Numbered Turns

With everything else on the go (the 2025 motorsport season is ramping up here in Nova Scotia) I find myself behind the curve with my promise to keep you updated on those types of route instructions you may find on rallies this year. After our post on herringbone diagrams, I promised a spot on numbered turns. Let’s go there now.

I don’t remember this type of instruction being used on an ARMS road rally, but I’m a relative newcomer to the region. Regardless – what are “numbered turns” and how do they work should you flip a page of instructions mid-way through a road rally and be faced with them?

They’re really quite simple, but may take a few seconds extra to interpret at each valid intersection. At each intersection, every road is given a number. The Route Instructions (RIs) will give you a number which will indicate which way you have to proceed. The road you’re on is #1, and you count the roads counter-clockwise to find the indicated road. So, if the RIs indicate a “4” and you arrive at a four-way intersection, you count 1 as the road you’re on, #2 as the road heading right, #3 as straight ahead, and #4 as the turn to the left. You would take the left turn to remain on course.
What happens when you arrive at a four-way intersection with an RI of 7? Wait a minute – there are only four roads, correct? With numbered roads, you would still count counter-clockwise to 7 and end up proceeding straight ahead.

How about a three-way intersection? It works the same way. For example: at a Tee junction with an instruction of “5,” you would still count counter-clockwise to arrive at the correct direction. In this case, it would result in a right turn.

This type of instruction works for all valid intersections, so crews need to ensure they know what constitutes a valid intersection and be on top of the route. Like a herringbone, distances turn-to-turn won’t be given and it will be up to the crew to decide what’s a valid intersection and to make the correct turn decision based on the RIs. Average speeds will be provided in a separate table, and remember that the rallymaster may make some modifications to how they’re utilized and approached on any specific rally. Again: the Supplementary Regulations and RIs are your friends.

Fun, eh? And there are people who say road rally isn’t challenging! Add to the challenge the camaraderie at registration and stories at the pub at the finish, the relative economy of this type of motorsport, and the ability to cover and see new parts of the country, and you’ve found a great day on the roads and hopefully a new hobby!