Time control
Also: TC
A time control is a point on the route where your arrival time is recorded and compared with your target time.
A time control (TC) is a point on the route where marshals record the time you arrive. That time is compared with your target time.
How a time control works
Signs usually announce the control. You drive up to the warning sign, wait before it if you are early, and only drive up to the table in your due minute. The marshal writes the time on your time card. The event's official time counts, not the clock in your car.
Early or late
Depending on the regulations, every minute early or late costs penalty points. Arriving early is often punished harder than arriving late. If you go over the maximum lateness, you may be excluded from the results.
Example
You started at 9:12 and the route to the control is set at 48 minutes. Your due time at the control is 10:00. If you get there at 9:55, you wait before the sign and check in at 10:00.
Our guide to time controls and penalties explains how the different checks fit together.