Pace Notes Are a Language, Not a Transcript
A rally co-driver is not reading directions.
They are feeding the driver a compressed language at exactly the moment the driver needs it.
That is why “better pace notes” does not automatically mean more detailed pace notes. More detail can make the system worse if the driver and co-driver do not interpret the words the same way every single time.
Tour de Forest runs this weekend on fast, broken Washington gravel, and ARA’s current preview has multiple teams talking about refining notes and using the event to build rhythm. That is exactly the right mindset.
The note only works if the number means the same thing every time
Every team has its own language.
A “4 right” in one car is not necessarily the same shape, speed or commitment level as a “4 right” in another team’s system. Some crews build around corner severity. Some use gear or speed relationships. Some add plus and minus modifiers. Some use distance, crest, cut, don’t-cut, tightens, opens, late apex and caution calls differently.
The exact language matters less than consistency.
If the driver hears “5 left” and sometimes treats it as flat and sometimes treats it as a lift, the system is broken.
Timing is part of the note
A perfect call delivered late is still a bad call.
The co-driver has to know how far ahead the driver wants information and how that distance changes with speed.
A slow hairpin sequence can tolerate a denser call. A high-speed crest into a blind corner may need the key information delivered earlier so the driver can commit before the road disappears.
That timing becomes part of the team’s rhythm.
Do not write a novel for every corner
There is a point where more words slow the information down.
The co-driver still has to breathe. The driver still has to process the call. The next note is already coming.
If every corner description has eight modifiers, the important word can get buried.
Use the detail that changes the decision.
If “tightens” changes the throttle choice, keep it. If “rock outside” is a real hazard, keep it. If a modifier does not change what the driver does, ask whether it needs to be there.
Recce is where the team builds the shared picture
ARA uses recce and course-note systems differently depending on the event, and teams still have to convert the road into something their own crew can use.
This is where driver and co-driver need to be honest with each other.
If the driver does not understand the call, fix it during recce.
If the co-driver cannot say the sequence cleanly at speed, simplify it.
The worst time to discover that a note is confusing is when the car is already committed over a crest.
Video review is useful because memory is not neutral
Teams often remember the scary corner and forget the ten places where the note timing was quietly costing speed.
Onboard video lets both people review what was called, when it was called and what the driver did with the information.
That is more useful than saying, “I think you called that one a little late.”
The notes should evolve with the car
A team that adds power, changes gearing, installs better dampers or moves from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive may need to revisit how the same corner is described.
The road did not change.
The speed and commitment did.
ARA’s recent regional coverage has multiple teams using events specifically to refine notes as cars and driver/co-driver pairings develop. That is normal.
Trust is the whole point
The driver cannot verify every blind call before acting on it.
At some point they have to believe the co-driver.
The co-driver cannot physically steer the car after the note is delivered.
At some point they have to believe the driver.
That is why rally teams talk about rhythm and trust so much. The note system is where both of those things become measurable.
Tour de Forest is a good place to see it
The 2026 Tour de Forest route is compact, with six stages and less than 40 competitive miles.
There is not much time to recover from a note mistake or a slow opening stage.
That makes clean communication even more important.
Fast car, good gravel tire, strong suspension — all useful.
But if the driver and co-driver are not speaking the same language, none of that gets used properly.
Sources: ARA Tour de Forest 2026 preview; ARA Ridge Rally competitor coverage; ARA 2026 rules and bulletins.
Photo credit: Daniel Vester via American Rally Association editorial coverage. Race Club claims no ownership.
