Glossary

 

Co-driver The navigator in the passenger seat who gives a running commentary through an intercom to the driver about directional changes and road conditions ahead.
Driver safety WRC cars don’t have airbags. Instead, the crew sit inside a super-strong protective cell. They are surrounded by a roll cage and strap themselves in with six-point wide-strap safety belts, similar to those used in military fighter planes. The car, which also features side impact protection devices, has an automatic fire extinguisher system plumbed-in and the crew wear flameproof overalls and underwear, safety helmets and a head and neck support system.
FIA The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, the Paris-based governing body for worldwide motorsport which regulates and controls the World Rally Championship.
Flying finish The end of a stage where the timing stops.
Gravel crews On asphalt rallies, priority drivers are supported by a gravel crew who pass through the stages in advance of the competitors to report back on weather and changes to the surface condition, which might have changed following reconnaissance.
HANS device A driver safety device compulsory in the WRC. HANS stands for ‘head and neck support’. Worn on the shoulders and around the back of the neck, the device is connected to the crash helmet and, in the event of an accident, HANS restricts head movement to protect the head and neck from serious injury.
Intercom The audio link that enables drivers and co-drivers to hear one another above the noise of the car. Intercom headphones and a microphone are built into each driver and co-driver’s safety helmet.
OTL Over time limit. Competitors arriving more than 30 minutes later than the target time between two time controls, at the end of each section and/or day of the rally are said to be OTL, and must retire from the day’s competition.
Pace notes A description of the road ahead, called out by the co-driver to inform the driver of what is coming up. Pace notes for every rally are made during the pre-event reconnaissance. As they recce each stage (twice, and at limited speed), drivers describe the road to their co-drivers, who write down the information in a form of shorthand. During the rally the co-driver reads the notes back to the driver.
Parc ferme The secure area where all competing rally cars are housed at the completion of a day of the rally.
Points For the Drivers’ and Co-drivers’ World Championship points are awarded at the end of each rally to the first ten crews according to the following scale: 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1. Additional points are awarded to the first three in the Power stage (3,2,1). For the Manufacturers’ World Championship points are awarded to the first ten nominated crews according to the following scale: 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1. All results are counted to establish the final overall classifications of the championships.
Power Stage Rallies must include a Power stage to improve TV coverage. This stage generally measures 4 to 8 kms and ends the rally.
Race suit Rally crews wear racing overalls containing three layers of flameproof material, plus flameproof underwear and a flameproof balaclava under their safety helmet.
Recce car A largely standard road car which the driver and co-driver use to recce the route before the rally starts to prepare pace notes.
Recce Recce takes place according to a programme defined by the organizer. Crews can cover each stage twice maximum. Speed is limited and checked by GPS.
Road book A set of instructions and route maps issued to each crew by rally organisers.
Road section Sometimes called a liaison section, this is the public road which links the special stages, service points and parc ferme. Drivers must obey all applicable traffic laws on road sections.
Roll cage A structure of high carbon steel tubes welded inside the passenger compartment designed to keep the driver and co-driver safe in the event of an impact or roll-over.
Running order On the first day the crews start the stages in the order of the World Championship for Drivers’ classification. Then the starting order is defined by the classification of the previous day. There are two-minute minimum intervals between starts.
Scrutineers Technical officials who check the legality of WRC cars before, during and after each event.
Sequential gearbox The type fitted to most WRC cars. Gear selections are made by gearshift rather than the traditional ‘H’ gate manual system typically found on production cars.
Service park Service is strictly forbidden outside the times and places defined by the rally programme. The crew members can work on the car at all times (outside the parc fermé) with the help of the on-board equipment. Services can be carried out in the main parc or in distant zones. The only people allowed to work on the car are the crews and the eight mechanics identified by armbands. During a distant service the equipment that can be used is reduced to a minimum (jack, pressure pins, hand tools). Repairs must be carried out with the parts carried in the car.
Shakedown The shakedown is the final opportunity to test the cars before the start of the rally. It usually takes place on Thursday morning and each crew must do two passages minimum.
Stages The competitive sections of the rally, also called special stages, where drivers and co-drivers drive as fast as they can to complete the section in the shortest time possible. The stages are timed to a tenth of a second. A standing start isgiven while the finish is a flying one. The penalty for jumping the start is 10s.
Stage time The time recorded from the standing start of a stage to the flying finish.
Stop control A point 200-500 metres past the flying finish where the car must stop to have its time recorded.
Superspecial stage A stage – often set up in a sports stadium – with two parallel tracks that enable two drivers to race each other. Superspecial stages are also run in city centre locations but tend to adopt a pursuit-style format with a handful of cars competing on the stage at the same time, albeit separated by gaps.
Restart A crew that has retired during a day of the rally can restart the next day after being given a 5-minute penalty for each stage it has not finished or missed (minimum penalty, 10 minutes). The crew is allowed three hours service to prepare for this restart.
Target time The official time allowed by rally organisers for a WRC car to complete a non-competitive road section. Time penalties are applied if competitors check-in earlier or later than the target time.
Testing Private testing is forbidden outside the nine countries in Western Europe. A manufacturer can organize 10 test sessions over 42 calendar days per year.
Time card Carried by the co-driver, the time card is a record of stage times and time control arrival times throughout the rally. The card is stamped by event officials as the rally progresses and provides proof of a competitor’s whereabouts in case of a dispute.
Time control The place where cars must stop to get an official passing time recorded by rally officials.
Time penalty Rally crews are penalised 10 seconds for every minute the car is late to a time control – for instance a stage start, service-in control, service-out control. Checking in early to a time control carries a stiffer penalty of one minute for every minute early.
Turbocharger An exhaust-driven turbine that pressurises the fuel/air mixture into the engine to enable it to develop more power. All WRC cars use turbochargers (turbos) which develop 4-5 times the pressure of the turbo on a road car. Thanks to a system called anti-lag, most WRC cars are able to produce maximum turbo boost even at low engine speeds.
Tyres The manufacturers must designate a tyre manufacturer complying with the specification of the FIA for the whole season. The number of tyres per crew is limited by the supplementary regulations of each rally. A car can carry two spare wheels maximum.
WRC Team A WRC Team can score points in the World Rally Championship for Manufacturers providing it participates on at least seven nominated rounds, including two outside Europe, with one or two World Rally Cars of the same make and type.
Zero car A course car driven through a stage before the competitors start it to alert spectators that the section is live. The zero car is preceded by the triple zero and double zero cars.

 

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