Elephant Charge 2012
INSTRUCTIONS, RULES AND REGULATIONS
The Elephant Charge 2012 is a motor sport event in which entrants will be required
to visit 10 checkpoints while travelling the shortest possible distance across difficult,
trackless terrain. Speed is not a necessity. The event is organised to raise funds
to support the activities of the Charge Charities.
Elephant Charge 2012 is organised by Elephant Charge Zambia Ltd on a not-for-profit
basis.
www.elephantcharge.org
SECRETARY TO THE EVENT
Julia Tunney
info@elephantcharge.org
Tel: 0977 720 696
ORGANIING COMMITTE
M. Fleming, P. Castle, J. Pope, T. Younger, A. Fleming, V. Kelly, M. Terken
RACE OFFICIALS
Clerk of the Course:
A. Fleming
Deputy Clerks of the Course:
P. Castle, T. Younger
CHARGE VEHICLES
The Organisers decision on the eligibility of any vehicle will be final.
Cars - Eligibility and Equipment
The event is open to any vehicle with 4 wheels which must be roadworthy and safe
in the opinion of the scrutineers, EXCEPT that the following are specifically excluded:-
- Agricultural prime movers or similar vehicles
- Earth moving machines and equipment
- Plant and machinery for construction works
- Tracked vehicles
- The minimum allowed unladen weight of a vehicle is 500kg.
- The maximum allowed unladen weight of a vehicle is 3000kg.
Tyre size and design is free. Studs, chains and spikes are prohibited.
Each vehicle must be fitted with seat belts (full harness recommended) for front
seats, and carry a First Aid kit, a Fire Extinguisher and a can of fly spray (for bees).
These will be checked at Scrutineering.
Each vehicle must carry at least 10 litres of water. It is recommended to carry
sufficient food for the crew for 24 hours as well as warm clothing and blankets.
A torch is recommended to enable search parties to locate lost vehicles at night.
A roll cage is strongly advised.
Power-driven winches are permitted.
Radio and mobile phone communication will not be allowed except in emergencies.
Any competitor who is judged by the Clerk of the Course to have used radios or mobile
phones will be disqualified.
GPSs are permitted.
Motorbikes - Eligibility and Equipment
The event is open to any vehicle with 2 wheels which must be roadworthy and safe
in the opinion of the scrutineers.
- The minimum allowed engine capacity is 65cc.
- The maximum allowed engine capacity is 850cc.
Each bike team must have at least one bike fitted with a functional battery and
charging system. The DMD will be fitted to this bike.
Power-driven winches are permitted.
Each rider must have a helmet, eye protection and all other suitable protective
equipment.
Bikes may only carry fuel in fitted fuel tanks.
GPSs are permitted.
Each bike team must carry a First Aid kit to be checked at Scrutineering.
Each bike team must carry at least 5 litres of water. It is recommended to carry
sufficient food for the crew for 24 hours as well as warm clothing and blankets.
A torch is highly recommended to enable search parties to locate lost vehicles at
night.
Distance Measuring Device
Each team's performance will be measured by the Distance Measuring Device (DMD)
supplied by the organisers. No other instrument will be considered as valid when
computing final results.
The DMD and associated equipment provided remains the property of Elephant Charge
and must be returned to the organisers on completion of the event, prior to leaving
the Charge.
Any evidence of damage to the equipment or interference with it's sealing will result
in exclusion. Entrants will be required to compensate Elephant Charge for any damage
or loss to the DMD or components.
ELIGIBLE TEAMS
It is the responsibility of each individual competitor to ensure that they have sufficient and current Personal Accident
Insurance and Comprehensive Vehicle Insurance.
The choice of crew is entirely at the discretion of the Entrant except that the
minimum age of any crew member is 9.
For a car team, any person licensed to drive on the roads of Zambia is eligible
to act as Driver.
Each team must designate one team member as the navigator who will receive the competitor's
map and Route Card.
Except with the written consent of the Secretary to the Event, all entries must
be in the name of an individual and not a company. Commercial entries are not permitted.
Car Teams
A car team must consist of one vehicle and not less than 2 (TWO) and not more than
6 (SIX) persons including the driver.
Motorbike Teams
A motorbike team must consist of not less than 3(THREE) and not more than 4(FOUR)
persons and motorbikes, one person per motorbike.
ENTRIES
Each team must be either a car team or a motorbike team.
THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF ENTRIES IS 35, 30 CAR TEAMS AND 5 BIKE TEAMS.
The organisers will limit the number of entries to the above figure. Entries will
be accepted as follows:-
- The final day for the acceptance of new entries is 3rd September 2011.
