The Regulations

1Regulation 1

Don't be an ADV Weenie.

2Regulation 2

If you are considering making a complaint about the rally, rally staff, volunteers, weather, mileage, or any competitor, refer to Regulation #1.

3Regulation 3

All rulings by the Rally Master (RM) are final.

4Classes

A

The rally is run in two classes, Pro-Class and Mile-Crusher-Class. Every competitor rides in one class or the other.

B

The competitor selects their class during the application process.

C

Pro-Class is limited to a maximum of 59 competitors per rally. Once Pro-Class is full, no further Pro-Class applications will be accepted.

D

Pro-Class rally numbers run from 1 to 59. A Pro-Class competitor's rally number sets their daily start time under Regulation 9-A, and their elapsed time is calculated from that start time.

E

Mile-Crusher-Class rally numbers begin at 100. A Mile-Crusher-Class rally number is for livery only. It has no bearing on start time, elapsed time, or scoring.

F

Pro-Class competitors are eligible for first to arrive bonus points. Mile-Crusher-Class competitors are not. Apart from the start procedure in Regulation 9, this is the only difference between the two classes. Mile-Crusher-Class competitors remain eligible for all other points and for every award.

5Competitor Qualification

A

All competitors must hold a valid licence to ride a motorcycle on public roads, and present it at the rally check-in.

B

All competitors must sign the rally waiver at the rally check-in.

C

All competitors must be 18 years old or older at the time of rally check-in.

D

A maximum of one competitor and one passenger per motorcycle. An additional passenger is permitted if the motorcycle is lawfully equipped with a sidecar.

E

Passengers. A passenger does not need a driver's license. A passenger must sign the rally waiver at the rally check-in. A passenger under 18 years old is permitted only if the competitor operating the motorcycle is the passenger's parent or legal guardian, and is legally able to sign the rally waiver on the minor's behalf. A passenger is bound by every regulation that applies to a competitor except those concerning scoring, points and awards, and the competitor is responsible for their passenger's conduct. A passenger may be disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct, and the disqualification of a passenger disqualifies the competitor.

F

No pets.

G

Any competitor may be disqualified for unsportsmanlike conduct.

H

All competitors are responsible for checking the official rally notice page throughout the day and night for daily start times and important bulletins. There are no printed handouts or physical bulletins for any ADV Cannonball Event.

6Motorcycle Qualification

A

All motorcycles must have two or three wheels.

B

All motorcycles must be lawfully licensed and insured.

C

The competitor must finish on the motorcycle they started on. Any part may be repaired or replaced during the rally except the frame, which carries the VIN and is what identifies the motorcycle. Do whatever it takes to get that frame to the finish line. The frame may not be replaced after rally check-in without the permission of the RM.

D

Where practical, motorcycles must display the rally livery and rally numbers on the front, rear, and both sides of the motorcycle. The livery and numbers are provided at the rally check-in. Displaying them is also a great way for competitors to identify fellow cannonballers on the road during the rally.

7GPX Routing

A

The official GPX files, containing both the routes and the checkpoints, will be published on the official rally notice page no later than 30 days before the start of the rally. Draft GPX files may be published before that date. Once the official GPX files are published, it is the sole responsibility of the competitor to use them and not any draft.

B

Once the official GPX files are published, only the Rally Master can alter or delete a checkpoint. Any change will be published on the official rally notice page.

C

It is the sole responsibility of the competitor to understand how to download and navigate using a GPS with the rally GPX files.

D

The GPX route does not need to be followed to score points. Points are scored by achieving checkpoints.

8Scoring

A

The automated GPS-based Rally Scoring App ("The Rally Scoring App") is the only way to score points.

B

The Rally Scoring App runs on a smartphone the competitor provides. Every requirement below comes from experience. Follow them and the app will quietly do its job all week. Ignore them and you will spend your rally troubleshooting instead of riding.

