Target time
Also: Ideal time, Set time, Due time
The time you should take for a section, or the clock time at which you are due at a control.
The target time is the time the organiser expects you to take for a section. At a time control it also means the clock time at which you are due to arrive.
Two kinds
- Driving time: for example 7:30 minutes for a 4.5 km test at 36 km/h.
- Clock time: for example 10:42 at time control 3. It is your start time plus the allowed driving time.
How to calculate it
Target time = distance ÷ average speed. Example: 5.8 km at 40 km/h. At 40 km/h you need 90 seconds per kilometre. 5.8 × 90 = 522 seconds, or 8:42 minutes.
Sometimes the organiser gives you the target time and you have to work out the average yourself. The average speed calculator handles both directions.
In practice
Your deviation from the target time is what gets scored. In regularity tests it often counts to the hundredth of a second. At time controls it is usually counted in whole minutes, and depending on the regulations, arriving early is penalised just like arriving late.
In Rally Co-Pilot you enter two of the three values, time, speed or distance, and the app works out the third and counts the target time down.