Pace notes are a much more detailed type of note system than stage notes because they are created by the driver and co-driver before the event begins. The process is called "recce" (short for reconnaissance) where each team is allowed to drive the stages of the event a few days ahead of time to write their notes. Each team has their own style to writing their notes and because of this comparing them can be difficult. Sometimes one team will notice a detail while another will not, resulting in gaps in their stage times. There have been events where a team who didn't note a crest correctly have ended up crashing while others who marked it correctly had no problems.

Pace notes and the recce system are becoming a less used system due to the costs involved for the event host, the rally teams and also the environment. Large rally events can have more than fifty competitors who will be driving hundreds of miles and with recce demanding two more "laps" of the stages it can quickly add up to a large amount of time and money.

Fifty teams traveling 300 miles each is 15,000 miles of gasoline use, tire wear, engine wear, road wear, carbon dioxide output and noise pollution. Along with many other negatives that are site specific, its large amounts that often reflect negatively towards environmentalist. Because of this many events now use stage notes which help a great deal.

Here are a few examples of what pace notes will look like: