed for leakage. However, environmental warnings will be issued if leakage of any kind is coming from a vehicle. This includes, but is not limited to, gas, oil, coolant, hydraulic, power steering, and brake fluid. Water is also considered a fluid. A crushed water bottle or spilt cooler could warrant a fluid spill as long as the water bottle or cooler came from the team or dropped from the vehicle. b. Definition: Leakage is defined as a continuous flow of liquid coming from a vehicle. c. Drips will not be considered leakage. d. Note: The environmental warnings are considered serious and could affect placement in the event of a tie. e. In the event of leakage, the team is responsible for removing hazardous fluid from the environment. 4. Safety Violations a. General – Maximum DQ time per course will be issued for any situation deemed unsafe. b. If spotters are found using spotter straps shorter than 10 feet long, a safety violation will be placed on the team. A safety warning will also be placed if the spotter is not in at least a 45* angle of the front or rear of the vehicle will use the spotter strap. c. If a spotter touches a moving vehicle while on the obstacle course, the competitor will receive a safety warning. This also counts if the vehicle is stationary but the tires are still spinning. One warning will be given per occurrence. Three announced occurrences on a course will result in course disqualification. This includes, but is not limited to, spotters reaching in the vehicle. d. If the driver extends any part of his body outside the vehicle in an attempt to touch natural objects on the course while the vehicle is still moving, a warning will be issued. e. Teams shall not at any time grab the roll bars during course time. Teams can recieve up to three warnings before being disqualified from the course. Every warning will include a yellow flag waived, and air horn sounded, and a judge announcing. Failure to immediately resolve the issue will result in a second penalty. f. If a team does not use a winch weight when line is tightened, the team will be disqualified immediately. Note: Winch weights are not required for winch ropes. g. Teams must make officials aware of intentions. If a team wants to leave the designed course between gates to get competitor advantage, they must get approval before entering the course. Failure to get approval is grounds for disqualification. 5. Rear Steering Penalties a. Vehicles with rear steer will not be permitted in the Stock or Modified classes. b. Teams who use rear steer will not be penalized. 6. Winching penalties a. No time will be issued if a competitor uses a winch; however, the clock still runs until the vehicle completes the course. See Safety Violations above. 7. Tool Usage a. Definition: a tool is any item used as means of leverage or for bridge building that is brought with the competitor and not found naturally in the area surrounding the obstacle course. Tools are also items such as brooms, shovels, saws, loppers, spotter straps, etc. b. No penalties will be issued. c. All tools carried inside the vehicle must be secured properly. Items that are not secured are potentially hazardous in the event of an accident or rollover. Items not secured inside the vehicle may be required to stay at the start of the course. d. All items brought into the course must also leave the course with the team. Course time will not be stopped until all items brought into the course are removed from the course. This includes trash. e. Rocks and logs found on the obstacle course are not considered tools and they may not be carried in the vehicle. 8. Spotter Strap a. There are no points for using spotter straps b. Spotter straps must be at least 15 ft in length. c. Spotters must not stand directly in front or behind the vehicle. i. Otherwise Safety warnings will result. d. Spotter must stand at at least a 45* angle from either side. 9. Time-Out a. A maximum time (per course determination) will be given if the competitor exceeds the maximum time allowed per course. b. Voluntary time outs are considered just the same. 10. Voluntary Time-Out a. A voluntary time-out occurs when a competitor chooses not to finish a course. Most often competitors will voluntarily time-out either because of technical issues with the vehicle or because of the difficulty of the course. b. Vehicles damaged from rollovers that are unable to finish the course will be issued a time-out. c. A competitor wishing to voluntarily time-out must verbally notify an official. 11. TIME OUT CALL. a. If teams have an issue with a judges call or cone placement, the team must yell a TIME OUT CALL at the time of question. b. Time out must be yelled out to the closest judge, along with an X arm signal. Time on the clock will be stopped and seconds will be replaced. c. If the team finishes the course before stopping the clock, the judges call stays as is. d. When a TIME OUT CALL is made and the team and judge cannot see eye to eye, the marshal will step in to make the final ruling. e. Time penalties can occur if the team uses TIME OUT CALLS as team advantages, and it can be grounds for course disqualification. f. If team does not walk the course prior to the event, no TIME OUT CALL can be made. If time is stopped for the team who didn't walk the course, the team will be disqualified from the course. 12. Disqualification Points a. Each team will be awarded 6 warnings in total. b. These warnings are divided by Safety, Environmental, and sportsmanship. c. If a competitor receives a disqualification warning, there must be immediate corrective measures taken or it will result by giving another warning. If the issue is still disregarded, the team will be disqualified from the course and depending on the severity, could be disqualified from the event. E. Disqualification 1. Course Disqualification a. maximum time permitted per course will be issued for the following reasons: 1. A safety violation. 2. A No Show- When a competitor does not show up for a course with-in five (3) minutes of being called to compete in an obstacle course (without being notified of being on break-down time) 3. No Start- when a vehicle fails to start an obstacle. To start an obstacle the front tires have to break the plane of the first gate. 4. No Helmet- starting an obstacle with out a helmet or without fastening the chinstraps. 5. No Seat Belt- starting an obstacle without a seat belt fastened properly. Seat belt must be tightened. 6. Out Of Order- starting an obstacle out of order without proper authorization. 7. Unsafe vehicle condition- when a vehicles' condition poses a safety risk, as determined by an event marshal. This includes, but is not limited to: brake failure, fuel leaks, broken seat belt, damaged roll cage, broken seat mount, etc. 8. The vehicle will be disqualified from all future courses until the unsafe condition is deemed fixed by the event marshal. 9. Environmental / un-sports-man-ship. Creating competitor advantage by destroying the course flow for the following competitors will be grounds for course disqualification. 10. If a team uses an unregistered spotter at any time throughout the event, or if the paper work is not filled out correctly. 11. If teams touch event banners buring course time, this includes spotters touching the banners. 12. If teams touch the spectator fence during course time, this includes spotters touching the fence. 2. Event disqualification a. A competitor’s team will be disqualified from an entire event for any of the following: 1. Fighting or threatening anyone on the event grounds. 2. Receiving 6 SES points 3. If a competitor or team member is arrested for any reason, is rude or abrasive to local authorities or MOROC officials, destroys property, or displays drunken or disrespectful behavior. 4. Possessing or using alcohol, drugs, and any other mind-altering substances. 5. For repeatedly not following safety rules. 6. Environmental / un-sports-man-ship. Creating competitor advantage by destroying the course flow for the following competitors can be grounds for event disqualification. F. Protests 1. All calls made by MOROC are not open to litigation. Competitors signing the waiver relinquish all legal rights for litigation against MOROC or land owner(s), or anyone acting on the behalf of MOROC. All calls are made in good faith and are not biased in any way other than to follow the intent of the rules. Any and all court cases will be held in St. Louis, Missouri: MOROC’s home office. 2. Protests will not be allowed on safety violations or disqualification activity. 3. Scoring protests are permitted only under the following conditions: a. A competing team may only lodge a protest against their own score. b. Only the driver and spotter may lodge a protest. c. Crowd input or video play back will not be considered evidence during the protest process.