This page represents the first page of an imaginary stage to illustrate the various words and symbols used. Click on the Pace Notes opposite for a description of the various symbols.
This is the number of the stage and is repeated on each page. This makes it easy to find the right stage in the pacenote book and also identifies the pages if you take the pages out on the pacenote book. One the first page of pace notes, I normally include the name of the stage as well.
Length of the stage.
As this is the first page, the whole stage is seven pages long, numbered so the last page is number one. Typically, one page of notes is just under a mile (about 1 km), although on some fast and straight stages it could be almost double this. The page number will give a rough idea of the distance to the end of the stage.
Description of exactly where the pace notes start. It's also a handy double-check at the start of the stage that you are in fact reading the correct notes!
One the first page of notes, I try to include a short description and any distinct characteristics to help visualise the stage on the start-line.
A straight, approximately 100 yards (or metres) long
Seventy Degree Bend. A crest is a rise in the road you can't see over. In this case, the crest is immediately before (or on) the corner and the exit of the corner will be obscured as you approach the bend.
A short distance - about 20 to 30 metres. Generally, the faster we are going, the longer it will be. In our system, "Into" is longer than "And". Sometimes we also use "30" as a short distance (for example, after a slow corner)
Forty Degree Bend that tightens up on the exit. Sometimes we also use something like "Left Four Tightens Six" if one corner is actually really two together.
A straight, approximately 50 metres (or yards) long
Thirty Degree Bend with a late apex. This is similar to a "Left Three Tightens", but the "late" describes the entry to the corner more - so we would take a wider and slower line.
The shortest distance between to corners - up to about 10 to 20 metres. We use "And" as the shortest distance as it is a smaller word than "into" and so makes the notes flow better. A lot of other people use "into" as a shorter distance than "and".
Thirty Degree Bend
Thirty Degree Bend. The "Don't Cut" means there is a hole or rock or something on the inside of the bend, which may cause a puncture (or worse) if we try cutting the corner.
Twentry Degree Bend. The "In" means keep a tight line through the corner; the "Opens" means the corner gets faster, so we can put the power down early in the corner.
These are not called to the driver, but are useful for finding your place in the notes, particularly if a stage changes from year to year.
A straight, approximately 150 metres (or yards) long
Twentry Degree Bend. The "braking" indicates it is much slower than a L2 would normally be - in this case because it leads into a much tighter bend. Some drivers use "slowing" rather than "braking". I am not aware of anybody else using the "\\" symbol, but it does seem to work well. I used to right "braking" out in full.
Sixty Degree Bend.
A straight, approximately 100 metres (or yards) long. The "down" means steep downhill.
A sequence of two forty degree bends. The underlining means read out the whole note in one go. I use underlining fairly occasionally - it is normally not required as much as you would think because you would normally read "R4 + L4" in one go anyway as there is no distance between the corners. The underline just ensures you get the emphasis right.
A crest is a rise in the road you can't see over. Sometimes we use "Big Crest", which means the road completely disappears. You will generally be able to see over a "Small Crest", although some of road will be obscured. "Flat" means flat out.
A straight, approximately 100 metres (or yards) long. The underline is just for emphasis and means pause slightly. If there are lots of "ands" and "intos" it is easy just to keep reading and lose the timing in the notes. The underline also helps make the line look different from the line above which starts with the same note. This should help skipping a line or re-reading the same line.
A forty degree bend. Some people use "!" for "Caution" and "!!" for "Double Caution". We use "!" for "Care" and "!!" for "Caution". Hardly ever will we use "!!!" ("Double Caution").
Thirty Degree Bend, possibly a bit tighter but not quite a "L4". "Maybe" is also a very good note to but in when making notes. It is very easy to waste a lot of time making notes by trying to get every corner exactly right on the first run through. Using "maybe" is a good reminder to check it on the next run and avoids having to say something like "here comes that corner that we need to check again..."
Twenty Degree Corner
Siixty Degree Corner
This arrow above the notes means "keep reading". The most common mistake with pacenotes is falling behind. Here, the two left-hand bends are quite similar so it is easy to think you are still on the "L3?" when you are already on the "L2". When checking notes, I sometimes find places where this could happen and so I add the arrow. It does not mean read fast or don't pause - it just means don't stop.
Ninty Degree Corner. The "Turn" means it is a distinct junction which makes it easier for the driver to pick out braking and turn-in points. The "at tree" also helps positively locate the junction. Sometimes, I will put additional landmarks in the notes just for my benefit - in which I would but the comment inside brackets () meaning "don't read out".
Hairpin is the tightest bend - although it can be an open hairpin - which you would drive round, or sometimes a tight hairpin which invariably requires the use of the handbrake to get round quickly. We also use "Nine-Plus" for a corner more than ninty degrees but not quite a hairpin.
I alway include the next couple of notes on the next page at the bottom. This means it is easy to check that you don't inadvertantly turn over two pages. Also, it means you can be reading out the next note as you turn the page. It is always nice to end the page on a long distance ("100" or more) to give time to turn the page. Unfortunately, this does always happen in practice but it is not really a problem if you already have the next note.