Trace (roadbook)

In rally raid roadbooks, which use many French terms, a trace means a faint track left by vehicles. It is less visible and less established than a piste, the defined dirt track, and it may disappear in sand, on stony plains or after rain.

Roadbooks usually draw traces with a thinner or dotted line in the tulip and may add a CAP heading so you can keep the right direction when the marks fade.

When following a trace, ride at a speed that lets you read the ground, watch the CAP and the distance closely, and do not assume that fresh tyre marks from other riders are the right way, as they may be following someone else's mistake.