CAP headings in rally navigation
A CAP heading expresses a direction in degrees. North is 000° (also written 360°), east is 090°, south is 180° and west is 270°. The numbers increase clockwise.
Read the heading in context
A heading belongs to the instruction in its roadbook row. Check where it applies before using it. A departure heading helps confirm the route after a feature; it is not permission to ignore the tulip, hazards or the event’s route instructions.
CAP is an instruction; COG describes movement
COG is actual course over ground. CTW is the direct bearing to an opened GPS waypoint. Neither changes the meaning of the printed CAP. A GPS course reading does not establish a new heading when you turn a stationary bike.
A winding feature can have an average CAP
An exit CAP describes departure, an average CAP the overall direction of a feature, a calculated CAP the bearing between references, and a changing CAP a curve. A wadi with average CAP 000 may bend either side of north. Follow its described shape; do not cut it to force COG 000 at every bend.
Crossing north: 350° to 010°
Imagine you are travelling at 350° and the exercise asks for 010°. The shortest change is 20° clockwise: 10° to north, then another 10° to 010°. Subtracting the displayed numbers without allowing for the circle would give the wrong turn.
Compare like directions
For a simple departure CAP of 090°, a moving COG of 100° is 10° clockwise of the instructed direction. A 10° counterclockwise course change would align them. Terrain, hazards and the instruction context determine where that change is appropriate; keep looking at the ground and landmarks.
Check your understanding
You are heading 005° and need 355°. What is the shortest correction?
Show the answer
Turn 10° counterclockwise: 5° back to north, then 5° to 355°. Both headings are close to north, even though their displayed numbers are far apart.
These are simplified training examples. For an event, follow its roadbook, briefing and equipment instructions. See the field guide and its sources for the wider navigation context.