Three timed runs, one change per run: how a test impression becomes a setup decision — and why the pace notes belong in the test programme too.
Shakedown is the full-speed test before the rally starts — usually with at least three timed runs on a short, closed section [1]. It is therefore the only moment of the whole weekend when you drive under competition conditions without it costing you a result.
And that is exactly why most club-level crews waste it. They do three runs, note happily that the car works, and drive home. But a shakedown is not a function check, it is an experiment with a protocol.
Why this is harder in rallying than elsewhere: on a circuit you test on the same track you race on. Here you test on a stand-in — a few kilometres meant to represent stages you will only see at speed the next day [6]. A shakedown gives you no truth about the rally, only about your car and about the two of you.
And there is a second object under test that no other motorsport has: your pace notes. Notation, pace and clarity under full load can only be checked here — at competition speed, with a helmet on, with engine noise [4].
It is a timed full-speed test before the start, typically with at least three runs [1]. It is not a practice session and not a place to learn car control — rally schools on closed courses with instructors exist for that.
Its purpose is assurance: does the car run, is the base setup right, does the communication work? Anything beyond that is a bonus.
First function, then base setup, then detail. Run one is a check: brakes, steering, temperatures, noises, change nothing. Run two tests the surface rule — stiffer and lower on grippy ground, softer and higher on rough [3], with tyre pressure to match the surface [2]. Run three is the one deliberate change.
Start turning spanners in run one and you have no reference left.
That is the whole method in one sentence. Two changes at once produce a result you cannot attribute — and that you will apply wrongly at the next rally.
Before each run write down what you expect. If the expectation holds, you learned something; if it does not, you learned more. The difference between testing and fiddling is the expectation written down beforehand.
This is the real lever for crews. Run one pass deliberately as a communication test: does every call arrive in time, is the scale unambiguous, are additions such as "crest" and "caution" in the right place [4]?
Because in competition you drive on the call, not by sight — you know the stage from recce but you have not memorised it [1]. If your language fails on rally day, that costs more than any setup detail.
A driver impression is a hypothesis, not a decision. Combine three inputs: the time, the impression in one sentence and the expectation from beforehand. If two of three agree, the change stays; otherwise it goes back.
And anchor everything in the surface: pressure and stiffness follow the ground, not fashion [2][3]. On gravel too much pressure is the classic error — the car skips and finds no grip [2].
Safety-relevant parts. Roll cage, bucket seat, harness belts, head restraint and fire suppression follow binding world federation standards with test and expiry dates — they are not a tuning area [5].
And equally not: limit-range experiments. Shakedown is closed terrain inside an event [1][6], not a substitute for supervised training.
A shakedown takes place inside the event on closed terrain and is metered like the rest of the weekend [1]. The drive there and every link in between is ordinary public traffic under normal law [6] — testing mood does not belong on a road section.
Second: shakedown is not a place to learn limit-range technique. Anyone who wants to work on load transfer, left-foot braking or behaviour on loose surfaces does that on a closed course with an instructor [3].
Third, and without debate: safety equipment is inspected, not tuned. Cage, seat, belts, head restraint and fire suppression follow binding standards including expiry dates [5]. Find a problem there in shakedown and you do not continue — you have it fixed.
This guide explains and motivates — it never replaces the event regulations, the licence course or certified driver and safety training.
Run the last pass deliberately without a setup change — and with only one new calling rule. For example: all distances consistently in steps of ten, or "caution" used exclusively for real danger, never for "unpleasant" [4].
You get a clean reference time with no technical noise — and you test the only component of your car that can still be improved this evening: your language. That is what separates crews who need two years from crews who need two rallies.
Gravel runs the lowest pressures, sometimes down to around 15 to 20 PSI, with the car raised and softer springing so the tyre deforms and finds grip in the firm ground underneath. Asphalt runs more like 30 to 35 PSI, lower and stiffer for a stable contact patch [2]. The underlying rule: the harder and grippier the surface, the stiffer; the rougher and more slippery, the softer [3].
At least three timed runs before the rally start is the norm [1]. A sensible split: one for function with no changes, one for base setup by surface [2][3], one for exactly one deliberate change or for the pace note test [4].
You do not — and that is the core of the sport. You know the stage only from recce and in competition you drive on the call, not by sight [1]. Your line comes out of the notes: corner severity, direction, distance and additions such as "crest" or "caution" [4]. Which is why testing the notes at shakedown matters more than a tenth on the dampers.
Everything safety-relevant and everything that looks like a limit-range experiment. Roll cage, bucket seat, harness belts, head restraint and fire suppression follow binding standards with test and expiry dates and are inspected, not tuned [5]. Limit-range car control belongs on a closed course with an instructor [3].
Pace Notes at Pro Level: Your Own System, Timing and Blind Trust in the Cockpit