2026 Alcan Regulations

Updated September 24, 2025

 Logo
ENTRY & FEES
  1. Entry fee is $4100 for one auto & two drivers, or $2200 for one motorcycle & rider.  When confirmed you'll receive a $300 Square deposit invoice payable by credit card, ACH or check.
  2. The fee for additional drivers is $1000 double occupancy. Young passengers are $100 if rooming with parents.
  3. Entry will close July 1 2026 unless field is declared full earlier.
  4. We'll send Square invoices for balance in June 2026.  Payment is expected by July 1, and unpaid teams may be dropped July 10.  Refunds will still be possible, but as most rooms are guaranteed or prepaid a $400 penalty will be retained after July 30 2026, and no refunds are possible after September 1.
  5. A total of 36 autos and 20 cycles are expected. Organizers reserve the right to refuse an entry without providing reason, and to assign vehicle numbers as they see fit.
  6. Lodging on route is blocked by organizers.  Entry fees include 10 nights prepaid accommodation (double occupancy), plus awards dinner.

DOCUMENTATION & REGISTRATION

  1. Alcan is open to the general public, minimum age is 21 unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.
  2. Entrants must attend September 1 orientation and sign liability releases before participation.
  3. Entrants must present valid driver's licenses (with motorcycle endorsement if applicable), plus vehicle registration & liability insurance.  Note: Canadian law requires proof of insurance be carried at all times.  Entrants also need a passport for border crossings.
  4. Drivers may be changed or added during the event if registered with organizers. Trading drivers among vehicles is OK (and common with press) unless it offered scoring advantage.
  5. Except in an emergency, no unregistered passengers are allowed.

SCRUTINEERING & VEHICLE ELIGIBILITY
All vehicles:

  1. All vehicles shall be road legal and licensed in compliance with regulations of its country of registration.
  2. GPS mapping (including street names & speed) is allowed in all vehicles. 
  3. As mileage is important to staying on course a basic GPS odometer app is allowed in all vehicles.
  4. Advanced GPS applications such as Richta Rally Computer and Rabbit Rally are allowed in Unlimited Class only.
  5. Laptops are allowed, but only Unlimited class may use one on TSDs.  All vehicles may use Android or iOS phones & tablets to display basic GPS apps.
  6. Terms like "Race" or "Racing" are discouraged on team wear & decals.  They may be allowed on manufacturer goods or teams with documented history, please ask in advance if unsure.

Cars, Trucks, SUV's:

  1. All forward lights must dip to low beam with a single switch.
  2. Vehicles must be equipped with OEM seat belts as a minimum.
  3. A roll bar is required in soft top vehicles.
  4. A "business band" radio that receives & transmits on 151.625 Mhz is required (see RADIO & COMMUNICATIONS).
  5. A DeLorme, Garmin, SPOT or ZOLEO GPS satellite tracking device is required.
  6. A maximum of four additional forward facing lights are allowed, and forward facing roof lights are prohibited
  7. A tow strap, 5BC minimum fire extinguisher, and highway flares or DOT triangles are required.
  8. No fuel cans are allowed inside a vehicle, and additional fuel tanks must be OEM or otherwise certified. Secured fuel carriers are allowed in a truck bed, or rear bumper, hitch, or roof of any vehicle.

Motorcycles:

  1. Fuel must be contained in OEM quality main tanks, RotopaX fuel carriers, or auxiliary cells from OEM or major aftermarket suppliers (please ask in advance if there's a question).  Home-built systems are not allowed, and cells or carriers must be securely mounted to the vehicle not stored in panniers or luggage.
  2. Helmets must be DOT or SNELL approved, CE is accepted for foreign entrants.
  3. Organizers will transport 40# of gear for each cycle, plus 2 spare tires.  Gear may be in 1 or 2 containers, clearly marked with entrants name & number.  Packing lists are mandatory and required by customs.  Please pack securely in a weatherproof bag, not hard-sided case.  Overnight gear will be available daily, with tires, parts & backup gear available on request.
  4. A "buddy system" is required.  This means entrants must declare riding partners (buddy groups of 2 to 4) before the event start, and such group must keep track of each other throughout every riding day.  This doesn't mean "buddies" need to stay with a non-running cycle, but must notify event officials before leaving the scene.
  5. At least one DeLorme, Garmin, SPOT or ZOLEO  GPS tracking device is required in every buddy group.
  6. Alcan routes & support are intended for dual sport cycles.  No heavy road bikes are allowed, and sidecars are limited to past Alcan cycle finishers.

CLASSES Declare by September 2, any class with 1 member will be combined based on equipment.

AWARDS
* Arctic Award:  To entrants passing 100% of controls on primary assigned route (about 220 miles gravel), and/or reaching the Arctic circle.
* Go Farther Award:  Perpetual Isuzu award for teams exemplifying their "Go Farther" slogan by reaching 4 additional Extreme Controls (800+ miles of gravel).
* Team Award:  A Team consists of three to five entries, including at least one auto, one cycle, and one "rookie" vehicle where no one has run or worked Alcan.  Each vehicle will accumulate a score factor, which is the ratio of their score to the winning score in their class. The winning team will be the one with the lowest average score factor.  Teams must be declared by September 2.

