WRC - Colin McRae - Pace Note Lessons

Watch Colin do an interview onboard, the co-driver looks relaxed and handles the ride pretty well. This section is a lesson on how to handle pace notes.

[@Arkitekt3813]

I love this whole instructional, but theres nothing much better than the sound of the car put over the sustained aerial shots. Helo shots + car sounds = sublime.

[@RomanianUser]

Colin McRae is a true legend. Notice how freely he can talk while racing a truely hard track. Many of us can't drive on simple public roads while talking to the phone without crashing.

[@raymondibrendon]

Sabastien loeb uses angles for each corner. Etc: Left 160 degree. Although this is VERY complex because also the distance between corners is given in double and triple digits. His notes sound like in english 160, 120 meters. But this may be how he does so well being so much more specific with each turn compared to just 1-6 you would have 1-180.

[@NolanScottPMP]

Please read Sephiroth's comment. It all depends on the method that the notes are being read to you. In this situation, Colin's, yes.

[@dk86612]

"and sometimes we do get it slightly wrong!" love the legend's sense of humor.

[@DamnRandall]

We miss you, Colin.

[@1BrknHrtdRomeo]

wow i love listening to how he describes this...i grew up listening to this stuff xD i've played every Colin McRae rally game from the first on the PC up to DiRT...and just listening to Nicky Grist in the older versions? i can't help but imagine every road in pace note form now xD haha it's too funny. in the game tho, i tend to take on the highest difficulty and see if i can beat it. usually when i'm taking corners, it's sometimes a gear higher than what's said. i guess that's all out.

[@NolanScottPMP]

I've always done it like Colin... Thusly a 1 right is considered a 1st gear right. A 2 is a 2nd gear... Of course this is a theory of the proper gear but typically thats the way it's done, or at least how I've done it.

[@deezynar]

Sometimes we get it slightly wrong... hehe It's totally amazing how skilled (& gutsy) these people are and how infrequently they get it wrong!

[@DVAFP]

@nolanbowling i do it the other way around, thats how i was taught. depending on the angle of the corner, 1 being wide and 7 being a hairpin. and each of those will be more descriptive like: late, middle or early, long, narrow, open, dont open, into or + after the corner and straight distances.

[@DVKajak]

What he is saying there about Richard Burns? Didn't get it. Both really good drivers :-(

[@PorscheRS]

@mignik01 Plus = Accelerate Minus = Half throttle

[@RyanPridgeon]

@KuostA A right angle, like the < on a K

[@NolanScottPMP]

@26gear95 That's one of the many things real life drivers discuss before each and every stage. They refer to that as the stack. Some drivers will stack 3 to 5 notes at a time, were others only do 2 to 3. As for the driver reading the notes, IDK, and I don't think it really matters. The data processed is all that's truly important.

[@muddwell]

RIP. Very skilled dude.

[@Sigy08]

He was saying he couldnt understand burns' pace notes because they vary so much.

[@205645240]

i got a question, ie: 1 right, is it better to shift into the first gear?

[@abenas40]

Ik this comment is 13 years old but if it would me,for 1 left/right for AWD car on the gravel/snow I would put second gear and handbrake but if its on tarmac I would put second gear and takes the corner slower than 2 left/right

[@mignik01]

@nolanbowling what is the minus and plus?

[@KuostA]

@RyanPridgeon oh is that really? makes sense. thanks so much.

[@KuostA]

@Doerby what did kay mean?

[@gasixteenb11]

what does ......kay.....mean in the pace notes?

[@DVKajak]

Thank you!

[@DVKajak]

Okay, thanks!

[@UltramanMebiusBrave]

Guys, please. This is the correct notation of corners: One = Almost straight Two = Same as one, but at a narrower angle Three = Medium turn Four = Medium-hard turn Five = Hard turn Six = Almost sharp turn Chicane = Left-right turns in one go This version is the most famous one used in most seasons of the WRC (numbers go up = turning difficulty increases). Take, for example, Akina Downhill. You start with a straight over three junctions before going to a long six left and a moderate straight, before going to a five right that connect to a hairpin right that leads to a five left afterwards. There is a one left and a five right that leads to a hairpin left and a two left-two right combination. Take a six right to enter the second section that begins with a three left before taking a long hairpin right that goes to a hairpin left and a two right. Go down the very long straight over junction, before taking a two right and a very long hairpin left that leads to a short six right that leads to two long chicanes before going to a very long six left that leads to a hairpin right with a gutter inside to end the second section. The third section begins with a long one left-very long one right-long one left combination that goes to a very long four right and a one left-one right combination that goes through a hairpin left with a short one left and a very long six right-very long six left-long six right combination that goes through the four hairpins (right-left-right-left) with their respective gutters inside before going to a four right to enter the last section. There is a long hairpin right and a long hairpin left that connects to a two left over junction, take two six lefts before taking a short one right-hairpin right combination. Keep going the long straight and take two three rights that lead to a three left before going to a very long six right and a five left that goes to a very long six right and a long hairpin left over junction that opens into a two right that goes to very long hairpin right to finish the run.

[@UltramanMebiusBrave]

Soph Owen Well, to be fair, most parts of Europe, America, and Asia (WRC once held a rally in Japan) use 1-6 in ascending order of difficulty (1 the easiest and 6 the hardest). The numbers decreasing in difficulty (1 the hardest and 6 the easiest) are only for Africa (like you would in the Safari Rally).

[@BicyclesMayUseFullLane]

Yeah, I don't think touge racers do pacenotes. Also, pacenotes are very personal thing. If you watch Richard Burns footage, you will hear that his pacenotes don't use numbers for corners at all -(and I have no idea what 'easy right' means)-. At the end of the day, it's just what you used to.

[@gabbagoolfool]

@mignik01 I think that's the camber of the turn

[@keithswagler29]

what program/show is this from?

[@nitch003]

the master!!!

[@ghurghust]

i found that in colin mcrae rally 2005 use no 3 system

[@Doerby]

@ blowgunGER

[@stingray460]

I bet she was shitted all round when he finally stopped after and 20mins of driving :D

[@Doerby]

its not easy to follow richards pace notes... because Colin has a number system and richard has a system with fast and slow. colin 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, richard flat, easy, fast, medium, kay, hairpin

[@furionese]

he got it very wrong indeed at the end lol Colin, we all miss you bad..

[@Kimsey099]

dirt 1 has much better and realist pace notes than dirt 2. Dirt was screwed up by DC.