• A dedicated, stand-alone smartphone, Android or iOS (Apple), used for nothing else during the rally. Never use it for navigation.
• Continuously powered. A wireless charger is the best way to keep the device powered. In our experience, a plugged-in cable can cause problems in the rain.
• Mounted in a proper phone holder with a clear view of the sky.
• The Rally Scoring App open and in the foreground at all times.
• Location services set to Always, and full notification permissions granted, for the whole rally.
• A data connection throughout the rally, cellular or satellite. Checkpoints achieved outside of network coverage are not lost. The Rally Scoring App stores them on the device and uploads them the next time a connection is available.
• iOS is recommended. Android devices have proven less stable.

C

There are three kinds of checkpoint, all identified in the official GPX files published under Regulation 7-A.

Standard checkpoints are the ordinary checkpoints that make up most of the rally. They are located on paved surfaces. Any checkpoint not marked DIRT or Extreme is a standard checkpoint.

DIRT checkpoints are located off pavement.

Extreme checkpoints may be located on any surface, paved or unpaved.

D

Each standard checkpoint and each DIRT checkpoint that is completed and recorded by The Rally Scoring App will be awarded 10 points.

E

Each Extreme checkpoint that is completed and recorded by The Rally Scoring App will be awarded 21 points.

F

Each day, the first Pro-Class competitor to complete and record the daily Finish Line checkpoint by The Rally Scoring App (adjusting for rally number/starting time, i.e., the shortest elapsed time) will be awarded 25 additional points.

G

The final tabulation of points will be published at www.ADVCannonball.com.

H

The rally is considered "over" four hours before the published awards banquet time and date.

I

In the unlikely event of a points tie for the Overall ADV Cannonball Winner Award at the end of the rally, the tie will be settled by a "sudden death, full contact, slow race," conducted at the direction of the RM one hour before the published awards banquet start time. The tied competitors must be present at that time to contest the award.

9Starting

A

Pro-Class Competitors - Each day of the rally, the Pro-Class start time is published on the rally notice page. Start times are always published as the "local time."

Competitors will depart from the start area on their designated "start time". Each competitor's start time is assigned by the following method. The Pro-Class Official Start Time plus one minute for the competitor's assigned rally number.

Example: The published Pro-Class start time for Day 03 is 08:00 Local Time, and your rally number is 8. So you would depart the starting area at 08:08 Local Time or later.

Early departure is unsportsmanlike conduct.

There is no penalty for a late departure.

B

Mile-Crusher-Class Competitors - Each day of the rally, the Mile-Crusher-Class Official Start Time is published on the rally notice page. Start times are always published as the "local time."

Mile-Crusher-Class competitors will start after the Pro-Class, and the entire class may depart the start area any time after the Mile-Crusher-Class published start time.

Early departure is unsportsmanlike conduct.

There is no penalty for a late departure.

C

In the event no rally staff or volunteer is present to conduct a daily start, competitors are responsible for self-starting in accordance with the published start time and their assigned rally number, per Regulation 9-A (or the group start time under Regulation 9-B for Mile-Crusher-Class competitors).

D

At the discretion of the Rally Master, a Le Mans start may be used on any day of the rally. In a Le Mans start, competitors line up on foot across from their parked motorcycles and run to them on the start signal. On a Le Mans start day, the published Le Mans start time replaces the start procedures in 9-A and 9-B for every competitor.

10Awards

A

The Overall ADV Cannonball Winner AwardAwarded to the competitor with the most points at the end of the rally.

B

The ADV Cannonball Checkpoint Crusher AwardAwarded to any competitor who completes all standard checkpoints. DIRT and Extreme checkpoints are not required.

C

The ADV Cannonball Rough Rider AwardAwarded to any competitor who completes all DIRT checkpoints. Extreme checkpoints are not required.

D

Unachievable checkpoints. If a checkpoint is achieved by fewer than 10 percent of the field, it is not required for the Checkpoint Crusher Award or the Rough Rider Award. This is applied automatically when the results are calculated. No announcement is needed and none will be made. The field is every competitor, in both classes, who completed rally check-in. Points for the checkpoint are still awarded to every competitor who achieved it. Example: with 37 competitors in the field, 10 percent is 3.7, so a checkpoint achieved by three or fewer competitors is not required, and a checkpoint achieved by four or more is.

E

A competitor who qualifies for both the Checkpoint Crusher Award and the Rough Rider Award in the same rally may receive only one of the two, and must choose which one. The choice may be made at any time, including during the awards presentation.

