Re: [ERC] Rally Liep?ja 2014 (31.1.-1.2. 2014)
Pacenotes prepared and distributed by rally organization is a common thing in some British and American series I believe.
Re: [ERC] Rally Liep?ja 2014 (31.1.-1.2. 2014)
Breen got invited by the family Lario, he probably doesn't need to pay anything for this rally..
Re: [ERC] Rally Liep?ja 2014 (31.1.-1.2. 2014)
It would be something really odd, if he would have to pay for that.
In Sweden they have some kind of safety notes also, I presume.
Re: [ERC] Rally Liep?ja 2014 (31.1.-1.2. 2014)
Basically all Finnish rallies (excluding FRC-events) are blind rallies. Blind means, that here in Finland we don't have any safety notes prepared by organizers (no Jemba, etc.). The only guidance is standard roadbook (making additional markings is prohibited by rules) and directional arrows in junctions on stages, and perhaps some safety tape in very dangerous/blind corners. So it's all about eyes, and how to read the road. Codriver is responsible for all the standard codriver duties, only thing missing are the notes.
This has been, and is, seen as a Finland's strenght. Driving blind rallies actually develops your skill to "read the road". This, in blind rallies, means faster times, and also later when transitioning to rallies with pacenotes, helps a lot with doing good notes. I have not competed, but I have done a lot of spectator recce, and the development is clear: nowdays I can quite easily spot challenging places - to such extent that places I've considered difficult in recce have often produced action/moments even in NORF. Few things to look and analyze: changes in road character: fast flowing section ending to tight corner; deceptions (phone lines, "holes" in forests, tree placement after crests, buildings, etc), sequence of crests (lifting the car while cornering?), sudden wrong camber, entry speed to corner, sequence of corners, etc etc.
Although I've had some thoughts of the system's current strenghts compared to France for example. Loeb and Ogier's pacenotes are so highly standardised and can describe the road so perfectly, that the meaning of "road eye" is greatly reduced. What I mean, is that when you have angle-based notes (e.g 30-140) and you get them to correspond 100% with the road, it leaves out all "feeling-based" predictions about the road (curvature) ahead. It is a big difference to have "right 132++, long, tightens to 115" in your notes compared to "right medium -, long, tightens to K-". In first, you have 110 (plus all additional +/-) possibilities to describe the road curvature, compared to under ten of the descriptive system (between flat-slow). And when using the descreptive system, the "hole" which is left, is then filled with good road eye and the split second analysis done. I give very high value to Loeb and Ogier's notesystem (they have the same frame) in their championship wins and incredible speed.
Re: [ERC] Rally Liep?ja 2014 (31.1.-1.2. 2014)
it is not good idea. If You train Your "road eye" ability, than Your next step should be to race in rally cross or something. In rallying You need to drive by "hearing pacenotes". And only then You will be real quick. Training "eye" You are training to be slow.
