Sylvan Lake played host to a check point stop for the Royal Rally on Sept. 16.
The rally, which started and ended in Calgary, was a journey through Central Alberta with stopping points and challenges along the way.
This single day version of the Royal Rally, a multi-day event is generally held in June, had roughly 140 contestants paired up in teams of two in 70 cars.
The rally, stopped at the Lakeshore Go-Karts and Mini Golf for a special challenge. Each team had to drive five laps around the track while trying to find and memorize the answers to three questions.
One contestant claimed the ride around the track was “more fun than the rally itself.”
Melody Ellerby, owner of Lakeshore Go-Karts and Mini-Golf said she was happy to have this event stop at her business.
“It is great fun, it’s great promotion for us and for the town,” Ellerby said.
According to Ellerby, she believes many of the contestants are likely to come back to Sylvan Lake and other check point stops used during the rally.
Ellerby and her employees also really enjoyed seeing all the different types of cars driven during the rally.
While it isn’t a requirement of the Royal Rally, many of the contestants drove European, luxury or performance cars.
During this rally, one contestant drove a Lamborghini.
The Royal Rally is not a race, rather contestancts are given points based on correct answers, and prizes are given to first, second and third place teams.
The rally doesn’t encourage speeding, though sometimes the contestants do, according to the rally’s website.
Sometimes conestants get into the spirit of the rally by dressing in costumes.
Seen at the go-kart track was some members of a S.W.A.T. team, football players, hunters and some scouts.
