Neutralisation
Route section without scoring in which timing is suspended – for example for town transits, breaks or to restore the start interval.
A neutralisation is a section of a rally in which scoring or timing is deliberately suspended. In this zone the elapsed time does not count towards the result; the field can gather or regroup. Common reasons are town transits, fuel and lunch breaks, ferry crossings or hazards.
Neutralisations serve safety and an orderly flow. Often a time is taken at the start and a fixed neutral time or a new start time is assigned at the end, so that the original start intervals between teams are preserved. After the neutralisation, regular timing resumes.
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Related terms
Star rally
Event format in which participants start from different directions and converge on a common destination.
Start number
Number allocated to each team, displayed on the car and determining the start order; cars start individually at fixed intervals.
Pursuit start
Pursuit start: a start format in multi-stage events where start order and gaps reflect the deficit from previous results – the leader starts first.