- Entries will only be accepted on full payment (cleared funds) of the Entry Fee.
- Entry will normally be on a first-come-first-served basis except that priority may
be given to teams who have previously competed and those who pledge higher amounts
of sponsorship.
- Entry is at the sole discretion of the Secretary to the Event, who may reject an
entry without giving any reasons.
Team Numbers
Each team will be issued a Team Number by the Secretary to the Event. Teams may
request a team number (0 to 39) but priority will be given to teams who have used
a given Team Number in previous Elephant Charges.
FEES & SPONSORSHIP PLEDGES
The Elephant Charge 2012 is run on a not for profit basis and its purpose is to
raise money for Charge Charities.
An Entry Fee of K2,000,000 is payable to Elephant Charge Zambia Ltd by each team.
The entry fee will be used by the organisers to pay for any costs not covered by
event sponsors.
Teams are required to pledge a minimum of K3,000,000 sponsorship at the time they
enter the event. Teams will not be allowed to start the event unless their pledged
sponsorship has been received. All sponsorship received by the event will be paid
to the Charge Charities.
ADVERTISING
While entrants are encouraged to find and advertise their own sponsors, they MUST
carry any advertising provided by the organisers.
INSURANCE
Teams will take part entirely at their own risk. The arrangement of Personal Accident
Insurance, Comprehensive Vehicle Insurance etc is the responsibility of the Competitor.
RUNNING OF THE EVENT
Registration
All teams must report to the registration location in Lusaka for sign-in and fitting of DMDs between 08:00hrs and 12:00hrs
on Thursday 25th October.
Each vehicle will be checked for eligibility, issued with sponsors material and
fitted with a DMD.
Scrutineering
Scrutineering will take place at the Charge site between 10:00 and 15:00hrs on Friday 26th October.
At scrutineering vehicles will be checked for the items listed under ELIGABILITY AND EQUIPMENT above.
Scrutineering for bike teams will include a check for suitable personal protective
equipment for each rider. Each rider should report to scrutineering with all their
equipment.
Driver's Briefing and Course Maps
A Driver's Briefing will be held at 16:00hrs on Friday 26th October. At the briefing each
team will be issued with a course map showing the location and giving the coordinates
of each of the 10 checkpoints and the HQ.
Each team will also be given their Starting checkpoint and a Route Card.
Teams should study the map to decide on their route (checkpoints can be completed
in any order) and identify the Tsetse-lines and Gauntlet.
Start
On the race day teams will proceed to a designated assembly point at HQ by 5:45hrs.
At the assembly point, teams will gather in their respective starting groups. They
will then proceed in convoy to their Starting checkpoints (given at the Team Briefing)
by following an escort vehicle. Competitors will be started by the marshall at their checkpoint at 07:00 prompt.
Each team's Starting checkpoint will be determined by random draw, conducted at
Scrutineering.
Vehicles at each Starting checkpoint will be mass started, and teams will then choose
their own route within the restrictions given elsewhere in the regulations, and
may visit checkpoints in any order.
Checkpoints
Teams must park their vehicles within the designated area at each checkpoint.
At each checkpoint teams must have their Route Card filled in and signed by the
Checkpoint Marshal.
Teams will only be judged to have visited a checkpoint if their Route Card is filled
in and signed. Teams presenting an incomplete Route Card at HQ will be given a result
of "Did Not Complete".
A bike team will only be judged to have reached a checkpoint once the last bike
in the team arrives. Bike teams may not leave the checkpoint until the last bike
has arrived and the Route Card has been completed.
As a safety precaution, teams are required to declare their next intended checkpoint
at the start of each leg. They are also requested to notify the Checkpoint Marshal
before competing for a Tsetse-line. This is to enable the Organisers to keep track
of vehicles throughout the day and to monitor the progress of each vehicle in order
that a search can be immediately called if any vehicle becomes unduly delayed in
any section.
In the interests of safety, the Clerk of the Course may instruct a Checkpoint Marshal
to hold an entrant who is intending to commence a section which could not possibly
be completed before the end of the Charge. This decision will be made individually
for each case by the Clerk of the Course, and his decision will be final.
Tsetse-lines
There will be two Tsetse-lines on the course. These are legs between two checkpoints
where a straight line traverse includes particularly challenging terrain.
The Tsetse-lines will be identified during the Driver's Briefing.
Special awards are made (and much respect gained) for the team with the shortest
distance achieved for each of the two Tsetse-lines.
The Gauntlet
Three of the checkpoints on the course will together comprise the Gauntlet. To finish
the course all teams must complete the Gauntlet. The Gauntlet checkpoints will be
identified in the Driver's Briefing.
