What do rally notes mean

Thanks to this video put together by an actual rally school, we find out exactly how those stage notes work. Unlike most racing events, rally drivers usually have no idea which direction they'll be turning next.

Stage notes, as they're called in the rally world, are a collection of detailed, turn-by-turn directions written so the co-driver can read them on the fly, calling out to the driver what lies ahead. Wyatt Knox of the Team O'Neil Rally School up in New Hampshire put together an extremely detailed explainer video outlining the ins and outs of how stage notes work, how they're written, and how to read them while you're hurtling down a dirt road at maximum speed.

You need to understand how rallying works otherwise you are just watching excellent car control and cool looking slides. A race on a special stage is coordinated such that each competing racer begins after a set interval, to reduce the chance of impedance by other competitors.

Each special stage is a relatively short section, usually up to about 30 miles in length. The opportunity for crews to test their competition cars on terrain similar to the rally before the event starts.

Competitors must drive through the shakedown stage at least three times, with all passes timed. As well as dictating the general route to be taken, in terms of turnings, junctions, etc.

Get it wrong, and not only is your day over, but your car is probably totaled as well. Thanks to this video put together by an actual rally school, we find out exactly how those stage notes work. Once the notes are accurate, then the timing of the note becomes critical.

How far in advance do you want the note? How many corners ahead do you want read at once time? Here is Colin McRae discussing how he uses pacenotes:. No matter which version you use, pacenotes give the driver a view of the road ahead without being able to see it. They allow the driver to run flat out over a blind crest because he knows it's a straightway on the other side.

They also provide guidance on driving style and where to place the car for the corner ahead. For example, the "Don't Cut" command which means don't cut across the apex of the turn, leave some room in the middle of the corner because there's going to be a boulder or a tree or something that protrudes ever so slightly into the road or the inside edge of the corner.

Keep the car clean in the center of the road thru the next section. It could be because of ruts on either side or little drainage walls like in the mountains at WRC Mexico.

Everyone focuses on the driver in rally but in many ways, the pace notes and co-driver are far more critical. Drivers make little mistakes all the time, but one little mistake by the person in the other seat and the driver launches the car off a cliff, or into the side of the mountain, as I did at Pikes Peak in when my co-driver turned two pages at once.

As a rally driver you have to trust your co-driver more than anything, even more than the look of the road ahead. If they tell you it's flat out, you better be flat out — but they also better be right! If you don't listen to your co-driver, you'll be slow. It would be different if no team had notes and every crest has to be taken with caution.

Rally pacenotes: what, why and how? But how do you know which one is R2 and which R3? Related Articles. Scam awareness and prevention Why should you use escrow? Comments are closed. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Reject Read More. Close Privacy Overview This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website.

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