F

The ADV Cannonball Hattrick AwardAwarded to any competitor who, over the course of their rally career, has won each of the following at least once: the Overall ADV Cannonball Winner Award, the Checkpoint Crusher Award, and the Rough Rider Award. The three may be won at any ADV Cannonball Rally worldwide and need not be won in the same rally.

G

The ADV Cannonball Finisher MedalAwarded to any competitor who makes it to the awards banquet by any means necessary. Ride it, push it, tow it, or turn up in the back of a pickup with your motorcycle in three pieces. If you are at the banquet, you are a finisher.

H

Minor awards are awarded at the sole discretion of the Rally Master, and the Rally Master may add minor awards at any time. A competitor may win a minor award in addition to any other award. The current minor awards are:

The Cannonball Baker AwardAwarded to the competitor who best exhibits the spirit of Erwin "Cannon Ball" Baker, the original cannonballer.

The Baldinger AwardAwarded to the competitor who travels the greatest distance from their hometown to the start line. The award is named for Robert Baldinger, who traveled to the first ADV Cannonball Rally from Sweden.

I

Awards may be shipped to winners after the rally.

J

The perpetual trophy remains in the custody of the ADV Cannonball Rally.

11Application

A

Applications may open at any time without notice.

B

Pro-Class rally numbers, the "Starting Grid", are assigned in priority of accumulated ADVC points in the worldwide standings, across any ADVC event globally. A Pro-Class competitor with no points in the worldwide standings will be assigned a rally number by the Rally Master at rally check-in. Mile-Crusher-Class rally numbers are assigned by the Rally Master at rally check-in. All rally numbers are assigned at the discretion of the Rally Master.

C

The entry fee is non-refundable and non-transferable, and the event will never be canceled.

D

All competitors must submit the application form and pay the entry fee.

12The Law

A

All competitors must obey all laws at all times during the rally. This is not a race.

13Self Supporting

A

Every resource a competitor uses must be one that is available to every other competitor. Competitors helping each other on the road is not only allowed, it is encouraged. Buying parts at a store, having something delivered to the hotel, calling a roadside assistance service for a tow, or renting a truck to carry a broken motorcycle are all fine, because any competitor could do the same. A spouse following in a car just in case, a friend turning up with parts, or a friend's garage down the road are not, because those are available to one competitor and not to the rest.

B

Competitors may not ride with anyone who is not an entered competitor. Friends, family, and anyone else may not accompany a competitor on the road on their own motorcycle or in any other vehicle, for any part of the rally, even just for fun. A companion on the road is outside support, whether or not they ever lift a finger to help. Riding with a non-competitor is unsportsmanlike conduct and grounds for disqualification.

C

If a section of the rally is unpassable or a road/trail is closed, rerouting is the sole responsibility of the competitor.

D

ADV Cannonball LLC does not provide a "sweep" vehicle or any support whatsoever.

E

Plan for self-rescue.

14Soft Parc Fermé

A

Once a competitor has achieved the daily Finish Line checkpoint, including the final Finish Line checkpoint of the rally, the competitor is in soft Parc Fermé.

B

Soft Parc Fermé is not a physical enclosure. A competitor in soft Parc Fermé is free to ride, refuel, work on their motorcycle, go to dinner, or do anything else. The only restriction is that no further checkpoints may be achieved until the official start of the next rally day.

C

Achieving any checkpoint while in soft Parc Fermé is unsportsmanlike conduct.

15Electric Motorcycles

A

A competitor riding an electric motorcycle may petition the Rally Master for an exemption from Regulation 13, Self Supporting. Contact the Rally Master before you apply.

B

Under the exemption, the competitor may swap batteries and use a support team.

C

The exemption does not extend to any other regulation. In particular, the motorcycle may not be replaced, and Regulation 6-C applies in full.

D

A competitor who invokes the exemption is not eligible for the Overall ADV Cannonball Winner Award or for any first to arrive bonus points, but remains eligible for all other points and awards.

E

A competitor riding an electric motorcycle who does not invoke the exemption is bound by every regulation and is eligible for all points and awards.

16Teams

Starting in 2028, we are considering a teams regulation and team awards. There is no teams regulation for 2027.