Average speed
The mean speed prescribed by the organiser, to be maintained as precisely as possible over a section.
The average speed is a central element of many regularity tests. The organiser sets a value, such as 50 km/h, to be maintained on average over a given section. It is not the instantaneous speed that counts, but the average over the whole distance.
The navigator continually calculates whether the crew is on target, matching the distance driven with the time elapsed. Even small, persistent deviations add up and lead to penalty points. Holding the average speed precisely is therefore one of the core skills in regularity motorsport.
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Related terms
Regularity rally
Classic-car motorsport where precision counts, not speed: hold prescribed average speeds and target times as exactly as possible.
Regularity test
A scored test in which a section must be driven at a prescribed, as-constant-as-possible average speed. Consistency is scored – not hitting a single target time as in a time trial.
Time trial (TT)
A scored section where a single prescribed target time must be hit as exactly as possible (abbreviated TT). Unlike a regularity test, the target time counts, not a constant average.