HYPER TYPED BY THE SPEED DEMON IN 1991 LOMBARD RAC RALLY ================= INTRODUCTION Lombard RAC Rally is a challenging and realistic simulation of the world famous car rally. Much more than a motor racing game, it will give you many hours of undiluted pleasure while at the same time providing a thrilling and searching test of your driving and strategic skills. Achieving the nultimate objective - to finish the rally in the fastest time - will not be easy, but thehn neither is the real thing! Night driving, fog-shrouded roads, forest lanes and twisting mountainous tracks, all stand between you and victory. The chance of laying claim to one of the greatest prizes in the world rallying is within your grasp. Are you up to it? OBJECTIVE The main objective of Lombard RAC Rally is to take Your Ford Sierra RS Cosworth into first place by beating the target times laid down for the competition. There are no points or penalties - just drive like the wind, watch out for other competitors and try to get to the end of the track in one piece! SELECTING FROM THE MAIN OPTIONS Following the opening title, the screen will display all the main options. Moving the joystivck up or down will highlight each of these options in turn. To select a currently highlighted option, press the joystick fire button. THE FULL LOMBARD RAC RALLY The full Lombard RAC Rally compels you to play all five legs of the Rally (15 stages in all) and their predetermined sequence. However, you must first prove your competence to be admitted in this supreme test of driving skills by playing all five legs in any order you wish (see QUALIFYING) and winning at least on prize overall. When you have thus qualified, you may participate in the full rally by selecting Full Lombard RAC Rally from the options. For each of the prescribed legs must then be played in their proper sequence. The time taken on each stage is accumulated and you will attain overall first place if you achieve the target time laid down. QUALIFYING To qualify for the Full Lombard RAC Rally, you must play all of the five legs at least once and must win a minimum of one prize overall (just finish firstm second or third in any leg). The individual legs, listed on the main options screen, are: Harrogate - Telford Telford - Harrogate Harrogate - Carlisle Carlisle - Harrogate Harrogate - Harrogate You don`t have to compete in the full Rally. You may instead prefer to play any or all of the legs in any order and as often as you like, simply for fun and to sharpen your driving skills. STAGES Each of the five legs of the Lombard RAC RAlly consists of three separate and consecutive stages. When an individual leg is highlighted, the panel on the right of the screen will display, for that particular stage, the route map, the route type and conditions, and prescribed times, the prize money for achieving those times, and the names and times of the best runs achieved in the current session. Details of each of three stages are obtained by moving the joystick left or right when an individual leg is highlighted. The highlighted number (1, 2 or 3) at the top of the panel indicates which of the three stages is currently being referenced. The Stage Types are road, mountain and forest. The Stage Conditions are normal, night and fog. DRIVING YOUR FORD SIERRA RS COSWORTH To steer, move hte joystick left and right. To accelerate, push forward on the joystick. Pull back on the joystick to brake. To change up a gear, press the fire button while pushing forward on the joysick. To change down, press the fire button while pulling back on the joystick. One of the secrets to success in Lombard RAC Rally is timely gear changing. The stages are full of twists and turns, hills and valleys, keen and poor visibility - so it`s a good idea to be nifty with the gear stick to suit the road conditions. Saving vital seconds is crucial. Leaving the road surface will slow you down and damage the car. A minor collision will cause the car to decelerate, but hitting an object with more force will cause the car to stop. You`ll have to re-selectr first geare and get going again as soon as possible. A violent crash may mean the end of the race, or, more typically, valuable tim ebeing lost while your car is gently repositioned on the road with first gear selected. The control gauge planel displayed above the gear box shows vital data about the condition of the Cosworth`s