A co-driver is the navigator of a rally car in the sport of rallying, who sits in the front passenger seat. The co-driver's job is to navigate, commonly by reading off a set of pacenotes to the driver (what lies ahead, where to turn, the severity of the turn, and what obstacles to look out for). Some competitions require map interpretation. In stage rallying communication is often over a radio headset, due to the high level of noise in the car.[1] The co-driver also tells the driver about any incidents or accidents that may have occurred further ahead in the stage.[2][3] This role is particularly critical in high-end rally competitions such as WRC. Co-drivers are also often called on to perform maintenance on the car during road sections and special stages, such as changing a wheel.

The co-driver is seated lower in the car to improve weight distribution.

Notable co-drivers

edit
 
Manfred Stohl and co-driver Ilka Minor changing a tire on a road section of Rally Argentina.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Tony Chamberlain, "This rally gets down and dirty", The Boston Globe, 21 July 2006
  2. ^ Laurie Wang, "The Race of Your Life" on Power to Change
  3. ^ "Rallying : What about the co-driver?" Archived 2018-01-24 at the Wayback Machine, motorsportads.com, no date