Co Drivers - Their roles and Pacenotes

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luieluv
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Co Drivers - Their roles and Pacenotes

Post by luieluv » 20 May 2010, 06:59

Just a Layman's Ideology to start with

ROLE OF A CO-DRIVER

Whilst the role of a co-driver can be summed up in a few sentences it certainly involves slightly more than just the high profile job of reading pace notes to the driver in car.

As a co-driver your role is to help your driver to win rallies.

Often referred to as the "Office Manager" dealing with all the paperwork, the co-driver will also be involved in close liaison with the team and event organisers. The co-driver will prepare recce, service and movement schedules, and with the driver will write and amend pace notes on the recce. Responsibility for timing on the stages, road sections between stages, and keeping an eye on things in service all fall to the co-driver, and there are major penalties for being even a minute early or late at any control. The co-driver reads the pace notes back on the stages giving the driver advance information, and therefore confidence, about the road she/he can't yet see.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD CO-DRIVER?

The ability to:

- Work as part of a team, but be able to take charge whenever necessary
- Give clear instructions
- Remain calm under pressure

Basically 3 C's...Confidence, Competence and Composure. (The 3 C's apply to drivers too).

WHAT MAKES A GOOD CREW?

- Trust
- Confidence in each other's ability
- Working together as a team, recognising each other's worth

FACTS OF LIFE

- Nobody said it was easy
- Drivers are allowed to make mistakes, co-drivers are not
- You can't win a rally (drivers do that!), but you certainly can lose it

A TONGUE IN CHEEK CO-DRIVER JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Purpose: To win rallies!

Key Tasks:
- Motivate your driver
- Manage team (driver, service crew)
- Keep everyone calm/happy
- Ensure driver and car are where they should be, and at the precise minute
- Plan team logistics
- Keep everyone calm/happy
- Admin - dealing with all the paperwork
- Liase with marshals/event organisers
- Write and amend pace notes on recce
- Keep hold of spare rally car keys
- Continue to keep everyone calm/happy
- Read notes back on stage
- Keep driver/car on the road and out of the scenery
- Ensure regular supply of drinks/sweets for driver
- Facilitate anything
- Facilitate everything
- Any other duties which fall loosely within the scope of the post

Regular contacts:

Driver, service crew, sponsors, event organisers, bank manager, map shop staff

Supervision received:

Postholder will be expected to work with a high degree of autonomy (pre-empt problems, and conjure up solutions out of thin air)

Qualifications / experience required:

- Essential Solution tuition package
- Experience gained in car / on the job
- Understand regulations specific to each event
- Articulate in unrelated words of verbal shorthand (pace notes)
- Lived a little (and want to live a bit more)

Personal skills:

- Intuitive
- Diplomat
- Keep all b*** in the air
- Psychologist
- Multi task
- Able to chill
- Get worms back in can once opened
- Realising there's always more to learn
- Creative (solutions / thin air specialism)
- Not take yourself too seriously
- Able to cope with Bad Hair Days
- Enjoy life (essential)

link:
http://www.codriversolutions.com/codriving.htm
So its gonna be a mix of Ravishing Black and White for Kimi Raikkonen this season

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Re: Co Drivers - Their roles and Pacenotes

Post by luieluv » 20 May 2010, 07:00

What a rally co-driver does

In the first years of rallying, the only person in the car was the driver. Exploding tires, getting lost at the country side and hard to fix mechanical problems made the drivers find a solution. They started to take their friends (which are usually mechanics) with them in the car so he can assist the driver during the rally. As the rallying get more sophisticated, co-driver's role got more important. When we watch rallies, we see them reading the road notes but what we don’t know is they are the heart of a rally team.

Majority of the motorsports events in the world (except the illegal ones) are being held with the authorization of FIA (Federation Internationale de l’Automobile). There are also national racing federations. Both of these have yearbooks which explain the rules and regulations that the teams need to follow. Like the other personnel in the team do, it is also co-drivers responsibility to study and remember them. Co-driver also let the team know if there are any changes, organize the rally weekend schedule and have a recon program. A mistake made by co-driver can lead the car or the team to be disqualified.

Who likes the paperwork? The co-drivers handle all the paperwork. They need to prepare a lot of forms and fill in applications. FIA is very strict and everything has to be accurate. If the team is not a professional team and there is a not personnel that is responsible for insurance or customs, the co-drivers do it.

The co-drivers always study their lessons for the next rally and also for the next year’s championship. The driver’s job is to drive the car as the co-driver makes the strategy. As he prepares the strategy and studies the rally/stages, he makes the final corrections with the driver. The driver must know what time he needs to arrive to the stage start or leave the service area. Co-driver also needs to follow weather forecast and national news as the weather or road conditions can change during the rally weekend.

When they receive the road book, they start studying it carefully and make necessary adjustments. Not all the road books are accurate. Sometimes the maps or the information are totally wrong so the co-drivers often use Google Earth or alternate maps. In some rallies, the co-drivers have the chance to recon the stage. This way, the pacenotes will be far more accurate. The driver and the co-driver start preparing pacenotes according to the stage/rally map. As the co-driver read the pacenotes to the driver during the rally, the driver knows what turn or obstacle is coming next. Each co-driver have different way of preparing the pace notes. But a generality of the co-drivers use the scheme of ‘’1 to 6’’ which 1 refers to straight and 6 is usually a 90 degree turn where the drivers use handbrake technique.

