See SPOT Run

(Tonight on Iron Butt Preppers...) Today’s prep for the rally was rather mundane but significantly important.  Today I purchased the lithium batteries that will power SPOT during my ride.  If I had to choose one advancement that has had the greatest impact on LD riding, this would be it.  SPOT is a GPS tracking and messenger device that allows internet users to view, in near-real time, the location of the SPOT device.  While originally designed for outdoor activities such as hiking in remote locations, the motorcycling community quickly saw the safety benefits of knowing where a rider is at any given time. Should a LD rider, who often ride alone, have an accident or otherwise become incapacitated, SPOT provides the location for emergency personnel to respond to.   The ability to check in on a riders to they’re upright and moving provides great peace of mind for any LD Spouse.

But the reason I say SPOT has made it’s significant impact on the sport is that it made LD riding a spectator sport. Twenty years ago, results of a competitive rally became known only weeks after the fact and only if you were a die-hard enthusiast plugged into the rally scene.  The internet helped change that.  Daily updates to the IBR were published on www.ironbuttrally.com , but you relied on the reporting of one person and the editorial decision of whether a particular person or event was newsworthy.  (Note: actually, unless you were a top dog, you didn’t want your name showing up in a Higdon report.  Usually, that meant you did something incredibly stupid!)

No, SPOT made competitive rallies a spectator sport by allowing you to follow the rider, riders, or the complete rally field in real time.  Popularity soared and it was only a couple of years before rally masters were requiring SPOT for you to participate.  “Arm chair” rally enthusiasts could watch a whole rally as it happened.   The Spotwalla interface even allows every riders signal to be combined on one map.  Check out this four minute time-lapse video to view the 2011 IBR.

Purchasing lithium batteries may be a mundane preparation, but SPOT was revolutionary.