Spectator accident Rally of Turkey

[N.O.T]

This is just Darwin’s theory of natural selection at work.

Great comment i fully agree !!!

[bowler]

The spectator knew what he was doing, why is this even an issue? I have spectated a number of events and enjoy getting close to the action, but I always find some sort of barrier to protect myself (trees, dirt embankments, stone walls, traffic barriers, ect..). Why would anyone even consider it being anyone’s fault but the spectator's own? This is just Darwin’s theory of natural selection at work.

I agree with you 100%, but sadly our society doesn't work that way today.

[gloomyDAY]

I agree with you 100%, but sadly our society doesn't work that way today.

True. Some pussy is going to cry and the WRC will have black eye as a result.

[JAM]

You are missing the point, and the point is, "how this accident happened".

Acording to the team PR distributed on Saturday, Bernardo Sousa said "200m after the start i saw a stone flyying and hitting a spectator. As i saw the person falling i stopd immediately to see what's happening". Is not easy neither very possible that a driver see the stones flying during a stage... a lot of people doubt about that. On monday some persons that were on Turkey said that the story was different. I knew the story since Tuesday, and wanted to confirm, because my source could not speak about that. That's why i asked if someone was there.

Yesterday a portuguese magazine published an interview with Bernardo. Here is the main part: "200 after the start, there was a right and and a left corner. On the second one the rear slide and hit a stone, that send the front of the car to the out of the corner and hit, with the side, a spectator that was misplaced"

Two different versions to the same situation. Nobody understant why Red Bull lay about this on the PR from staurday. As you see even on Belgium people think that was a stone.

And one more thing, my source said that the spectator was not misplaced and that was not a forbiden area, it was only an unhappy situation, to the spectator and to Bernardo. Of course that organizers want to save their skin, as usually. When Armindo Araújo had the accident with the 3 photografers on the shakedown of Rally of Portugal in 2007, ACP acussed them of being in a fordiden area, but nobody, that was there ,saw a plate or something that identified that zone as forbiden... The plate was on the floor covered by grass!

[kleisj]

In any case this is an issue of the organizers. If the spectator was in a place were he was allowed to be there is not his fault.
But to tell you the truth when I go to spectate at a rally I always see and try to forecast the natural way of a car's course in case of getting out of control in order to avoid being in the way... Even if the place that I am standing is allowed for spectators. I always try to be extra safe. But they are some places that you cannot be like after a high speed jump or some high speed turns which are places spectators love to watch.

Bottom line is that even if someone doesn't warn us is ourselves that we first have to watch out and even warn others.

Final point is that the driver cannot be held responsible in any case since he/she is driving on the absolute limit within a specific route called special stage. And I am saying that because drivers who have been involved in accidents involving spectators have been legally accused and prosecuted. I think only the fact of a driver carrying the psychological effects of an accident of this kind is never easy (and for some impossible) to overcome! I find it complete wrong and stupid to prosecute a rally driver for having an accident within a special stage of an event.

[JAM]

I'd like to add that i never see the driver as a guilty of an accident involving spectators. The drivers are there to drive as fast as possible, that the goal, the accidents are thing that happen and are part of the bussiness.

The spectators must take precautions, because the total safety in a rally stage is almost impossible.

In this case of Bernardo Sousa the main thing was to discover the truth, i never had in mind to blame him by the accident. He is a excelent driver with lots of potential. In the next years you'll hear to talk a lot about him!

[kleisj]

And to take it a bit further away the blame on driver is completely opposite on the perception and rationale of rallying since the first idea of going rallying (and other racing forms) is to drive fast on a safe environment. If he is prosecuted then for doing that, imagine what that means on the national amateur drivers who participate in a rally with the limited instead of the big budgets just trying to do what they love best.

[pino]

There seems to be a lot of confusio surrounding the situation, but whatever, I hope the spectator recovers and learns from it (whatever happened) and that it doesnøt affect the driver in the future

(J4MIE : )

[Saabaru]

Since when did we stop holding idiots accountable for there own actions?( never mind stupid question, should have been “why&#8221 If you love the sport stand up for it and stop trying to undermine the organizers. Sheesh guys, if I understand it right the guy was standing on the outside of a fast right-left corner that was somewhat like an open chicane with large stones littering the sides of the road. That has “Danger, Danger, Cars sliding wide through the second curve” writhen all over it.

[bt52b]

In most countries whether the spectator was standing in the right place or the wrong place will not matter much when the legal process starts. A spectator was hit, the spectator will get $€£$€£$€£. How much depends on the country.

Its something the WRC needs to take more seriously.

The Isle of Man, probably has the best laws for dealing with spectators. Each marshal is made a Temporary Constable, complete with Warrant Card. At the recent TT bike races, two spectators were fined £500 for stealing safety signs.