RAO Inspection and Pre-Race Meeting Info

Monday July 10, 2006 by Terri Gooch

After speaking with a few racers — I would like to take a moment and clarify what to expect on race weekend.

Vehicle and Bike Inspection – Friday July 20, 2007. Inspection is open from 12:00 – 5:30PM in the back parking lot of the Holiday Inn. First, come and see me — I will check you into RAO and give you your RAO vehicle numbers, helmet numbers, windshield banner, and goodie bag. You can also pick up your crew t-shirts and RAO banquet tickets at this time.
What I need from you if you are racing solo:

If you are presently an OBRA or UMCA member, just let me know via email. You may race RAO with either an annual or day membership to the UMCA — however, you must be a member to race. Your OBRA membership is included in your entry — I just need the signed form.

If you are racing on a two or four person team:

If you are not an OBRA member, I just need a completed form — Your day license is included in your entry. You do not need to be a member of the UMCA.

To pass vehicle and bike inspection you will need to have all of your paperwork turned in. When you are ready, find George or another official who will be looking for and checking the following –

Pace Vehicle
1. Do the head, tail, hazard and brake lights work? Do the turn signals work?
2. Are the amber lights installed and working. Do they have their own on/off switch?
3. Slow moving vehicle sign. Do you have one? Can it be removed or covered when the vehicle is not following the rider?
4. Caution Bike Race Ahead sign. Do you have one? Does it block visibility of the driver? Can other vehicles read it?
5. Are the RAO numbers and RAO Windshield banner on the vehicle?
6. Is a copy of the dashboard protocol in the vehicle?
7. Are the extra lights (if any) below 36“

Follow Vehicle:
1. Head, Tail, Brake and Hazard Lights and turn signals working?
2. Rider Numbers/RAO Banner visible?
3. Caution Bike Race Ahead sign?
4. Dashboard Protocol?

On Each Bicycle:
1. Head light/Tail Light
2. Batteries for both types of lights
3. Reflective Material on the cranks, all wheels, seat stays, rear triangle and fork.
4. Helmet numbers

Once you have passed inspection you are free to meet up with the folks from Cascade Production and have your interview. Interviews will be about 15-20 minutes long.

Pre-Race Meetings:
6:00-6:30 – Solo Racers (Each racer must be represented by at least the solo racer and one crew member)
6:30-6:45 – Solo Rookies only
7:00-8:00 RAO ’05 DVD
8:00-8:30 Two and Four Person Teams (Each team must be represented by at least two racers or one racer one crew member)

The pre-race meeting is not only a great place to see who you will be racing against, but also to hear about the course changes, any route issues and to discuss the RAO race rules and any questions or updates regarding the rules. We will also discuss time station protocol, introduce officials, and give a basic overview of the penalty structure. Each racer or team must have at least two representatives attend the pre-race meeting.

The Vehicle/Bicycle Inspection as well as attendance at the Pre-Race Meeting is part of racing RAO. Simply put, you can not roll out from the starting line as an official racer without partaking in all of these pre-race events. Please do not plan on arriving at the Holiday Inn at 5:00PM and expect to get everything finished before the Pre-race meetings begin at 6:00PM. It won’t happen. Please plan accordingly. If you have any questions or concerns please contact me via email at raoterri@aol.com



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