To learn tulips - do a few TSD Rallies. This is by far the easiest, most effective way to get used to them. Also, drivers these days have a terrible habit of not equipping the co-drivers side with a rally computer, so even if you don't have one for the event, it's still useful.
To learn notes - you know, no one has ever given good advice around this other than "do events." However, most drivers don't like a co-driver getting lost and giving wrong notes all the time while "you figure things out," so I'll give two non-conventional methods that have helped me (feel free to blast away).
First, go here and get acclimated with the short hand you'll be experiencing for Jemba notes -
http://www.jemba.se/notesUSA.htm
Second, search YouTube for some in-car with audio. Ideally from a driver/car combination similar to what you'll be experiencing and from an event you're likely to do. Or just subscribe to Chris Greenhouse's YouTube channel
Get a notebook, play the video, and transcribe what the co-driver is saying in pace note shorthand. This will make reading the shorthand as well as making you're own notes second nature.
Play the video on mute and read the notes yourself. If you're confident the co-driver in the video is good (you can bounce this off an experienced co-driver) you can try to read the notes with the audio and see how your timing compares.
For an extra challenge, download the video using a YouTube or Flash downloader, speed up the footage (approx. 20-50%..I use FreeSmith), and learn to keep up. I would liken this to a baseball player swinging two bats at once before stepping up to the plate. *For me* doing this makes the pace of the car seem underwhelming when I start the stage and causes me to watch the road more so that I wait to call the note at the ideal time. It's taught me to start calling the note while watching the road, then finish reading off the page. I found being able to rely on my eyes as well as my butt has helped immensely with my timing, but that might be past co-driving 101
. I still do this with every event now, and once I finish my prep work and understand which stages are similar to previous years, I probably run through the each stage at least two full times on video before I arrive.
My second way of prepping to do notes before rallies was going to a RallyX with a longer course, riding along with a driver, and making notes. Then, you can go back over the same course until the timing was down. I had the fortunate situation before I started co-driving of having a RallyX that was more like a RallySprint (RallyPark Northeast if anyone remembers...). If you can find one like that, or attend an event such as Hyperfest, this would be a great way to get some experience with minimal consequences.
Hope this helps,
Alex