engine, suspejnsion and tyre wear. The other three gauges produce technical data which is analysed by your co-driver. Don`t worry about them. To the right of the screen is the speedometer and the rev counter. These display your current speed and the engine tick over rate respectively. THe timer on the Cosworth`s dashboard indicates the cumulative elapsed time for the leg in minutes and seconds. The timer attached to the map clipboard shows the elapsed time for the stage. During the full Lombard RAC Rally the dashboard timer will display the lowest target time for the present leg. Failure to equal or beat this time results in a `Time Out` and your rally will end. If this happens press the fire button to return to the main menu where you can decide to try the full rally again or select Start Again WORKSHOP You may visit the workshop at any time by selecting the Workshop option from the main options screen or by pressing the W key during a stage. But beware: If you elect to take your car to the Workshop while racing the time spent there will be added to your overall time for that stage. Provided you have money you can make desired changed or essential repairs to your Cosworth. You may wish to visit the Workshop simply to check the current state of your car. There is no obligation to spend your hard-earned cash! Any damage done to bodywork, suspension, engine or tyres is shown as a percentage figure (maximum 99%) beside the relevant item on the right of the workshop screen. The repait cost is &1 for each percentage point of damage. To effect repairs, move the joystick until the appropriate part of the car is highlighted (the respective box at the right side of the screen will also be highlighted with a blue surround) and press the fire button. Press the fire button again if you want to halt the repair (you might not want to spend all your cash on that particular item). The cost os the repair will automatically be deducted from your cash in hand. To effect changes to the car, highlight the Parts box and move the joystick up or down. The available parts will be shown in turn, each with the cost of purchasing that component. Simply press the fire button to but the part you require and it will be fitted, always assuming you can meet the bill! The panel to the right of the parts bocx indicates the current specification of your Cosworth. To leave the workshop, highlight the Exit box and press the fire button. Please note: Failure to pay due care to the state of your Cosworth and to take necessary remedial acion will effects its performance and may even render the car (and you!) unfit for rallying. EARNING MONEY There are two mays to earn money. The first is by winning big cash prizes during the rally. The second is to indulge your ego in a TV interview. Selecting the TV Interview from the main options allows you to take part in the Lombard RAC Rally Trivia Quiz. During the 40 seconds alloted you will be presented with a series of questions on all aspects of the Lombard RAC Rally. Each question comes complete with a choice of three answers. Simply select the one you think is correct by highlighting A, B or C (move your joystick up and down) and press the fire button. The good news is that every question answered correctly wins you &50. The bas news is that every question answered incorrectly will cost you &20. If you fail to answer all five questions "Time out" occurs and all winnings are lost. Still, the programmers have not been too unkind. No matter how badly you fare at this option, your cash balance will never fall below zero. One further thing. You are only permitted one TV Interview before each leg of the rally. PRACTICE If you simply wish to practice, select this option from the main options screen. Naturally, no prize money is available during a practice run. DEMO To see how it should be done, select this option and sit back and watch. The game will also go into demo mode if left untouched for 50 seconds. You can get back to the game by moving the joystick or pressing the fire button. OTHER FEATURES Pressing the spacebar will pause the simulation, enabling you to pop for a quick oil change or to wipe the mud from your display. To continue, press the spacebar again. Hitting the Escape key immediately abondons the current activity and returns you to the main option screen with all timings and earnings intact. Should you wish to begin the simulation