Rally roadbook French terms: piste, ornières, oued

Many rally-raids have French roots, so roadbook notes often use French terms. Three of the most common are:

• Piste – a defined dirt track. “Suivre piste principale” or “follow main piste” means stay on the main track and ignore side tracks.
• Ornières – ruts, often deep, which can catch the front wheel or force you to choose one line.
• Oued (Arabic wadi) – a dry riverbed, usually with soft sand, ruts, rocks or steep banks. Roadbooks use different symbols for small, large and sandy oueds.

When crossing an oued, slow down before the bank, stand up, look for the exit before you drop in and keep steady throttle in the sand. Learn the organiser's symbol sheet before the event, as notation varies between rallies.