Beginners Info

Tips To Help You Start Navigating On Your Next Rally

• Always start with reading ALL the wording on any instructions that an organiser issues.
• Always 'Tick Off' as you go, so that you know exactly where you are up to. This applies to any form of Route Instruction that is given - Especially any extra info in the 'Final Instructions'. Plus all the info on the Route Card/Road Book - M.Rs. (Map References), Tulip Road Book diagrams, S.H. (Spot Heights), O.O.B. (Out of Bounds) & S.G.W. (Stop Give Ways) etc.
• Read the Rally Jargon below so that you don't get caught out.
• Set your in-car Rally Clock to the Organisers 'Rally Time' so that you know what every Marshal's Clock/Timepiece is also reading.
• When Plotting an M.R. pinpoint the spot with a dot and then draw a Circle around it, so you can easily find it later, together with it's designated I.D. maybe TC1 (Time Control 1) Plus any Approach or Departure instruction with an Arrow indicating which way - See the Maps below.
• PC, Mark with a dot and draw a Square around, to differentiate from a TC
• SGW simply draw a small Triangle around the Junction, this allows you to still see the map info and is neater than writing SGW on the Map.
• Use a 2B Pencil to Plot, and be Neat & Tidy so that you can later understand what you intend/mean.
• Prior to Plotting and the Start, familiarise yourself with the surrounding Street/Road Start area so that you don't make any mistakes in departing from MTC1.

To learn much more about Rally Navigating check our Navigation Training Page

or our  Don Barrow A-Z training course

What Equipment Do I Need?

Essential Starter Equipment

•  Don Barrow 1:50,000 Romer
•  Don Barrow Map Magnifier
•  Digital Stopwatch
• Digital in-car 24 hr clock
• Map Board - Piece of Hardboard, Size 10.5" x 16" - 26.5x40cm
•  Time Card holder - Hardboard, Size A4 8.25" x 11.75" - 21x30cm, with 2 elastic bands to hold
•  2B Pencils
•  Biro Pen
• Coloured Highlighter Pens
•  Pencil Sharpener
•  Staedtler Rubber
•  Pencil Holder
•  Torch (a Head touch can be an advantage)
•  Don Barrow A-Z Navigation Course

Navigation Scatter Or 12 Car Rally

• Don Barrow Map Magnifier 12 V
• DB LED Cockpit or Pacenote Light
• Digital Stopwatch
• Digital in-car 24 hr clock
• Map Board - Piece of Hardboard
• Size 10.5" x 16" - 26.5x40cm
• Time Card holder - Hardboard, Size A4 8.25" x 11.75" - 21x30cm
• With 2 elastic bands to hold, Or a Clip Board
• 2B Pencils
• Biro Pen
• Coloured Highlighter Pens
• Pencil Sharpener & Pencil Holder
• Staedtler Rubber
• Torch (a Head touch can be an advantage)
• Highway Code - Tie Decider answers
• Your Motor Club membership Card

Installed In The Car

• Digital Twin Display Tripmeter
• Cockpit Light - In Car Plotting Light
• Or a Don Barrow LED Cockpit light
• 24 Hr Clock/Stopwatch :

• Tripmeter
• Sensor
• Inline Fuse

• Always check the event Regulations for what type of Tripmeter is eligible for the Rally
• See Tripmeters page for guidance

Stage Rally

• Don Barrow 1:50,000 Romer
• Don Barrow Map Magnifier 12 V
• DB LED Cockpit or Pacenote Light
• Pacenote Book
• Note Book to record Stage Times
• Digital Stopwatch
• Digital in-car 24 hr clock
• Map Board - Piece of Hardboard, Size 10.5" x 16" - 26.5x40cm
• Time Card holder - Hardboard, Size A4 8.25" x 11.75" - 21x30cm
• With 2 elastic bands to hold, Or a Clip Board
• 2B Pencils
• Biro Pen
• Coloured Highlighter Pens
• Pencil Sharpener & Pencil Holder
• Staedtler Rubber
• Current Motorsport UK Specification Crash Hat
• Current Motorsport UK Specification Racing Suit
• Your Motor Club membership Card
• Your Competition Licence

