2011 Cal24 Announcement! June 10th - 12th

[Alex]

Tom Melchild has just announced the details for next year's Cal24 Rally...

2011 Cal 24 Rally Announcement

We are proud to announce the 2011 edition of the Cal 24 will be held on June 10-12th 2011. The Cal 24 has been one of the premier, and longest running, Long Distance Rallies in United States. We have a reputation of sending riders on the best motorcycle roads in the west, which of course means the best motorcycle roads on Earth! We also make sure that everyone has whole lot of fun, while riding safely.

The Cal 24 is a 24 hour rally that starts Saturday morning and finishes the following morning. Riders are given a list a list of possible bonus locations, along with some mandatory check point locations. Riders try to get as many points as possible by getting bonus locations, (either answering questions, taking photos, participating in activities, or getting certain objects) while getting to the checkpoints within certain time windows, and getting to the finish on time. Some have referred to it as kind of a scavenger hunt on steroids. It is, and always has been a challenge.

The base route is slightly over 1,000 miles. Finishers who put on over 1,000 corrected miles will qualify for an Iron Butt Association Saddle Sore certificate. To be a finisher, a rider only has to make the mandatory checkpoints on time, and get to the finish within the time window. Minimum mileage to be a finisher is typically about 700 miles.

Riders are required to provide a valid driver’s license with motorcycle endorsement, valid registration and proof of insurance. Motorcycles must pass a technical inspection which includes checking for proper operation of lights, horn etc. and tires that should reasonably last the rally. (New tires are highly recommended!) Riders and passengers must also sign a release of liability form. A copy of the release can be sent to you upon request before you send in an entry.

The Cal 24 is also a fund raiser for Polio Plus through Rotary International. We have raised thousands of dollars for this wonderful cause in previous years. Each rider must make a minimum donation of $50. Riders are encouraged to raise these funds through friends, family, co-workers etc. We give a great prize to the rider who raises the most money for Polio Plus.

This year we are going to do things a little differently once again. (We are known for this too!) This year we are going to start in a different location than we finish in. The start will be on the eastern side of the Sierra’s. (The exact location will be given to riders when the Rally Packs are sent out, but it is in Northern Nevada.) The finish will be in San Jose, California. This opens up a whole new world of route possibilities.

Because we are finishing in a different location, there will be a vehicle available to transport any items riders need at the finish that they don’t want to carry with them on the rally. On Sunday afternoon, after riders have a chance to get some rest and we do the scoring, we have an awards banquet at the finish location.

The cost for a single entry in the Cal 24 is $225. Cost for a Couple is $275. Minimum donation for a single is $50 and $100 for a couple. For this, riders get the Rally, a long sleeve riding shirt, awards banquet, finishing plaques and refreshments before, during and after the rally.

Also new this year is that for the first time, the Cal 24 is officially sanctioned by MERA, the Motorcycle Endurance Riders Association. Last year MERA gave Jerry White, the winner of the Cal 24 an entry into the Ten N’ Ten rally. The Cal 24 gave Ken Meese, the winner of the Utah 1088 an entry into this year’s rally. This year, MERA will give the winner an entry into the 24 hour version of the Utah 1088, and the winner of the 1088 will get an entry into the 2012 Cal 24. You can get more information about MERA and the Utah 1088 at www.utah1088.com.

More information and entry forms can be found at www.cal24.com. Or you can email Tom Melchild, Cal24 President, at tom@cal24.com

[Dmitriy]

Having done the 2009 rally on a GSX-R 600. I can safely say this even is like no other. Dakar the on road version!

Alex I am really curious how many people will start using the iPad or Motorola Xoom as their roadbooks this year. I can really see the advantage of such a large screen.

[Alex]

I wonder as well. People in the iron butt rally itself have used some pretty neat cobbled-together solutions over the years, custom tablets and the like. But the technology has gotten even more accessible this time, and a rally-focused app on the iPad could be pretty compelling (assuming it would need to be wired to bike power throughout to keep the screen on at full brightness). Does the iPad have a GPS chip onboard?

[Alex]

k - did some googling, and saw that the 3G model of the iPad does have an AGPS (assisted GPS chip) onboard, but it also works when not in the range of any cell towers. Some AGPS chips require cell tower data to function at all; others use the cell tower data to speed up their processing if available yet can function standalone as well. Looks like the iPad is the latter (someone was using it as a functional chartplotter on a boat well outside the range of cell coverage, and the GPS worked fine).

[Dmitriy]

Yes my 3G GPS works even out of coverage. and there are some really neat software solutions for tracking. Motionx GPS is one good one.

[Dmitriy]

BTW another good gadget to have for a rally like this would the new ContourGPS. It would really simplify fact checking at the end of the ride. Just upload the files and the video should match the GPS tracks right next to each other. So take a short clip at each checkpoint.

It would really work well for promoting the rally as well since we'd have all that footage.

[Alex]

Official signups close May 15th (this Sunday). Over 40 riders signed up so far, the largest field in years. If anyone is thinking about trying this at some point, this year would be a fantastic year to start.

[Alex]

Heading out for this tomorrow morning. Hope to have some fun pictures and stories when I return Sunday evening!

[bluepoof]

Have a great time, Alex!

[Alex]

Home safe and sound, and had a great time. I just finished writing up my ride report, and the final standings have been posted right here. I think there have to be quite a few folks on this board who might enjoy a rally like this, and doing it on a Ninja 250 would be a great badge of honor. I'm a wuss, so I took my RT.