again from scratch, selecting the Start Again option from the main menu will let you do just that. HISTORY OF THE RALLY The contrast between the Lombard RAC Rally today and the first one held 56 yeats earlier is remarkable. Although now a major event in what is arguably the most exciting and toughest form of motorsport, the rally began life as little more than a gentle, organised ramble round the English countryside. The UK economy in 1931 was in a state of emergency. To help the balance of payments situation it was decided to set up a British alternative to the famous Monte Calro Rally and thereby stem some of the money being spent abroad at this event and perhaps draw the public`s attention to the attractions of British coastal resorts. THE TORQUAY RALLY As a result of what was to turn out to be a momentous decision, the first British rally took place in March 1932. As Torquay was chosen to be the finishing point, it was officially known as the Torquay Rally. The contestants started their 1,000 milr route from Bath, Buxton, Edinburgh, Harrogate, Leamington, London, Newcastle and Norwich. The principle aim of those choosing the routes was to try and ensure that everyone got to Torquay where the winner would be determined by a series of tests. Of the 341 contestants, among whom were many peers of the realm as well as racing drivers, 321 made it to the finish. The average speed on the road sections was between 22 and 25 mph. There are no overnight halts and among the casualties was one driver who fell asleep at the wheel and rammed a telegraph pole, another who overturned on the little ice there was on the route, and a further unfortunate who collided with a horse just eight miles from the start. TO THE SLOWEST THE VICTORY The first of the three tests to decide the winner involved driving in top gear as slowly as possible along 100 yards or Torquay promenade. This was followed by an acceleration test, at the conclusion of which the distance required to bring the car to a dead stop was measured. The use of a complicated formula to achieve equity between the different cars had a strange side-effect - the slower a motorist travelled in the first test, the more favourable the result! The winner of this bizarre test, with an average speed of 0.66mph, was Colonel Loughborough driving a Lanchester. As it turned out, he was also the overall victor of what motoring history records as the first ever RAC rally. THE RALLY CONTINUES With some changes, the event has held every year thereafter until 1939, after which the Second World War brought it to an end. When the rally returned in June 1951, it was granted international status. Bournemouth was selected as the finish point and four starting locations were used - Brighton, Cheltenham, Harrogate and Skegness. Tests were no conducted throughout the rally. All routes converged on Silverstone, where the final test was to complete a given number of laps at a minimum average speed per class. Ford stamped their imprint on the 1954 Rally. They took the manufacturers`s team prize and a Ford Zephyr finished in third place. The rally was cancelled in 1957, due to the Suez crisis and consequent petrol rationing. The following year the RAC made every effort to encourage foreign entries by placing the emphasis not on navigation but on speed, and planning to have a starting point at Le Touquet in France. However, only one enttry from abroad was received and that was from a Briton living in Sweden! As a result, the Le Torquet control was dropped. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION OF THE FORD SIERRA RS COSWORTH ENGINE Cylinders 4-in-line Mounted Front, north-south Capacity 1933 cc (x 1.4 = 17900.2 cc) Bore and Stroke 90.8 x 76.95mm Compression Ratio 12:1 Valves/camshafts 16 valve/DOHC Fuel System Weber Magnet Marelli Turbocharger Garrett T3 6500 rpm 4500 rpm TRANSMISSION Gearbox 5 speed Gelrag close ratio Drive type 2WD (rear) Clutch/differentials Single-plate/rear viscous diff. CHASSIS Steering Rack & pinion, assisted Front suspension Mc Pherson Rear suspension Semi-trailing arm Wheel rim widths 5.0-8.75 x 16 in Tyres Pirelli Front brakes 315 x 32 mm ventilated discs, AP calipers Rear brakes 285 x 28 mm ventilated discs, AP calipers DIMENSIONS Overall length 4460 mm Overall width 1920 mm Height 1359 mm Wheelbase 2609 mm FORD TRIUMPHANT By changing the date to November and devising a testing route, a