As you probably already know, the Russian First Selection Tour was held on August 7–23.

And so what?

As early as by the beginning of July, the Organizing Committee has encountered a rather peculiar situation: while lots of effort had been put into organization, there was… virtually no contestants.  Western teams clearly could not get into shape by summer. This was not much of a surprise: competitive hitch-hiking is relatively less developed outside Russia. We hardly expected more than 8-9 teams for the Russian Selection Tour; as you know, there turned out to be only 6. Whether members of the Organizing Committee, who underestimated the importance of communication and search for potential participants, were to blame, or the main reason was a certain attitude towards PASL widespread among the broader hitch-hiking community (“they are pros, what’s the point of competing against them?”), but in any case the perfectly planned and prepared event failed to attract a sufficient number of participants.

There were only two possible solutions for the situation.

The first was to abandon the project altogether, which is something we would never agree to do. The remaining option was to “retreat and consolidate on previously prepared positions”. Which is what we did.

So.

1.            The Russian First Selection Tour held in August is fully legitimate and represents a pilot launch of the Selections. In strict compliance with the Regulations, three teams out of six have qualified for the Second Tour.

2.            The Second Tour is delayed: the Organizing Committee announces a one-year time-out and concentrates all efforts on organization of First Selection Tours outside Russia. At present, we expect to hold Selections in the following countries or regions:

o             Germany (involving teams from other Western European countries);

o             Lithuania (involving teams from other Eastern European countries);

o             Ukraine and Belarus;

o             Siberia (which, for the purposes of the project, is considered an “independent entity”);

o             USA (still doubtful about this).

3.            Since only three places out of possible ten have been allocated after the Russian First Selection Tour, we are planning to organize an “extra issue” of it.

Terms

The project is delayed for one year.

That is, national/regional First Selection Tours should be scheduled for summer 2012 (preferably no later than September!). The Russian First Selection Tour (“2nd edition”) will start on Sunday, August 5, 2012 from Moscow and will be much similar to the “1st edition”, i.e. the competition held in August 2011. Forms for preliminary applications will be again available on our website any time soon. Team formation is a serious matter and trying to find a partner one week before the start is a sure way to fail at the competition.

By decision of the Main Judge, those who failed to pass the Russian First Tour-2011 are not eligible for participation in the First Tour-2012: there is only one attempt. Yet, the Regulations do not forbid these contestants to apply for  participation in foreign First Selection Tours.

The Second Selection Tour is rescheduled for spring 2013, and the Final Race, for August 2013.

Ladies and Gents, we have nine month ahead. It is a long time… if you use it wisely. This period of time is enough for a complete newbie, who has just heard of hitch-hiking for the first time, to achieve the level sufficient for good performance in the First Tour (and qualification for the Second). So, lack of skill and experience is but a lame excuse — it is your desire to go hitch-hiking round the world that really counts. The Organizing Committee and the St. Petersburg AutoStop League are eager to provide any reasonable assistance in preparation and training, both to Russian and foreign participants. Yet are resources are not without limit: being involved in organization and execution of Selection Tours both in Russia and other countries, we simply can not find time to couch anyone personally (especially, if this “anyone” pops up a short time before the start).

The same holds for the I-have-nobody-to-go-together-with-please-find-me-a-partner kind of attitude. Team formation is an essentially personal and voluntary matter: the earlier your application is submitted, the more time you have to create a capable team. The best option is to partner beforehand with someone you know well, regardless of hitch-hiking skills, which can be trained in the remaining month. The practice has shown that most teams that quite the race prematurely do so due to internal conflicts and not because of lack of skill or being too much behind the leaders.

To put it otherwise, there is still time, but it’s better not to waste it. Whether you go round the world or not, is entirely in your own hands.

Looking forward to seeing your applications!

There’s only 9 month left before August!