In Part One you were given a number of basic map references to plot, which would have given you the correct route from the Start to TC1.
As promised, I have included a trace of the correct route. You should now check this trace with your route.
Copy the diagram onto a small piece of tracing paper and lay it over the map, ensuring it matches at all points the YELLOWS (yellow roads) from the Start to TC1.
Under normal circumstances you would not get the grid lines included with the trace, I have included them to ensure the computer scan was at the correct scale!
You have now practised another plotting technique which you will encounter on events.
Many organisers will try to make the plotting difficult by cutting the traced route into sections and splitting or jumbling them up. Occasionally, you may encounter the route mirrored, a technique used to confuse the navigator.
I don’t think I can tell you much more about traces, which is probably one of the simplest forms of plotting methods.
In Part One the references given were in basic format, many rally organisers will help you plot the route by giving you additional directions in the form of the points of the compass(N,S E,W)etc.
Where these are included the Direction of APPROACH to the GR is shown as a prefix and the direction of DEPARTURE from the GR as a suffix.
As an example, the Start of our practical exercise GR would look like 915457½SW.
On rally road books you will in all probability encounter some GR’s with directions and others without.
Now we will move along our route from TC1 to TC2, plotting the enhanced GR’s with directions given below.
NW873430SE
WNW886426½NE
E871444SW
SW867½457½NNE
SSW863471 (TC2)
The next most popular of the route instructions used are TULIPS.
These were given this name because they were first used on the Dutch Tulip International Rally and proved so popular they have been adopted by rally organisers world-wide.
A tulip diagram can be given in a variety of formats, however we will start with the traditional tulip. Each diagram is an accurate representation (from the map) of the road junction you are plotting. The ball on the diagram indicates the direction of approach to and the arrow the direction of departure from the junction.
Try plotting the tulips shown below onto the map starting at TC2.
Start at the top left hand side and work across line by line. The diagrams only take into account coloured roads. To help you TC3 is located at GR868505.
In the next part I will include another trace showing the correct route.