SERVICE & VEHICLE REPAIRS
No service crews are allowed during the event.  Prearranged help is allowed only at facilities available to all.

START ORDER
Vehicles will run at 1 minute intervals in numerical order. As the event uses a "perfect time" format they will be due at this interval: Except for Ricthta "Flying Start - Truncate" TSD's, route instructions show perfect time for "car #0" at the start and finish of sections. Each vehicle is due at this time plus the number of minutes given by their assigned number, .

ROUTE INSTRUCTIONS

  1. All instructions are supplemented by an official mileage, which will take precedence. If a sign or reference is missing or incorrect, use the mileage.
  2. In the absence of an instruction the obvious main road should be followed. Redundant instructions may be used to clarify the main road.
  3. All roads used are public, through roads unless otherwise indicated in the route book.
  4. There are no course following traps on this rally!

DEFINITION OF SECTIONS
TRANSIT: A time and mileage will be given for the start of a Transit. These are touring sections, and competitors may proceed at their own pace as long as they enter certain controls.

TSD: In these "Regularity" sections teams must maintain average speeds shown in the route book. Time and mileage will be shown for the start and end of a TSD and controls may be at any point within. Practice is not allowed and vehicles entering early may be penalized.

CONTROLS & TIMING
TSD CONTROL: May be visible or hidden, and located anywhere within a TSD except near STOP signs. Do not stop at TSD controls as your exact passing time will be recorded. TSD opening times will be noted, and vary with Richta TSD type.

PASSAGE CONTROL: Locations will appear in route book, those noted as "Extreme" are optional.

MTC (Main Time Control):  A passage control at overnight halts.  Location and details will appear in the route book. These are to disseminate information and address concerns, and may be replaced with daily "Drivers Bulletin" emails.

PENALTIES
TSD CONTROLS:  1 point per second early or late, maximum penalty is 60 per control or 300 per TSD.  200 points for entering a TSD before allowed, or driving in the reverse direction of rally traffic. Controls will be timed in tenths of a second, with 0.1 point penalty for each tenth early or late.

OTHER CONTROLS:  10 points for missing a specifically required Passage Control, but most are just used to monitor progress or optional routes.

ASSISTANCE (fuel, extraction, or towing): 10 penalty points or $10 to crew assisting.

UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT: First offense 60 points, second offense 600.  Vehicles may also be excluded from the rally due to unsafe condition, rule violations, citations, reckless driving, or acts that endanger the public or discredit the event.

SCORING 
Alcan will use Richta GPS Checkpoints.  To be scored you must load Richta's Competitor app on an Android or IOS phone or tablet.  For setup and use see https://www.alcan5000.com/pdf/AlcanRichtaSetup.pdf

NO FAULT SCORING
Scoring queries will only be considered in the case of an obvious control error, or situation common to multiple vehicles. Each entry will have their 3 worst Day 1 TSD control scores subtracted while learning format, but must use Richta Time Declarations for future delays.

FORCE MAJEURE & FORCE HOMME
* Once an official car enters a section it is considered open and will be scored barring an accident or safety problem. No control will be scored if less than 20% of vehicles are able to reach it on time. 
* To eliminate pressure for illegal behavior, additional allowance will be made for delay due to official action such as construction or road closure. If less than 80% of vehicles are able to arrive on time at a subsequent control that control will not be scored.

QUERIES & PROTESTS
The organizers will attempt to deal promptly and fairly with any query received.  It must be submitted by email or in writing the day of such incident and will be answered by morning unless further research is needed.

RADIOS & COMMUNICATIONS

  1. A VHF radio that transmits & receives on 151.625 Mhz ("Red dot") is required in each auto.
  2. Radios are available for rent ($50) or purchase ($110) from the organizers, please reserve.
  3. CB radio will not substitute for required VHF, and officials monitor only VHF & Ham.
  4. Licensed Hams are encouraged and all official vehicles include Hams, but unlicensed transmission on our Ham frequency may be considered unsportsmanlike conduct.
  5. No radio transmission is allowed near any TSD except in an emergency.  Monitoring 151.625 is encouraged at all times.
  6. RASC has an FCC license for 151.625 but Canada is not reciprocal.  This is strictly for emergency use there and may not conflict with local traffic.

GENERAL

  1. Maximum planned distance between fuel is 200 miles, but a range of 250 (cycles) or 350 (autos) is encouraged.  Fuel is the final responsibility of the entrant, and failure of any advance arrangement is considered force majeure.
  2. The rally was measured with an Alfa odometer from the right front axle of an Audi Quattro.
  3. Any situation not covered by these regulations will be resolved by the organiziers.
Return to the Alcan rally page