higher overseas contingent was attracted to the 1959 Rally. There were 16 foreign entries, including the winner of the Monte Carlo Rally. The tough route took the contestants from Blackpool to the Scottish Highlands and back through Wales to finish at the Crystal Palace. Unfortunately, appalling weather in the Highlands - snow, floods and fog - all but ruined the event. Even so, it was to be a vintage year for Ford - they not only won the manufacturer`s team prizr again but also finished in first position, again with a Zephyr. Ford wear to go on to win the team prize in 1963, 1964 and then in three consecutive years from 1977-1979, a hat-trick never since emulated by any other company. In fact Ford have won the manufacturer`s team prize more times than anyone else in the rally`s history. TULIPS FROM HOLLAND Thw 1960 Rally saw some movement away from public to private roads and there was less navigational content. The contestants has use of a comprehensive Tulip Road Book - a manual which, by the use of signs and symbols, gave accurate directions linked to the distance from the previous control. The book was based and named after a cheme successfully used by the methodical Dutch in their own Tulip Rally. In fourth place in the 1963 Rally was a BMC Mini-Cooper driven by Paddy Hopkirk. THis was to be the beginning of the rise of the Mini. In 1964, Ford were making their mark with a Cortina finishing in third position. But in 1965 BMC cars led almost from the start to the finish. That rally was won by the Finn, Rauno Aaltonen, driving a Mini-Cooper-S. BMC Minis again dominated the rally in 1966 but FOrd struck back and a Lotus-Cortine finished first. Other noteworthy facts about the 1966 Rally were that this was the first appearance by a Lancia and there were entried from two Grand Prix drivers, Graham Hill and Jim Clark. TRYING TIMES AN outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Britain caused the cancellation of the 1967 rally but next year Ford were back in action, gaining third place with an Escort. Dreadful weather conditions caused chaos to the 1971 Rally - snow drifts and ice-encrusted roads caused total disarray and many cars were brought to a complete standstill. So bad were the conditions that, in the middle of a special stage, one car was even attempting to drive in the wrong direction. In contrast, the 1972 Rally was a huge success, mainly thanks to a larger HQ control, a more compact route (1, 800 miles with 72 stages), better organisation, and improved weather. The surprise winner, beating the previous year`s victor (Stig Blomqvist in a Saab), was a Ford Escort driven by Roger Clark with Tony Mason navigating. This was to be the first of eight consecutive RAC Rally victories for the famous Ford car, three of those wins (1973-1975) being gained by the combined efforts of Time Makinen and Henry Liddon. A CHANGE OF NAME By 1974 the RAC Rally had become renowned as an event for the first rally drivers and cars in the world and, following a successful liaisonship with the Lombard Group, became known as the Lombard RAC Rally. The year 1980 saw the Ford Escort`s string of first-place victories come to an end, beaten into second place by Henri Toivenen and Paul White in a Talbot Sunbeam-Lotus. The next three years were to be dominated by one of the new breed of supercar, the turbocharged, four-wheel drive Audi Quattro. Driven in 1981-1982 by Hannu Mikkola with Arne Hertz at his side and in 1983 by Stig Blomqvist with Bjorn Cederberg, the Audi Quattro broke all rally performance expectations and in so doing altered the face of the world championship rallying. Even so, a Ford Escort still finished second in 1980 and in 10981 took the Ladies` Prize, the eight time Ford had won this award. FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH Bringing events right up to date, the most recent four years have seen the pattern change yet again. Now it was time for the other two cars to take turns to win this famous rally. In 1984 and 1986, a Peugeot 205 took the honours while in 1985 and 1987, a Lancia Delta reigned supreme. The 1985 highlight was another landmark in rallying history - the Austin Rover Metro made its international debut and finished third. What the future holds is anyone`s guess. Ford have undoubtedly made their indelible mark on the rally`s history and will assuredly continue to appear in the prize lists. What is