The Immediate Impact on the Driver
Rally competitors navigate blind crests, narrow tree-lined corridors, and high-speed turns relying entirely on spoken descriptions from their co-driver rather than memory. When a heavy jump landing or violent compression dislodges the notebook, or notes contain omissions, that critical flow of information stops abruptly. Encountering WRC lost pace notes mid-stage immediately forces the driver out of high-commitment anticipatory driving and into survival mode, where speed must be cut significantly to navigate purely by direct line of sight.
A prime example occurred during the opening Cambyreta stage of Rally del Paraguay, where M-Sport Ford driver Josh McErlean and co-driver Eoin Treacy had their pacenote book ripped away upon landing heavily over a jump. McErlean recounted his mind going temporarily blank, leaving them roughly 400 metres before the next junction without any navigational guidance. Having that straight distance before the junction gave the crew just enough breathing room to regain their bearings before committing to the turn.
Gaps Originating from Reconnaissance Limits
Not all missing instructions stem from a dropped physical book; some arise during the pre-event reconnaissance phase. At the 2026 running of Rally Japan, Takamoto Katsuta suffered a rear-left puncture on the opening stage and lost 25.9 seconds on stage two while coping with missing information in his pacenotes.
Pre-event recce sessions are often constrained by low road-speed limits, such as 60 km/h on the Shinshiro City stage at Rally Japan in 2022, which Thierry Neuville pointed out can make judging speed-dependent notes difficult and hazardous compared to competitive Rally1 speeds. Whenever notes are missing or compromised, drivers are forced to brake earlier and rely strictly on what they can see, sacrificing stage time to avoid severe incidents until notes can be recovered or clarified.
Official reference: FIA World Rally Championship regulations.
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