FWIW, there are two things I STRONGLY recommend against for recce.
- Recce with other people in the car. Particularly other teams but even 'bystanders' are a distraction.
- Recce in the rally car. (Just plain too rough and difficult to write clean notes.)

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First Rally: 2001
Driver (7), Co-Driver (44)
Drivers (16)
Clerk (10), Official (7), Volunteer (4)
Cars Built (1), Engines Built (0) Cages Built (0)
Last Updated, January 4, 2015

Quote
john vanlandingham
Blame is for idiots. losers.

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Morison
- Recce in the rally car. (Just plain too rough and difficult to write clean notes.)

WRC recce cars are essentially rally cars. They seem to write notes ok.

Also, I wrote notes just fine in my bug for Nemadji Trail.

Then by all means go-ahead and do it.

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johnhuebbe
WRC recce cars are essentially rally cars. They seem to write notes ok.

Except where it counts - the suspension - which is much more compliant than anything you'll find on stage.
I do support as much of a prepared recce car as you can get - skid plate, odo, intercom, proper tires etc. but for some events, creature comforts are good to have as well. (AC for dusty and/or hot events as an example)

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johnhuebbe
Also, I wrote notes just fine in my bug for Nemadji Trail.

I thought you were a driver... How'd it go for the co-driver? (I was talking about actually, physically, writing the notes not simply dictating them)

---

First Rally: 2001
Driver (7), Co-Driver (44)
Drivers (16)
Clerk (10), Official (7), Volunteer (4)
Cars Built (1), Engines Built (0) Cages Built (0)
Last Updated, January 4, 2015

Quote
john vanlandingham
Blame is for idiots. losers.

Quote
Morison
I thought you were a driver... How'd it go for the co-driver? (I was talking about actually, physically, writing the notes not simply dictating them)

I'm a codriver. Mark's the driver.

I didn't have any trouble writing the notes. I actually felt more comfortable, since I was in a nice fixed back seat that fits tight. Just need to make sure to write large enough. For short events (like Nemadji) I'd strongly recommend using the rally car (from my positive experience, no need for an extra car or using the service rig as the recce vehicle). Other events I'd think twice about using the rally car (extra miles on the motor, creature comforts you mentioned are nice, etc)

In previous times I've done recce I've used an STi and it was ok. Mexico I used a 90's era rental Nissan Sentra. That was rough.

The older the service truck the worse they tend to ride. They'll take a beating no doubt but so will the occupants at 25-30 mph on most gravel roads. It is a crap shoot. We're looking at what makes sense for a 'regional' focused event. Less pomp and circumstance and more common sense. Teams get to use what is best for their particular situation instead of others arbitrary requirements.

For the record:
I've always allowed rally cars on recce at my events and I applaud the event for doing so. It's just a strong recommendation from me that looking for an alternative is well worth it. (We rented an SUV for Oregon, might do the same for Nameless)

I've got about 30 events worth of 2 pass recce under my belt, done in a wide range of recce cars. Just thought I'd share.

---

First Rally: 2001
Driver (7), Co-Driver (44)
Drivers (16)
Clerk (10), Official (7), Volunteer (4)
Cars Built (1), Engines Built (0) Cages Built (0)
Last Updated, January 4, 2015

Quote
john vanlandingham
Blame is for idiots. losers.

Quote
heymagic
One of the worst wrecks (Idaho inaguaral year) was 3 cars bought it on the same instruction and I think they recced in the same car if I remember correctly.

When Blakely went off, the note called was completely wrong.

It was also a really deceptive turn. Reading the road, it looked like it did one thing, but there was a blind dip in the middle of it and that is what caught people.

alan

I *hate* trying to recce in an SUV. Was that a crest, if seen from the rallycar? Golly, lemme do some incar trig here. Just a whole lot more useful to recce from a car with similar sightlines, and my codriver hasn't made it look all that difficult making notechanges during the rally (make that a CAUTION hard right!)

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Jay Woodward
Snohomish, WA
'90 Mazdog Frankenprotege
Chronologically, 46...



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2013 12:30PM by Jay.

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tipo158

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heymagic
One of the worst wrecks (Idaho inaguaral year) was 3 cars bought it on the same instruction and I think they recced in the same car if I remember correctly.

When Blakely went off, the note called was completely wrong.

It was also a really deceptive turn. Reading the road, it looked like it did one thing, but there was a blind dip in the middle of it and that is what caught people.

That's what recce is for - so if that was a notes mixup...why did the other two cars that recce'd in the same van also go off there? I sorta wonder if this was a case of writing notes from scratch caught out folks who didn't have much experience with that? I can't remember if there were some sort of notes to start with, but as someone who'd only run hillclimbs where we write notes from scratch, that corner was given some !!! because of how deceptive it was.

Either way, it was a damn shame because that was the best road of the entire rally (says the only guy running a restrictor at the event and with a top speed of just 110mph).

Dave

Actually sounds like we're all on the same page for a change, maybe different paragraphs but the same page.

Is there gonna be a spectator stage, like at the Ridge?

No specific spectator stage, there will be spectating on a few of the gravel stages though. The Ridge was just too much money for a regional event to budget in.