[Matra et Alpine]

First thing to mark on a map is the area ideintifed in the Final Instructions showing the range of grids utilised an the maps. These are geven as a rectangle and as the route will not leave that area you can mark the map to remove the distraction of roads/items outside of the area. Coloured Highlighter pens are excellent for this purpose - though permament. Alternatively use your 4B pencil and draw shade lines on the outer (unused) area.

Within that area you can speed things up if you use highlighter to mark all the SHs. Sometimes, MPs are use, so it may help to mark all those in another colour.

Next it helps avoid errors if you copy the grid line numbers every 5 grids as opposed to the every 10 on the stadard OS. A fine overhead pen is ideal for this.

If given for the event, mark petrol station and halts. Including the finish - not the first time a crew is late getting to the results because they got lost

You now have a map marked ready to assist in the fast identification of the route to be given in the stage instructions.

When you have received the stage route instructions it will be in many differnet forms using MRs, SHs, tulips, crossings, boxes, gridlines and sometimes even puzzles.

Whether you do it before the start of the event propoer, or at the start of each stage - OR even as you go, it is important to mark your map so that you can quicly and clearly convey instructions to the driver.

So ... first, it has to be easy to read. I recommend a 4B pencil.
It's dark enough to be read under a reasonable map light AND it's easily erased if you make a plotting error and need to retrace.

Mark TCs and PCs with a solid line crossing the road at the location identified. and add an arrow to show direction arriving and/or leaving.

Mark the route by drawing a line alongside the road the route takes. Drawing OVER the road has the risk of possible obscuring fine detail of a junction which you may then mis-call to the driver.

Some navs mark the left side of the road, some mark the right, some mark the OUTSIDE of all corners - thus at some point the line is drawn crossing the road. You need to identify which YOU prefer and which one will mean LESS errors for you.

When reading the route to the driver you won't always have time to check with the instructions, it will be hard enough keeping the map in the light
So any commentary in the route instructions that are relevant or come to mind as you are plotting should be added. But be sure to be concise. AND PRINT CLEARLY AND BOLDLY. You're going to be reading this going round a corner at speed with a driver possibly screaming blu murder at you

So, any complex junctions which may need explanation - mark them (e.g. Hard Right). Where there are side roads especially white loops add extra lines o make sure the correct route to be taken. Without these added marks it's easy to call the wrong route to the driver. (Stage 2 has a good example)

You HAVE to transfer all the info onto the map to make the RIGHT decision, at speed, in the dark. So I've made sure I don't get confused at the complex junction by adding a NO LOOP comment, so making sure I call the straghtest way across and through that section. (again a Stage 2 example)

Also mark NAMs CLEARLY. A NAM means basically go the long way round, but until you come across the junction it's not always clear the route required. In most cases there is a triangle at the junction so rather than just going right, it is necessary to go left round the triangle and out again. It may be a layby, or farmyard. Some NAMs you can work out from the OS map, others you can't and so marking the map, knowing they;'re coming you can get heads-up and give additional instruction to the driver.

And those exclamation marks the organisers kindly put on a tulip or a MR. Try to read from the map what the danger might be - if a quarry the risk of long drops, farms may be uneven roads and mud or maybe it's a deep ford. Transferring that info to the map means you can call a clear warning when you approach it - and get your head UP OUT OF THE MAP at the time to try to assist the driver in evaluating the danger. Again at that point you may wish to add extra lines to ensure you read the right directions amidst all the other need to look for danger. It is VERY easy to call it wrong.

Especially when coming down the map - something VERY important and lets spend some time thinking about it. Following a route up the map is easy, a junction is on the left on the map AND the car. Copming down the map is different. Right and Left are trasnposed. A complex staggered junction with a bend can play havoc with left and right in your mind - especially if under time pressure and tryong to push on. So practise, reading the direction, maybe use a tape recorder then play it back and see if you got everyone right. If you ARE prone to error, then maybe for a while you should add additional annotation to the junctions R and L to make sure you call it right !! The driver will be very upset if you get it wrong. I did in a big way, ended up in a ditch and the driver cursing at me to tell him whether I'd made my mind up about it being left or right !!!

BUT and B_I_G but .... Don't put TOO much on a map or it will cause clutter and just confuse. You need to develop your own shorthand notes and indicators and stick to them. Look at other maps navigators mark up in events. Go along to nav events and where there is an area set aside to do the nav ask to go in and look around. See the different things, different navs do. Colours, marks, lines, notes. THINK if they will work for you. On the surface some seem good ideas - one nav experimented with post-it notes until the first time one peeled of in hadning over a timecard So THINK if it has value when you see it. Maybe after you can ask a nav to show you his maps and ask about things you saw at the start - PLEASE don't interrupt them while they're plotting