Road Rally

• Don Barrow 1:50,000 Romer
• Don Barrow Map Magnifier 12 V
• DB LED Cockpit or Pacenote Light
• Digital Stopwatch
• Digital in-car 24 hr clock
• Map Board - Piece of Hardboard
• Size 10.5" x 16" - 26.5x40cm
• Time Card holder - Hardboard
• Size A4 8.25" x 11.75" - 21x30cm
• With 2 elastic bands to hold
• Or a Clip Board
• 2B Pencils
• Biro Pen
• Coloured Highlighter Pens
• Pencil Sharpener & Pencil Holder
• Staedtler Rubber
• Torch (a Head touch can be an advantage)
• Your Motor Club membership Card
• Your Competition Licence

Historic Road Rally

• Don Barrow 1:50,000 Romer
• Don Barrow Map Magnifier 12 V
• DB LED Cockpit or Pacenote Light
• Digital Stopwatch
• Digital in-car 24 hr clock
• Map Board - Piece of Hardboard, Size 10.5" x 16" - 26.5x40cm
• Time Card holder - Hardboard, Size A4 8.25" x 11.75" - 21x30cm
• With 2 elastic bands to hold, Or a Clip Board
• 2B Pencils
• Biro Pen
• Coloured Highlighter Pens
• Pencil Sharpener & Pencil Holder
• Staedtler Rubber
• Torch
• Your Motor Club membership Card
• Your Competition Licence

Rally Jargon Abbreviations

• MTC - Main Time Control
• TC - Time Control
• PC - Passage Control or Passage Check
• IRTC - Inter Regularity Time Control
• MR - Map Reference
• GR - Grid Reference
• SH - Spot Height
• OOB - Out of Bounds
• JNC - Road Junction
• TR - Turn Right
• TL - Turn Left
• SO - Straight On

Rally Jargon Abbreviations

• SOX - Straight On at X Roads
• FR - Fork Right
• FL - Fork Left
• NAM - Not as Map
• SGW - Stop at Give Way sign
• LWR - Long Way Round Triangle
• SWR - Short Way Round Triangle
• CRO - Coloured Roads only
• AR - All Roads
• Q or QZ - Quiet Zone
• Wrong Slot - Missed a Junction
• Plot & Bash - Plotting on the move

Useful Tips

• Lost - Satellite Dishes point South
• TC - Encircle the M.R. Plot
• PC - Draw a Square around the Plot
• SGW - Draw a Triangle around JNC
• SH - Mark with a Highlighter
• Number the JNCs on Herringbones
• Cannot understand an instruction
• Ask another competitor
• Keep a Log of all your penalties

Don Barrow A-Z Tutorial Course, Found on HERE

Tips On Plotting A Route 

• Map Preparation - See examples
• Re-Number the 1K Grid Lines in Biro
• Draw a Circle at the 10K cross points
• This allows you to Plot quicker
• As you Plot
• Tick off any given instructions
• Tick off MR's on the Route Card
• Mark the MR with a Pencil dot
• Encircle the Dot to highlight
• Mark the Plot with a TC & it's Number
• Arrow it's Approach or Departure
• Time permitting
• Plot the Route as per Example - A
• No time, Plot like Example - B
• Plot neat & tidy
• So you can understand it's meaning
• Later on the Rally Route

Don Barrow Super 1:50,000 Romers are designed for Speedy Plotting with no other scales to distract you

Plotting a 8 Figure Map Reference M.R. 09406950
Good Tip, draw a vertical line through the MR like so - 0940|6950 - It's easier to manage.

How to Plot a Map Reference with a Romer

• The Grid Lines on a 1:50,000 Scaled map are spaced at every 2cm which equals 1 Kilometre, thus creating a series of Grid Squares. The Grid Lines are numbered from West to East and South to North which produce a Grid with numbered Squares.
• When plotting a 6 figure Map References with a Don Barrow Super Romer you must always remember the first 3 numbers are relating to West to East and the second 3 numbers are relating to South to North, there is an old saying of, 'Along the hall and up the the stairs' to remind you of the order of Plotting.
• The calibrations on the top right hand corner of the Romer subdivide the Kilometre square into tenths. So using the adjacent example which shows a M.R. Plot of 094695, you would Plot a M.R. of 09.4 East of the origin within the square to the right (East) of the vertical Grid Line 09 and 69.5 above (North) of the horizontal Grid Line 69. The right hand corner of the Romer is now pointing to the exact Plot of 094695. Mark this Plot with a 2B pencil and then draw a 1 cm circle around for easily locating later.