Basic Rules

Some basic rules to think about when writing your notes.

While learning this game, one must totally ignore what everybody else is doing on recce.

By that I mean how fast everybody else is going.

The experienced crew can write their notes much quicker and get em right, so can go much faster on recce.

Even at WRC level there are now speed limits imposed during recce.

Caution must always be used when doing recce to avoid crashes. Due to the extra time one spends on the roads during the recce the risks are higher

Never STOP in the middle of the road or over a CREST.

If you must stop make sure you are OUT OF THE WAY.

It is polite to move over and let another crew go past.

DON'T pull back on the road in front of another crew.

If you have started a stage and you know you have someone behind you who may be going faster keep your eye on the rear view mirror and pull off the road before they get to you.

Even better let THEM go in front of you! That way there is minimum distraction for both crews.

Concentration is very important for writing good notes, this needs to be just as good during recce as it MUST be during the rally.

If you watch the big guns, their concentration on recce is just the same as in the rally.

Stopping and starting is a distraction, the sooner you can go at a consistent pace while noting the better the notes will be.

Some things for both crew members to consider.

Guard your PACE NOTES with your life. They cost a lot of money, time and effort to make. Don't leave them lying around unattended anywhere!

After you have recced your first stage number the pages.

One way to do this is to number the pages backwards, so if a stage has fifteen pages of pace-notes, start with page 15 and work backwards so the last page is page 1.

They should be numbered as the actual page number/number of pages in the stage, which you don't know until the stage is completed.

Get into the habit of doing this after each stage has been completed.

I have seen co-drivers folding over the corner of every second page to prevent them turning over two pages at once. A neat trick and works very well!

At the bottom of each page, write the next couple of notes that appear at the start of the next page.

This means you do not have to stop reading the notes as you turn the page and you can check you have not turned over two pages.

Be very careful not to read the note out twice however and watch out for two pages starting with the same note.

The tulip numbers are often displayed on the course so it is easy for these to be inserted in the notes. Along with the 'distances'

After the second run ensure that the notes are tidied up because there is bound to be some corrections.

Try to write your notes as neat as possible during the recce. Some people make rough notes during the day and re-write them neater in the evening after recce.

This is time consuming and prone to errors as it is impossible to check them accuately - it is much better if you can get it right first time.

The driver must give the co-driver time to do these things, without wasting time of course.

It avoids having messy pages and not knowing what it all means.

You want your last run to be clean with no slowing or stopping caused by undtidy notes!

Remember that you are in the rally, from the time you start your recce, until when the rally is over.

After the recce either on the way back or that evening the notes can receive their final clean up and tulips can be matched with distances from the route book.

Recce is not a time for too much socializing or mucking around, you barely have time to water your horse and feed it let alone play silly buggers, so be prepared to work hard.