Improving Your SOP Skills, Part One
By Tom Palidar
Okay--first of all--it will be necessary to clarify that SOP really stands for Seat Of Pants. And for further clarity--it does not stand for STUPID OLD PEOPLE.
Although I am sure that there must be more than one group of rallyist who believe that most SOPers are not right with the world since they chose not use all those wonderful electronic devices and various gadgets that get them those low scores, this class still exists. And, if you think about it, since the very first rally when every one was a novice, it’s the second oldest class, and in my humble opinion, the purest class of competition. Most ‘experienced’ SOP’ers have ‘chosen the simpler life’ of rallying--just going out for a drive on some nice roads.
I am not going to be writing about a new technique for beating other SOP’ers--nope, won’t go there. And since there are far more experienced and successful rallyists out there than myself--what I am offering is to improve your skills by simply learning to enjoy being an SOP rallist.
A true SOP rallyist uses no calculating devices except for their brain. Put down those time-tables, calculators, slide-rules, cell phones, you can’t use them in SOP. Nope, just the good old ‘noggin’.
SOPers do all computations for speed and/or mileage corrections with paper & pencil. Yup, as a SOPer, you’re finally going to use those math skills that were drummed into your heads back in fourth grade. And hopefully, you learned how to do long division quickly too.
The average SOP navigator can usually be seen sitting in their car, madly trying to determine any error correction at the end of the Odometer Transit Section. And since there is usually not much extra time at that point, it would not be wise to stop by for a visit…they could be cranky.
But I digress. Back to how to enjoy this road trip as a SOPer. From nearly everything that I have learned and observed, it’s mostly how the driver & co-driver (navigator) communicate with each other. Although I am sure that many SOP teams have had ‘heated moments’ at one time or another (left? I thought you said right!!--sound familiar?) they have learned to simplify 'turn instructions'.
For example, when the navigator says…”left at signal”, the driver repeats back…”left?”…not “left, right?.
If the driver needs confirmation of the turn they should say, “left, correct?”
Otherwise the driver would be doing a left turn then a right turn. And, unless that is what the instructions had directed, they just “fell off the face of the earth”. Not a good thing when your main objective is to stay on course. More on how to correct your error next month.
Next, it is extremely important that the driver has the utmost confidence in the person who is ‘telling them where to go’. Now I am not meaning there needs to be a continual dialog, but rather the driver should never hear from the navigator…’oops’….or my personal favorite…”I think you should have turned back there, at the last intersection.”
All this does it is destroy any confidence there might have been in your ability. This will result in the rest of the evening with the driver repeating your instructions to be followed with “are you sure?”
Not good.
Now, a few words about the driver and how this person creates confidence with the navigator. A navigator is in a position where they have no control over the car, needs to be able to read a set of instructions, sometimes make mathematical calculations on-the-fly and keep from getting car-sick in the process. Taking unnecessary chances can destroy that confidence quickly. For example, when approaching a turn, it is not a good idea for the driver to say, ”ooops”.
This will most likely result in having an empty space where the navigator had been sitting, or worse yet, an unforgettable smell from that side of the car.
If it is the driver’s car, making sure the car is well prepared for the event; full tank of gas, proper amount of air in the tires, no engine check lights flashing or stuck in the on position. And here’s a hint for the navigator, always ask why there’s that black piece of electricians tape across a certain space on his dash. It could be hiding something very important; like a flashing ABS light!
Ok, so you have a car that is ready to go, the driver and navigator are familiar with what the purpose of this exercise is all about and it’s all about to start. Wait a minute, what is the real purpose of being there instead of at home watching a good television show? Wow, I almost forgot, you’re there to have a good time, not get lost, remain friends, and end up at the right pizza joint waiting for all those horror stories that will be forthcoming from everyone else who chose not to follow these simple rules:
a) Communicate clearly to each other;
b) Don’t take chances…always be sure that what you are about to do is what is intended by the Rallymaster;
c) Make sure that you follow the appropriate highway rules of safety.
Next month: How to correct those mistakes….
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