Martin left his pacenote book at the time control station after the sixth special stage, forcing him to read notes from a phone for the next three stages.
“This was the first time this has ever happened to me, and I hope it’s the last time. We managed without them, but it’s not a pleasant feeling. At least we made it through, and that’s what matters,” Martin told RallyJournal.com.
“I knew I had a backup copy, but I’d never really tested it to see how it would work.”
Evans and Martin’s rally wasn’t entirely undone by Martin’s error; they also suffered a puncture, and their overall pace was off. But losing the pacenotes was a stark reminder for the British co-driver.
“I wouldn’t wish this on anyone, but things like this happen, and there are countless ways it could occur. It’s hard to describe the sensation; maybe it’s like losing a wedding ring,” said Martin.
“We’ll look back on this story and find it a bit funny, but it was a heart-in-mouth moment. Luckily, it didn’t cause a real problem, but it added some drama.”
“Hopefully, tomorrow will be less eventful, and we can feel good in the car. We struggled a bit today with a few things and even picked up a puncture out of nowhere. We’ll try to have a better day tomorrow.”
Evans and Martin are in eighth place, trailing leader Kalle Rovanperä by 1 minute and 43 seconds.
