GPS timing
Also: GPS tracking, Virtual timing points
With GPS timing a device in your car logs your position. Your times at the timing points are calculated from that track.
GPS timing means a GPS device in your car logs your position all the time. From that track, the organiser calculates when you passed each timing point.
How it works
Before the start you get a unit from the organiser that is fitted in your car. The timing points are just coordinates in the software. There is no hose and no light barrier at the roadside. This lets organisers set many timing points without putting marshals out on the route.
What changes for you
- Any point on the route can be a secret check. Driving smoothly matters more than ever.
- The track often also shows whether you kept to the route. That partly replaces classic passage controls.
- Results often come quickly, sometimes soon after the leg.
How accurate it is depends on the system. That is why, depending on the regulations, there are specific rules on how timing points are placed and how times are rounded.
Not to be confused with
The organiser's GPS timing is different from the GPS in your own rally computer. One scores you, the other helps you drive.