Teams may traverse the Gauntlet by whichever route they choose and the Gauntlet
checkpoints may be visited in any order but once started, teams must complete the
Gauntlet before proceeding to any other checkpoint.
The distance travelled through the Gauntlet will be multiplied by three when calculating
each teams total distance over the course.
Finish
To finish, each team vehicle must visit every checkpoint and then return to their
starting checkpoint making a complete circuit.
All the bikes and riders in a bike team must complete the course for that team to
be considered to have finished.
The Charge finishes at 15:00hrs. Checkpoint Marshalls will not endorse Route Cards
after this time and teams who have not completed a full circuit by this time will
be recorded as "Did Not Complete". All teams must report back to HQ as soon as possible
after 15:00hrs on race day.
Teams who do not visit every checkpoint or do not return to their Starting checkpoint
will be marked "Did Not Complete" in the results.
Each team's course distance (including the multiplied distance through the Gauntlet)
and time is measured for the complete circuit from Starting checkpoint back to Starting
checkpoint via all the intermediate checkpoints.
HQ Check-in
Having completed the course each team must return to HQ and check-in by:
- Returning their completed Route Card
- Have their DMD downloaded and removed from the vehicle
Teams who do not report to HQ after coming off the course cannot be given a result
or placing and will be recorded as "Did Not Complete".
Failure to check-in at HQ will also trigger a search for that vehicle. It is therefore
very important that, even in the case of an early retirement during the day, teams
register with HQ as soon as they can after completing the event.
Winner
The winning team will be the one who completes the course in the shortest distance.
In the event of a tie the Clerk of the Course will declare a winner.
CAMPING
Everyone attending the Elephant Charge will be camping at the site and all competitors,
supports and spectators must bring their own camping equipment.
There will be an venue entry fee of K50,000 per vehicle payable on entry. This entry
fee will be donated to the local community who are hosting us at the site.
There will be a cash bar at the site.
There will be a specific camping area set aside for entrants and their teams. All
campers MUST TIDY UP their camp before departing, and leave the area perfectly clean.
Do not leave the bags of rubbish at your campsites. Take them with you.
OTHER REGULATIONS
Assistance on the course
Teams may not receive any assistance from non-competitors except while stopped at
checkpoints where teams may only be provided with:
- Fuel
- Tyres
- Food and water
- Assistance from a registered medical, religious or legal practitioner
Non-competitors may not assist competitors in any other way.
Speed on the course
The Elephant Charge is a test of technique and not speed. For reasons of safety
for competitors and spectators a speed limit of 40km/hr is enforced for all vehicles
on and around the course. Where evidence from the DMD shows any team to have repeatedly
exceeded this speed limit then they may be disqualified at the discretion of the
Clerk of the Course.
Conduct on the course
There will be Marshalls throughout the course and any entrant adjudged to have contravened
the rules or the spirit of the event may be penalized or disqualified at the discretion
of the Clerk of the Course.
Vehicles may be manhandled across the terrain by any means devised by the crew's
ingenuity, except that no outside assistance is permitted whether it is in mechanical,
human or animal form, except that given by another competitor.
The following are examples of what will constitute an infringement:-
- External assistance of any sort, other than from another competitor.
- Tampering in any way with the proper operation of the DMD.
- Deliberately blocking the passage of other competing cars or behaving in an unsporting
manner.
- The formation of groups of two or more teams as a means of enabling one team to
gain competitive advantage.
- Wanton destruction of the environment.
- Damage to crops, building etc.
- The use of radios or mobile phones except in an emergency
AWARDS
Event
- Sausage Tree Trophy for the Most Sponsorship Raised
- The Rhino Charge Trophy for the Spirit of the Charge
- TJM/Autoworld Treasure-Hunt Trophy
Vehicles
- KFC Castle-Fleming Trophy for the Shortest Distance
- Country Choice Trophy for the Shortest Nett Distance
(distance minus 50cm per 1 usd of sponsorship raised)
- Silky Cup for the Shortest Distance by a Ladies Team
- Sancturay Trophy for the Shortest Distance on Tsetse-line 1
- Khal Amazi Trophy for the Shortest Distance on Tsetse-line 2
- Bowden Trophy for the Shortest Distance on the Gauntlet
Motorbikes
- Dean Cup for the Shortest Distance
- Elli Trophy for the Shortest Nett distance
(distance minus 50cm per 1 usd of sponsorship raised)
- Shortest distance on Tsetse-line 1
- Shortest distance on Tsetse-line 2
- Shortest distance on Gauntlet