Kris Meeke

[dupanton]

Detailed notes are good, but when you go to quicker cars it might become more difficult for the driver and/or codriver to keep up with the notes.
Somebody who was a test codriver told me that they had to simplify the notes from previous tests when they switched to the new generation WRC car.
I've difficulties to understand everything when listening to Paul Nagles notes. Ifcourse English is not my native language, but I've got neraly no problems understanding Dan Barritt or Martin Scott. I can't follow it because it is too much information and there is no clear intonation because he has to talk so fast.

But, only thing that is important, is that driver and codriver understand each other. I don't think that is his biggest problem.

[AnttiK7]

there is no clear intonation because he has to talk so fast.

Ah yes lack of intonation, good point. Different drivers have different preferences, but I think good use of intonation is one of the key elements of good pacenote reading. Timo Rautiainen and Luis Moya (I hope he is doing well) were both very good examples of great use of intonation. Both had a very wide range of vocal scale for different situations. Sometimes Moya used to also point clearly at a corner ahead if he thought it required extra special attention. Curiously both Grönholm-Rautiainen and Sainz-Moya would also quite often talk "off-topic" with each other mid stage. It's funny to look back at Grönholm onboards and see Rautiainen crack jokes mid stage or Grönholm giving Rautiainen some random feedback on different things. I think it was also their way to keep things relaxed enough, not too intense.

Also Sainz had a note I haven't seen other drivers really use, but which I like very much, "para zona rápida" which translates roughly to "fast zone begins" or "fast section begins". It wasn't for straights as such, but it was a note called always at the beginning of a long enough section with only fast speed corners in it. If this type of section was broken up by a medium or slow speed corner, Moya would very clearly and loudly call that particular note and sometimes also use his hand to point at the road/corner ahead. And then call out para zona rápida again, if the fast stuff continued from there again immediately. This note and technique helps a lot with the driver finding rhythm and confidence, as well as reduces mistakes caused by sudden changes of rhythm in the road. As one of the number one spots for mistakes to happen because of pacenotes read too late/too unclearly/with a lack of intonation is when coming from a fast speed into a slower corner with a hidden braking area. If a braking area into a tighter corner is blinded by a short preceding corner, then that type of place is really the number one spot for crashes that have their root cause in pacenotes. Of the top of my head Hirvonen's 2014 Argentina crash is a prime example of this. Another good one would be Hirvonen in 2013 Sardinia.

But yeah it does make sense that the faster the car is through the stage, the less information you should basically have for all around successful pacenotes. There's only so much human brain can process at any given moment.