Driving Line VOLUME IV ISSUE 4 | FALL 2018 | Page 43

5,000 MILES NORTH ON ROAD AND TRAIL
Story and Photos by Matt Moghaddam
Throughout our history, mankind has always been on the move.
Some would say traveling is instilled in our DNA. The invention of the
automobile made traveling over long distances accessible to the masses.
In today’s world, passenger jets have replaced cars for long journeys,
but for some, the call of an epic road trip spanning thousands of miles
over many days is too loud to ignore. Combine it with a competition in
precision driving, and the sport of road rally is born.
Since its inaugural run in 1984, the Alcan 5000 rally has offered a
10-day escape for automotive enthusiasts and connoisseurs of driving
alike, through the most desolate and scenic regions of North America.
Beginning in Kirkland, Washington, the Alcan 5000 runs north into Canada
through British Columbia, into the Yukon Territory, then crosses over the
international border again into Alaska, ending in Fairbanks. The rally does
not take the shortest route, but leads competitors along scenic byways
and through notable places of historic and cultural interest. The rally takes
place every two years, alternating between summer and winter events.
A portion of the Alcan 5000 Rally is made up of mostly scenic touring,
with short “regularity sections” along each day’s route. Competitors are
given a route book containing detailed directions along each mile of the
5,000-mile event, ensuring competitors know where each day’s start
line begins and the exact minute they need to leave from it. These rally
sections of the route are monitored by rally staff to measure the time
each vehicle crosses the checkpoints. Recorded times are compared to
a “perfect run,” which the event organizers time months ahead of each
rally. For every second a team arrives later or earlier than the perfect run,
one point is given. Regularity sections require the navigator to read the
route book to the driver in real time, ensuring the vehicle is traveling at
the precise speed, while arriving at the exact locations at the noted time.
To be clear, this is not a race, and most speeds during regularity sections
are below the posted limit. Ending every day, results are posted, allowing
teams to check their progress. The team with the least amount of points
in their class at the end of the rally is named the winner.
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