Pace notes and gravel explained: how the notes and the 1-to-6 numbers work, why you drive on the call, and how you work with the slide on loose ground.
No, you don't drive blind: the pace notes are a code you and your co-driver write yourselves during the recce — and the numbers 1 to 6 turn every corner into a spoken instruction. The pace notes (in German "Aufschrieb" — the road notes) describe the stage metre by metre, long before you see it at speed [1]. Your co-driver (navigator) sits on the right, reads ahead, and you drive on the call, not on sight.
The corner severity sits in a number: 1 is the hairpin — almost walking pace — and 6 is nearly flat out [1]. On top comes the distance in metres and extras like "square" (about 90 degrees), "crest" (a brow where the car goes light for a moment) or "caution" (watch out, danger). Some crews even reverse the scale — what matters is that driver and co-driver agree before the recce and stay consistent [1].
The second blocker is the surface: on gravel (loose stones instead of sealed tarmac) grip is limited and the car slides. The trick is not courage but working with the slide instead of against it [3].
And why this stays so hard under competition: at a world-championship round, drivers' peak heart rate hit 166 beats per minute versus 111 during the recce, and the cockpit heated up to well over 30 degrees [6] — your head is meant to work precisely on the call while your body runs in the red. Trust and timing are therefore the real skill, not the throttle.
During the recce you drive the stage at road speed. The driver dictates what he sees, the co-driver writes each corner as a short code [2]. Every note has three parts: severity, direction, distance — "Left 4, 100, Right 2" means: medium-fast left, 100 metres straight, then a tight right [1]. In competition the co-driver reads that out in good time and you drive on the words.
The number is the corner severity. 1 = hairpin (tightest, almost walking pace), 2 to 4 = medium, 5 = fast, 6 = very fast, nearly flat out [1]. The higher the number, the less you have to brake. Especially tricky corners also get a name (hairpin, square) so the call stays unmistakable and no misunderstanding carries you off the road.
On loose ground the tyre only grips once it presses into the stones. So you run softer, higher and with low tyre pressure — sometimes down to around 15 to 20 PSI [5], so the tyre finds the firm base underneath and swallows the impacts. While driving: turn in early and gently, eyes ahead, work with the slide. The Scandinavian flick (a short flick to the opposite side, then throwing the weight into the corner) uses exactly this weight transfer to bring the car sideways under control [3].
Start deliberately slow. Only once you understand the call language in your sleep and truly trust your co-driver do you turn up the pace. Trust is not a matter of character but of trained repetition — and out of it grows the bond that makes a rally crew.
Loose ground means grip is never guaranteed. That is exactly why car control at the limit is nothing you learn from a text. Techniques like the Scandinavian flick or left-foot braking — the left foot brakes while the right stays on the throttle, which steers the balance without losing momentum [4] — are here explained and framed, not given as a copy-me manual. You only learn to master them at a licensed rally school or club, with someone beside the road.
And don't underestimate the body: at a competition pulse of 166 [6] and heat in the cockpit your precision drops — even around 2 percent fluid loss measurably worsens reaction time and decisions [7]. Drinking before the start is safety, not comfort. This guide explains and motivates — it never replaces real driver and race training.
Practise the pace notes without a car: have an experienced co-driver call onboard videos and read along yourself. Your brain has to translate the call into images before your body is at 166 pulse. Master the language dry, and on the special stage your head is free for the driving — and that is exactly where the blind trust between driver and co-driver is born.
Pace notes (in German "Aufschrieb") are your stage script: during the recce the driver dictates, the co-driver writes each corner as a short code of severity, direction and distance [1][2]. In competition the co-driver reads it out in good time — you drive on the call, not on sight. That is the core skill in rally.
They describe the corner severity: 1 is the tightest (hairpin, almost walking pace), 6 is nearly flat out [1]. In between sit medium (2 to 4) and fast corners (5). Some crews reverse the scale — all that matters is that driver and co-driver use the same system and stay consistent with it.
Gently and with the slide, not against it. Run a gravel-ready setup (low pressure around 15 to 20 PSI, softer and higher [5]), turn in early and smoothly, and keep your eyes far ahead [3]. Raw steering force spins you, weight transfer carries you through the corner. The real limit you only learn with a coach.
In left-foot braking the left foot brakes while the right stays on the throttle. This lets you steer weight distribution and direction without losing momentum — especially in front-wheel-drive cars on loose ground [4]. It is an advanced technique: understand it first, then practise under guidance, never copy it blindly.
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