ROYALTON — East Bethel couple and motorsports enthusiasts Becky and Ed Best are planning to host a rallycross race in a 15-acre field on Rousseau Road with the hope of piquing people’s interest in the sport.
The Royalton event is a collaboration with the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire, or SCCNH, a volunteer-run organization that has been holding motorsport events across the state for the past 70 years to encourage camaraderie and community among its members.
The Bests, who make up part of Best Rally Team, have been participating in SCCNH races for years.
“As someone who is a female in motorsport, where a lot of motorsports are male-dominated, I never feel that pressure with SCCNH,” Becky Best said.
In August, the team’s performance in UniCARn, their rainbow-accented 1998 Subaru Impreza, landed them first place in their class at SCCNH’s Summer Sizzler Gravel Trial, where drivers maneuvered across loose gravel roads in a race against the clock.
Unlike autocross races, which take place on paved roads, rallycross events are held on unpaved routes through fields and along dirt trails.
SCCNH refers to their events as a gravelcross to distinguish them from the ones hosted by Sports Car Club of America, or SCCA, a national organization that holds racing events across the country.
During the Royalton event, which is slated for Nov. 22, helmet-clad drivers will take turns navigating courses marked by cones to see who can get the best time. Hitting a cone results in a 2-second penalty. Cones and timing equipment will be provided by SCCA.
Because speeds are capped at 45 mph during the race, rallycrosses are a popular entry point for people who are new to motorsports.
“You can bring your daily driver and race it if that’s what you want to do,” Becky Best said.
The race is an opportunity to take risks behind the wheel in a controlled environment.
“There’s a lot of young kids who get in trouble driving in ways they shouldn’t,” Becky Best said. “They can kind of get that out of their system,” at a rallycross “so that they’re not driving in a reckless way on roads,” she said.
To encourage newcomers to participate, SCCNH will offer a one-day version of its annual membership, which is normally $20, at a discounted rate of $5 per person. Participants will also be required to pay an entrance fee of $80.
Becky Best declined to say how much SCCNH will pay to rent the field.
The field on Rousseau Road has been in Becky Best’s family for generations. She suspects it was once used as dairy pasture, but the land hasn’t been utilized for agriculture in recent years.
At the upcoming event, half the field will be allocated for the race, while the other half will be used for parking.
Becky Best expects that the cars will put some ruts in the field, but beyond that she does not expect much impact. No structures will be built in the field. And while newcomers are encouraged to participate, spectators are not allowed.
The race will start in the morning and likely continue into the early hours of the evening.
At a recent Royalton Selectboard meeting, Gemmah Stone, whose property on Ratner Lane neighbors the field, inquired about the event’s proximity to her land. She has a horse who might be disturbed if the drivers are too close.
Becky Best said a buffer of at least 20 feet will be maintained around the periphery of the course to create some added distance from Stone’s property.
The buffer also helps ensure drivers’ safety. The event’s hosts also will communicate with the police department and emergency services in advance of the race, Becky Best said at the Selectboard meeting.
At the moment, it’s unclear how many drivers will participate in the November race.
Because the event is new, it “might take our members a while to figure out what it’s all about,” SCCNH Vice President Alex McCrady said.
“It’s really fun for anybody to check out,” he added. “I mean, anybody can do it.”
