Pacenotes Explained - Beginner Friendly

This easy to follow guide will explain the pacenotes that your navigator tells you when you're out rallying and crashing into trees.

Intro

What are the pacenotes?
The pacenotes are a series of quick to read notes that the navigator uses to help you through each stage of the rally. They consist of directional notes, measurement notes and warnings. All of these will be covered.


Why are they important?
It is very important when understanding the pacenotes correctly as they will give you an edge in the race that some players may not have. Plus you need to know where you're going!

Directional Notes, Measurements and Hazards.

The directional notes are the notes that are used to describe bends coming up in the stage.

There is alot of misconceptions surrounding pacenotes, one of the most misunderstood is that the number after the corner is what gear you should go round it in, while this may work at times its not the best way of approaching rally.

The notes operate on a 1-6 basis, these numbers will determine the severity of the corner.
For example, "Right 3" is in the middle of the 1-6 basis, so it will not be a very sharp corner but it will not be a wide one, so it is somewhere in the middle. The image below explains this basis.



The navigator will also say "Square Right/Left", "Hairpin Right/Left" and "Acute Right/Left". These calls are for corners that are very sharp and cannot be covered by the 1-6 basis. The "Square" corners are typicaly a corner with a 90 degree angle, the "Hairpin" corners resemble the shape of a hairpin, and the "Acute" corners are very tight. He can also follow these calls telling you to "Keep in" or "Crest, stay middle". These are used as there could be hazards around the corner or over the crest so its best to stay in the middle of the crest or keep in when going around the corner. Similar calls include a corner which "Tightens" or "Opens", this means the corner gets tigher as it progresses or gets wider as it progresses, keep this in mind when going into a turn which starts as a "Right 5 but tightens to 2" at 95mph...

Sometimes after your navigator has called what corner is coming up, he may say a number. This number represents the number of meters of road/track after the corner before the next turn. So for example, your navigator could call "Right 3, 200 to Crest" This signifies that there is a 200m gap between the exit of the corner and the crest.

Your navigator will also call out any Hazards that are in the stage. As you play the game more you will come to understand these hazards. Some examples are Crest (small hill), Jump, Dip (small dip in road), Bumps, Ditch, Water Hazard (ford, river e.c.t). He will also call out infomation about the corner, whether it is deceptive or not. This means that the corner may suddenly change and deceive you. Hey may also tell you to be brave, meaning you need to go against your fears of crashing. E.g. He may tell you "Left 3 cut, Be brave", he means to be brave and go against any fears you might have about cutting it.


A VERY important call is DONT CUT, seriously. DONT CUT. If he calls for you to not cut a corner, dont do it please. Trust me, you'll thank me later.

My Message

Hey guys, thanks for reading my guide! I hoped it helped ^_^

This has been my first ever guide so critisism is accepted. Fire away!


References

Pacenote image - http://blog.codemasters.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/DiRT-RALLY-pacenotes.jpg

[Animal Mother]

There is know issue that Co Driver doesnt call out notes. Like in Greece Turn left 2 narrow slippy mid. If you go fast over the past notes (Right 6 criest left 5 into >) the co driver doesnt call out. As well alot happens with Turn 3 overall.

[J]

The distance measurements are only meant to give you a rough idea of how long you've got (they're heavily rounded too), you get used to it with practice.

"Line" means there are turns but the road is wide enough that you can drive in a straight line between them.

[Coco]

how do you drive. What are the controls?

[Whizzard]

Sometimes I go into a "right 5" corner and scream "THAT WAS RIGHT 2 YOU IDIOT!" and sometimes he says "left 2" and I say "nope, that's easily 4, I could have gone through it twice as fast!"

[Marcas]

My question is how the hell are you meant to know how far 60 metres away is?

[Yan]

F U L L T H R O T T L E

[Chern]

T R I P L E C A U T I O N

[Pharaoh]

No no trust in only samir.

[daOIHlisefbilusezFsae]

Sometimes he tells me "Line" what does that mean?

[Jamil237237]

"Hey may also tell you to be brave"

good guide tho, persoanly i just drive in at what gear the turn is, nowdays i still kinda do, but its not a set in stone rule, sometimes you will needa slow the fuck down even if it says right 5