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Trialing is the only discipline of motorsport which is held on public roads while the rest of the population is still using them. This can mean that you have to have 5 pairs of eyes to keep an eye on all the other traffic while trying to find checks and interpret instructions, but most of that can be left to the navigator. However the driver is the person who must interpret what the navigator is telling him/her and decide where to go. Here is a run down on some aspects of driving in a trial.
Definition of an Intersection
An intersection is a junction of three or more roads (ie: can exit the
intersection in at least three different directions). A road must be accessible on the day
of the event by competitors and will usually be open to all members of the public. A
definition of what is a road will usually be given in the ASR's, and will usually exclude
obviously private property (such as driveways marked by letterboxes or entrances to
business addresses). It should be noted that, unless otherwise stated, public carparks,
driveways for parks and schools and such are generally regarded as roads.
The Tee Intersection
A "Tee" intersection is just as you would expect, an intersection which
is layed out like a capital "T". For an intersection to be a Tee intersection
the competitor must travelling up the stalk of the "T" to an intersection where
you can go only left or right.
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| The Crossroads A set of crossroads is the intersection of four roads (no more, no less), and must not be a roundabout. In particular, look out for crossroads which are unmarked from your direction of travel (ie: you are going down a main road and there are two side-streets opposite each other, forming a set of crossroads) as these can be easy to miss. |
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The Roundabout A roundabout is an intersection with an area around which traffic may only proceed in one direction. Any CRI's to be completed at a roundabout must indicate which exit on the left to exit the roundabout from (ie: an instruction such as "Left at roundabout" is not sufficient, you would need an instruction such as "Exit at the first exit from the roundabout") |
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The Line of Least Deviation (aka The Straight Ahead Rule) Line of least deviation involves following the road which causes you to deviate the least from your current direction of travel. This will not always mean that you will stay on the road you are currently travelling on. |
Non-Existent Roads
When is a road not a road? When it is deemed not to exist in the minds of the
trialist. For a road to exist it must be possible for you to turn into and travel along it
from your current position. This means that:
1. If you are at an intersection with a no right turn sign, a road closed sign, no entry sign etc the road on the right indicated by the sign does not exist.
2. If you are travelling along a road with a median strip preventing you from turning into a road then that road doesn't exist.
3. If the organisers have put out a "No Road" sign (see picture below) to say that a road doesn't exist.
You must be careful where a road is made not to exist as it could, for example, make an intersection of five roads (non-crossroads) into a set of crossroads.
Signs
The basis for most instructions to tell competitors where to go are based on road
signs. Sometimes the signs will only be used to name a road where you should do something,
sometimes the sign will itself be a spot to do something.
A general convention with signs is as follows: When quoting a sign, the sign will be quoted in CAPITAL LETTERS in the CRI's; Where the sign is indicating something (eg: naming a road) then the sign will be spelt in Standard Case in the CRI's (The differences here can be subtle, but will become clearer in the Traps section)
When a sign is quoted (ie: CAPITALS) then the whole sign must be quoted word for word. There is a large difference between the signs "MOWBRAY PL", "MOWBRAY PLACE" and "MOWBRAY PLACE NO EXIT" - each of these would refer to different signs.
When a sign is naming (ie: Standard Case) then the whole sign does not have to be quoted (eg: "Mowbray Pl" would be sufficient to refer to each of the three signs above as the sign is only naming the road).
Lastly, look out for signs which appear to be one sign but are actually two. See the examples below.
One sign in each case
Two signs in each case
Introduction | En Route | Traps | Example One | Example Two