even more certain will assuredl6y continue to appear in the prize lists. What is even more certain is that Lombard RAC Rally will continue to excite and entertain the motoring enthusiast for many years to come. PREVIOUS WINNERS The first rally was held in 1932. Up to 1937 only class winners were produced before a classification for overall winner was introduced. YEAR WINNERS CAR 1937 Jack Harrop SS Jaguar 2.5 litre 1938 Jack Harrop SS Jaguar 2.5 litree 1939 A F P Fane Frazer-Nash BMW 328 1940 to No Rally 1950 1951 Ian Appleyard/Pat Appleyard Jaguar XK120 1952 Godfrey Imhof/Mrs B Frayling Allard-Cadillac J2 1953 Ian Appleyard/Pat Appleyard Jaguar XK120 1954 John Wallwork/J H Brooks Triumph TR2 1955 Jimmy Ray/Brian Horrocks Standard 10 1956 Lyndon Sims/R Jones/A Ambrose Aston Martin DB2 1957 No Rally 1958 Peter Harper/Dr E W Deane Sunbeam Rapier 1959 Gerald Burgess/Sam Croft-Pearson Ford Zephyr 1960 Erik Carlsson/Stuart Turner Saab 96 1961 Erik Carlsson/John Brown Saab 96 1962 Erik Carlsson/David Stone Saab 96 1963 Tom Trana/S Lindstrom Volvo PV544 1964 Tom Trana/Gunnar Thermanius Volvo PV544 1965 Rauno Aaltonen/Tony Ambrose Mini-Cooper S 1966 Bengt Soderstrom/Gunnar Palm Ford Cortine-Lotus 1967 No Rally 1968 Simo Lampinen/John Dravenport Saab V4 1969 Harry Kalstrom/Gunnar Haggbom Lancia Fulvia HF 1970 Harry Kalstrom/Gunnar Haggbom Lancia Fulvia HF 1971 Stig Blomqvist/Arne Hertz Saab V4 1972 Roger Clark/Tony Mason Ford Escort RS1600 1973 Timo Makinen/Henry Liddon Ford Escort RS1600 1974 Timo Makinen/Henry Liddon Ford Escort RS1600 1975 Timo Makinen/Henry Liddon Ford Escort RS1800 1976 Roger Clark/Stuart Pegg Ford Escort RS1800 1977 Bjorn Waldegard/Hans Thorszeulius Ford Escort RS 1978 Hannu Mikkola/Anne Hertz Ford Escort RS 1979 Hannu Mikkola/Anne Hertz Ford Escort RS 1980 Henri Toivonen/Paul White Talbot Sunbeam-Lotus 1981 Hannu Mikkola/Anne Hertz Audi Quattro 1982 Hannu Mikkola/Anne Hertz Audi Quattro 1983 Stig Blomqvist/Bjorn Cederberg Audi Quattro 1984 Ari Vatanen/Terry Harryman Peugeot 205 T16 1985 Henri Toivonen/Neil Wilson Lancia Delta S4 1986 Timo Salonen/Seppo Harjanne Peugeot 205 T16 E2 1987 Juha Kankkunen/Juha Piironen Lancia Delta HIGHLIGHTS OF THE OFFICAL RULES 1. ELIGIBILITY The event is a qualifying round for: The FIA Worl Rally Championship for Manufacturers The FIA Worl Rally Championship for Drivers The Triple Crown Championship 2. DESCRIPTION The length of the rally will be approximately 1700 miles (2,700 km), including 350 miles (560km) of special stages. 3. ROUTE RECONAISSANCE Practising, reconnoitering or having prior information of the special stages in the form of pace notes is expressly forbidden except under the following conditions and on dates and times laid down: a) Competitors may traverse the stages at a maximum speed of 25mph (40kph). b) Rally cars not permitted. 4. ELIGIBLE COMPETITORS Any person holding a currently valid FIA International Competitor`s licence. 5. ENTRY FEES a) With optional advertising proposed by the organisers: (i) Entry paid three weeks before closing date: £640. (ii) Entry paid one week before closing date: £950. (iii) Entry paid by closing date: £1.250 6. TIME CARD a) Each crew will be given a book of time-cards on which the times to cover distances between time controls will appear. b) The crew is responsible for submitting the time card at the different controls and for the accuracy of the entries. c) The absence of a stamp of official mark from any control or the failure to hand in time card at each control will result in exclusion from the event. 7. TRAFFIC LAWS Throughout the rally competitors must strictly observe the traffic laws of the United Kingdom. Competitors shall always drive and conduct themselves in a manner which shall not discredit the event or arouse adverse public opinion. 8. REPAIRS Repairs and refuelling are freely permitted throughout the whole event. 9. ADVERTISING Competitors are allowed to affix any kind of advertising to their cars, provided that:- a) It is authorised by national laws and organising conditions for World Rally Championship events. b) It is not likely to give offence. c) That it does not encroach upon the space reserved for plates and competition numbers. d) That it does not interfere with the crew`s vision through the windows. 10. SPECIAL STAGES Crews are forbidden to drive in the opposite direction to that of the rally, under pain of exclusion.