Navspeak explained
Rally navigators have an esoteric language all of their own. To help new drivers to the sport, John Brown has drawn upon his vast experience during four decades to provide below a handy list of all those technical terms and phrases, and what they really mean.
What the navigator says |
Real meaning |
Of course it won't damage your car - it's all on smooth roads |
Send a skip out the next day for the pieces |
I was Mid-Wales regional champion in 1992 |
At flamenco dancing |
The start is in Newcastle |
The start is in Newcastle-under-Lyme |
Our start time is 11:37 |
Our start time is 10:37 |
Go like the clappers - the organisers have pruned this section |
We should have slotted left a mile back and now we're going the pretty way |
Wait at the yellow board - we've got a couple of minutes in hand at this control |
We've missed the previous two |
The marshal's your side - ask him for 23:17 |
We should have been here at 23:15, but it's now 23:19 and we're trying it on |
Go on dipped beam through this village - it's a quiet zone |
We're trying to sneak unnoticed through a black spot |
Do you mind if I open the window? |
I am about to deposit my dinner on your lap |
Gosh, there's number 25 in front of us again - he must be cutting a lot |
He missed out our last three wrong slots |
There's a very tricky slot in the next half mile |
There was a very tricky slot in the last half mile |
This crest looks flat on the map |
This crest is immediately followed by a fresh air hairpin left, on cow shit |
Thank heavens we're off the rough bit - I can read the map now |
We've just flown over the edge |
We're going over a fold in the map |
We're going flat out into a tight 90 right, steep downhill onto a narrow stone bridge |
I'm just changing maps |
For the next five miles, I will be reading you the wrong road |
Sorry, it's not as map |
Not as the bit of map I was looking at, anyway |
Put your foot down - look, we're much closer to the car in front |
There are three unmarked hairpins between him and us |
We're taking a short cut along a farm road |
It has six gates to open, the last of which is padlocked and guarded by a crazed Rottweiler |
This white road is a downhill-only goer |
We are going to spend the rest of the night in a muddy chasm |
The buggers have sent us on to Map 135 without specifying it |
The Public Library's copy of Map 135 was out, and I hoped that there wouldn't be too much of the route on it |
The bastards have put the code board facing the wrong way |
We have just wrong-approached a passage control |
Keep your boot in, this ford is not very deep |
We are going down the slipway into Kielder Water |
Have you farted? |
I have farted |
I know where we are now |
We've been lost for the last 20 minutes |
I know this road backwards |
Unfortunately, we're doing it forwards |
I know this area like the back of my hand |
Unfortunately, I'm wearing gloves |
I made our stage time there a few seconds quicker than the organisers |
I forgot to start the watch |
I agree with the finish time the marshal gave us |
I forgot to stop the watch |
We finished the last stage on 27 and the previous car was on 45 so we took 18 seconds off him |
He took 42 seconds off us |
I'm sure this isn't Mikkola's Bend |
This is Mikkola's Bend |
There are no spectators so it must be flat |
There are 300 spectators hiding in the trees, and Top Gear are just round the corner |
Fast left - 200 - ABSOLUTELY flat crest - 200 |
Oops - I turned over two pages at once |
Our service crew are just round this corner |
Our service crew are in the Red Horse |
Yes, we've plenty of time for a gearbox change |
We've got six minutes and 22 seconds, but I'm off to get a meat pie and have a dump, and you won't see me for the next quarter of an hour |
I'm just seeing if the entry list is under the seat |
I think I left our time card at the last control |
There's no need to check the results - the computer never gets it wrong |
We've been given all the penalties of car 57 who missed the last six tests |
Well driven! |
My grandmother could have gone quicker |
I'd love to do the next event with you |
If nothing better turns up |
I'll split the costs |
I'll buy you half a pint |
Oh bugger! |
Oh bugger! |
© John Brown
September 1996