The co-drivers also work together with the mechanics of the team. The co-driver prepares the service schedule and the team works with that. During the stages, the co-driver also acts as a mechanic and tries to fix the car with the help of the driver if there is any problem. Not to mention, they need to be in shape in order not to bring extra weight to the car.
So its gonna be a mix of Ravishing Black and White for Kimi Raikkonen this season

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Re: Co Drivers - Their roles and Pacenotes

Post by saif » 20 May 2010, 08:18

nice thread Nimish !! :shhh:
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Re: Co Drivers - Their roles and Pacenotes

Post by Kinga » 20 May 2010, 08:23

Great thread, thanks for creating it! :thumbsup:
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Re: Co Drivers - Their roles and Pacenotes

Post by Linda-Anne » 20 May 2010, 09:10

Really interesting thread thanks for posting it. Methinks with my dread of paperwork I would make a lousy co driver.

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Re: Co Drivers - Their roles and Pacenotes

Post by Kriss » 20 May 2010, 09:28

thanks lui, very interesting :thumbsup:

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Re: Co Drivers - Their roles and Pacenotes

Post by luviceman » 20 May 2010, 12:40

Very interesting to read :thumbsup: thank you, luieluv :hug:

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Re: Co Drivers - Their roles and Pacenotes

Post by Claudie_Schnaudie » 20 May 2010, 13:53

Good stuff!!! :thumbsup: Thanks :hug:
Kimi Kimi gimme just a little smile :)

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Re: Co Drivers - Their roles and Pacenotes

Post by luieluv » 20 May 2010, 16:31

Thanks Everyone for the appreciation :)
So its gonna be a mix of Ravishing Black and White for Kimi Raikkonen this season

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Re: Co Drivers - Their roles and Pacenotes

Post by Wolfie » 20 May 2010, 16:44

luieluv wrote:Thanks Everyone for the appreciation :)
Well deserved, Luie :hug:

Great to have a thread to put things about co-drivers too since they have such a big impact on the outcome of the race :cool:

Kimi was lucky to have Kaitsu although Kaitsu has also lost it - but not with Kimi:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9G6b27C ... re=related


And phew... Kimi and Kaitsu aren't the only ones swearing and cursing :n

Here is another important role the co-driver has when this driver is cursing
- f*** off
- go to hell
- f***
- perkele
- f**k**g chimpanzee etc etc

The co-driver says to him 'take it easy' :lol:

Starting from 7.30:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V04UogIWAkw


But not only Finns do this :blush:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q39S4bjj ... re=related
To be changed soon - rko281, where are you??? LOL

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Re: Co Drivers - Their roles and Pacenotes

Post by Dracaena » 20 May 2010, 17:48

Wolfie wrote:Kimi was lucky to have Kaitsu although Kaitsu has also lost it - but not with Kimi:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9G6b27C ... re=related
Awww, I feel bad for Tobias Johansson. I got the feeling from Kaj's reaction that he was annoyed to begin with and this was the last straw (like "Jeez, this fudging idiot can't even park a car! How did I end up here, I used to co-drive for Tommi Mäkinen for fudges sake...")
Wolfie wrote:But not only Finns do this :blush:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q39S4bjj ... re=related
That was funny, not least because of the Irish accent. Reminded me of this angry fellow from The Simpsons:

Image

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Re: Co Drivers - Their roles and Pacenotes

Post by Ice-Ludy » 20 May 2010, 17:53

luviceman wrote:Very interesting to read :thumbsup: thank you, luieluv :hug:
Thanks a lot Luie!!!! :shhh:
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Re: Co Drivers - Their roles and Pacenotes

Post by Wolfie » 20 May 2010, 18:23

Dracaena wrote:
Wolfie wrote:Kimi was lucky to have Kaitsu although Kaitsu has also lost it - but not with Kimi:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9G6b27C ... re=related
Awww, I feel bad for Tobias Johansson. I got the feeling from Kaj's reaction that he was annoyed to begin with and this was the last straw (like "Jeez, this fudging idiot can't even park a car! How did I end up here, I used to co-drive for Tommi Mäkinen for fudges sake...")
Wolfie wrote:But not only Finns do this :blush:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q39S4bjj ... re=related
That was funny, not least because of the Irish accent. Reminded me of this angry fellow from The Simpsons:

Image
Dracaena, have you seen this one, F1-driver Derek Bell participates in RAC rally:

Oh Derek :lol:

To be changed soon - rko281, where are you??? LOL

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Re: Co Drivers - Their roles and Pacenotes

Post by Dracaena » 20 May 2010, 18:38

Wolfie wrote:Dracaena, have you seen this one, F1-driver Derek Bell participates in RAC rally:

Oh Derek :lol:

No, I hadn't seen that :lol:. Poor Derek :hug:.

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Re: Co Drivers - Their roles and Pacenotes

Post by Wolfie » 22 May 2010, 22:04

Dracaena wrote:
Wolfie wrote:Dracaena, have you seen this one, F1-driver Derek Bell participates in RAC rally:

Oh Derek :lol:

No, I hadn't seen that :lol:. Poor Derek :hug:.
Oh Derek, you have to keep it on the track :lol:
To be changed soon - rko281, where are you??? LOL

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