Clock synchronisation
Aligning the team's clocks and stopwatches with the official rally time before the start, so its timing matches the organiser's exactly.
Clock synchronisation is the alignment of the team's own clocks – the on-board clock and stopwatches – with the organiser's official time. It is done before the start or before the stages, so that the team's timing matches the organiser's time to the second. Even a small offset between one's own clock and the official time can cost penalty points at the time controls.
The reference is usually a radio-controlled clock or the official start clock. Many teams use a clock with a running seconds display and set their stopwatches to match; with electronic systems the alignment is sometimes done by time signal. Careful clock synchronisation is part of the standard preparation for every regularity and target-time stage.
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Related terms
Start number
Number allocated to each team, displayed on the car and determining the start order; cars start individually at fixed intervals.
Pursuit start
Pursuit start: a start format in multi-stage events where start order and gaps reflect the deficit from previous results – the leader starts first.
Minute start
A start procedure in which cars are sent off one after another at one-minute intervals, in start-number order.