Pacenotes

There are a quite a number of pace note systems in use. If you make your own notes on recce, every team will eventually develop their own system that makes sense to them. 

I have used both descriptive style pace note and number based stage notes. I like the descriptive notes; they seem to make more sense to the driver when the pressure is on.

The system of descriptive shown here were put together and developed over a couple of seasons and used to write notes used in the Belgium and Irish rallies a few years ago.  

These notes were developed for use on tarmac stages (all Belgium, and most Irish events are closed road stages) so they do not describe the road surface in any detail. On forest stages you may need to give more information, for example noting any surface changes and particularly rough spots that will hurt if you get the line wrong. 

Each note started off with the grade of the corner, the direction and any notes and then distance to the next corner.  

We used the following nomenclature.  

If there are a number of instructions that follow quickly after each other then underline the section.

In the top RH corner of each page of the notebook I would write the mileage to the finish so that if we flatted we could decide to drive out or change it. I would hold the book with both hands sliding my hands down the page with each instruction. I would usually have 5 or 6 lines of instructions on each page in big lettering

The big secret of notes is that the crew has to have experience of working together and trust each other. This can only come with stage time and experience.

Recce

Recce is the process of making the notes for use in the rally. In most FIA events you are only allowed two runs over the stage to make and check the note. The secret to make the best use of this time is to know what you are doing ahead of time.

Before you get into the car you both know the shorthand you will use and are familiar with the capabilities of the car. It is a good idea to practice note taking on a few sections of road before you go to do the recce proper. When we made our own notes in Belgium we would make a couple of runs over a road section the evening before the recce to remind us what everything meant.

It was also easier than the present system as you could make as many runs over the stage to make and check your notes, the stages would be open for a certain periods of time the week before the rally and you could make as many runs as you wanted during this period. We would usually make 4 or 5 runs over the stage, the last run was at a slightly higher speed (but not at race speed, it was open roads after all), the calls occasionally change with speed and this was a chance to check. There would usually be only a few changes after the second run but there would be a lot of checking.

One thing that you have to be wary of is including too much information, it can lead to confusion on stage. Part of the problem is that you can write a lot more detail transiting the stage at 20MPH than you can use at 80MPH. 

If you use the Coralba rally computer and have it calibrated to kilometers the main display will read in meters and this ensures that distances between corners will be listed consistently. 

Most events and all FIA events only allow two runs over the stage to make and check your pace notes. This means that you must have all your preparation done beforehand and you both know exactly what you will do on the stage.

Another thing to think about is the time the stage will be run during the rally. Try to do the second recce run at about the same time of day, this will give you an idea of what it will look like, some calls change with the light.

One example of this; There were rocks on the outside of the corner were easily visible when we made the first run and therefore did not get noted. During the second run made at about the time of day the stage was to be run the rocks were in shade and if we had run wide on the corner we would have damaged the car. They were added as a caution to the pace notes.

I use a spiral bound notebook that lays flat and make the notes in black pencil leaving a lot of space for corrections on the second run. A video camera in the car while you make the runs can be a useful too to recheck the notes afterwards and possibly refine them a little further.

I would then transfer them neatly to another notebook that would be used on stage. To check I had transcribed correctly I would have the driver read through the entire pace note book as I read all our notes taken on the practice runs just to do another check that every note was transferred correctly from the notes made on recce and the notes that will be used on stage. This also gives the driver a chance to make sure that he understands everything you will say to him.

Using

Again it all comes down to practice; unfortunately there is really no place to practice pace notes other than in a rally car at speed. There are test venues available and if you have the budget then that will give you a very solid founding in the skills. You can practice at road speeds, this will give you a better idea of timing and what it will look like but nothing can prepare you for first time on a stage.

A lot of people, including myself, find it easier to get into a rhythm with notes at rally speed. The notes seem to flow better and I find timing a lot easier on stage.

An important aspect to reading back notes is using your voice to emphasize the tighter corners and any cautions. At the beginning of a stage I will write a short synopsis of the stage and always point out any cautions, jumps and any other points that we can tackle in multiple ways. For example, if the car was damaged and we needed to drive a little more conservatively I would put more emphasis on cautions and call rough sections a little earlier so we had a chance to back off and try to save the car from the biggest hits.