Glossary

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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: Before every rally, drivers and co-drivers spend two days reconnoitring the route at a maximum speed (set by rally organisers) of between 50 and 70kph. Crews are allowed two passes through each stage to familiarise themselves with the route and make pace notes, defining the length of a straight, severity of a bend and even where to place the car on the road for an upcoming blind crest.

Restrictor: To limit engine output to around 300bhp, the FIA requires all WRC-specification engines to be fitted with a 34mm diameter inlet restrictor which limits the flow of fuel/air mixture to the combustion chambers. Without a restrictor engines would produce more than 500bhp. PWRC cars are fitted with a 33mm restrictor.

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: The order in which competitors tackle the stages. The running order (also called the start order) is different for each day of the rally. The order for the opening day is determined by the drivers’ championship standings - with the leader going first. For days two and three, crews tackle the stages in rally leading order - with the leader going first. It should be noted that the order for superspecial stages can be adjusted by the event organisers for television and promotional requirements.

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.

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