The LITTLE RIVER CANYON TSD ROAD RALLY
NOVEMBER 1, 2025
On November 1, Alabama SCCA presented the Little River Canyon Time, Speed, and Distance Road Rally. Even with a few last-minute cancellations, an excellent group of eleven teams (consisting of a driver and navigator) and one person wanting to check out what road rallies are about, gathered at the Rim of the Canyon Cafe and General Store just outside Little River Canyon National Reserve. The federal government shutdown altered the original starting point at the park, but it turned out for the best as the Café offered gas, snacks, nicer restrooms, and even a café serving breakfast for those so inclined.
The brisk morning started with competitor check-ins followed by a safety meeting. At 9:45 a.m., the first car received their route instructions so they could review them for thirty minutes before heading out for what turned out to be a beautiful day of exploring north and central Alabama. The other teams received their instructions every minute after the first team’s departure, and by 10:30 a.m. all teams were on the road.
The course started with an odometer check of almost twelve miles to one of Little River Canyon’s scenic overlooks. After calibrating their odometers to the mileage defined by the rally masters, the teams began the first of two competitive legs which contained twelve checkpoints. Their goal was to try their best to match the “perfect” time established along the route. Each second, early or late, through each of these checkpoints resulted in a one point penalty. The team with the lowest penalty points would be the winner at the end of leg two.
After driving for almost 60 miles of winding roads through several north Alabama counties, the teams ended the first leg in Guntersville. The teams had a 45-minute lunch break around the Lake Guntersville area, after which the teams began leg two just south of Guntersville. Touring an additional 60-plus miles between Guntersville and Springville and navigating through twelve more checkpoints yielded lots of changes in the standings as the rally masters tracked the scores and made sure no one got too lost.
After several hours on the road, the rally ended at the Farmhouse Restaurant in Springville, Alabama, where the teams got to have a bite to eat, swap stories, and laugh at some of the adventures during the day. And there were some adventures, but, thankfully, everyone was accounted for at the end of the day. The last order of business was the trophy ceremony, and the rally committee members were pleased to award the following awards to our class winners:
First Timers
1st Place – Merlin Stimpl (Driver) / Miki Yoshikawa (Navigator)
2nd Place – Dean Tanner (Driver) / Cyndi Tanner (Navigator)
3rd Place – Kent Gilliland (Driver) / Tracy Gilliland (Navigator)
Novice
1st Place – Kelli Eldridge (Driver) / Stacy Kingren (Navigator)
Kelli and Stacy also had the best overall score as well as Kelli being the unofficial comeback driver of the event after getting lost last year.
2nd Place – Susan Richardson (Driver) / Charlie Richardson (Navigator)
3rd Place – Lynne Stanley (Driver) / Bruce Stanley (Navigator)
A big THANK YOU also goes out to our sponsors who provided several goodie bags for the teams. Also, thank you to all of our teams, rally committee, and supporters who made this event a big success. The rally committee is already planning to meet after the first of the year to begin planning next year’s road rally program. If you’d like to help in any way or have suggestions that may make our rally events more successful, please reach out to Andy Williams, Jim Faris, Sheryl Lee, or Jeff Lee.
Road rally terms mentioned in this report:
“First Timer” - neither the driver nor the navigator has competed in an organized road rally of any type (Treks not included) prior to the event.
“Novice” - both the driver and the navigator have competed in fewer than five rallies of any type.
“Observer” - more than two adults in the car (non-competitive)
Driver and navigator follow route instructions and try to score a “0” at each checkpoint.
Rallymasters Jeff and Sheryl Lee and our club’s Road Rally Program Director, Andy Williams, with assistance from Jim Faris, managed all of the pre-event course design, registration setup, event day logistics, and arranged for an SCCA member to perform a course safety check. The amount of preparation required for a well-organized road rally is significant, and we want to thank these club members for leading the ALSCCA’s award-winning road rally program.
