Jim Clark rally

[Tom206wrc]

R.I.P. to the spectators and condolences to their families and friends

[satnav]

Shocking that people are trying to blame people for what was an accident, as NOWHERE is safe near a rally stage.

Just to say R.I.P to all involved and thoughts are with the family and friends and Driver and Co-driver also very well said Langdale.

[MrJan]

Report now out http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...tland-30695702

Not sure I can see the idea of mandatory training for marshals working, think that it'll lead to less marshals on stages and more rallies being cancelled. It's difficult enough to get marshals interested anyway, without making them have to go through training days, this is only going to lead to further expense.

[J4MIE]

This isn't the report into the Jim Clark Rally accident (s), but a report into the safety of rallying in Scotland. The Jim Clark accident is still being investigated by the police etc.

[makinen_fan]

According to iRallylive the Jim Clark rally will go into the Kielder forest next year:
http://www.irallylive.com/ir_news.htm?00007819

[Jack4688`]

Hmmm, with it being so close to the Richard Burns Pirelli Rally and the Dmack Carlisle Stages it doesn't sound like such a good idea, though they do at least hope to be back on closed roads ASAP. I'd like to see them use the stages north of the border like Wauchope or any of the others used on the Border Counties Rally, but are they technically part of Kielder Forest Park?

[J4MIE]

Technically, even Newcastleton & Kershope aren't in "Kielder", but are generally regarded as being such.

As long as they use different parts, I don't see it being a big problem. With no British Rally Championship running this year, I'm not sure how big the Pirelli will be but most likely using stages around Hopehouse etc.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

AN OPEN LETTER FROM THE MSA CHIEF EXECUTIVE 19 FEB 2015

This weekend marks the second anniversary of the tragic death of a spectator on the Snowman Rally, and of course on the Jim Clark Rally in 2014 three more spectators lost their lives in equally tragic circumstances.

As a result the Scottish Government, following an emergency debate in the Scottish Parliament, commissioned a major review of safety on stage rallies. This Scottish Government Motorsport Event Safety Review published its final report in January, and the MSA has since gone on record confirming its commitment to the implementation of the report’s recommendations, not only in Scotland but throughout the UK.

Clearly, there is going to be a period of transition while everyone concerned works as hard as possible to introduce the recommended changes. In the interim, I need to remind all spectators of the fact that they are ultimately responsible for their own personal safety.

I say this because despite these well-publicised tragedies, and despite the sport being well aware of the changes being brought about by the Scottish Review, I am astonished and dismayed that an irresponsible minority – and I stress minority – of spectators continue to display a wanton disregard for their own personal well-being.

This was brought home to me when viewing YouTube clips of last weekend’s Wyedean Forest Rally, and also from the truly shocking photograph from the same rally in yesterday’s Motorsport News (18 February, page 34) of a ‘spectator’ lying flat on the ground on the edge of the forest track, apparently taking a photograph extremely close to a competing vehicle.

This behaviour not only shows a complete disregard for personal safety but in addition places other spectators, officials and competing crews in danger. It also undermines the considerable efforts of the dedicated rally organisers, officials and marshals, who do all they can to ensure that events run as safely as possible.

The MSA is currently working on a daily basis with all other stakeholders in rallying, particularly the Forestry Commission, and I can confirm from discussions within the last few days that unless these few idiotic spectators concerned change their attitude immediately and behave responsibly, there will be no future for stage rallying in the UK. I am not talking about next year, or the year after; I am talking about right now. Even in the meantime, this sort of behaviour will mean that stages are cancelled and rallies disrupted or even stopped.

Please, for the sake of rallying in the UK, can all spectators take full responsibility not only for ensuring their own personal safety but also the future of the sport we all love.

Yours in motor sport,

Rob Jones
CHIEF EXECUTIVE

[AndyRAC]

Motorsport is dangerous, you attend at your own risk.
Should organisers be held accountable for the actions of idiotic spectators? No, they shouldn't, but sadly it doesn't work like that.
What has puzzled me though, the very real threat of them banning the sport - as outlined above in the MSA letter. Why? Are speccies killed every weekend? If this was the case, I'd understand.
One injury/ fatality is too many, but 2 serious incidents in 2 years, and they're talking of banning the sport? No offence, but that is a slight overreaction.
Organisers, marshals, volunteers and most spectators care about the sport; and act, and behave responsibly; if idiots want to stand in stupid places, what are you supposed to do? Cancel stages? You can have plans, but you surely can't police the whole stage. And, sometimes, these things do happen.

[MrJan]

Motorsport is dangerous, you attend at your own risk.
Should organisers be held accountable for the actions of idiotic spectators? No, they shouldn't, but sadly it doesn't work like that.

They are if the spectators have paid, and I think that everyone on a rally has a degree of responsibility. The reaction is a bit knee jerk though, I think that one of the easiest way to reduce this is to simply call off a stage that's got too many people in silly places. If Speech House had been aborted on the Wyedean then it would set a precedent and the spectators would soon start making a better job of policing themselves (and others) if there was a very real threat of stages being cancelled. THe downside of course is that competitors pay for stage miles and would expect a refund, which throws you in to all kinds of problems. However I don't think it would take too many cancellations before you'd see the effects.

In regards to banning the sport, I don't think that's come into it, it's actually more of an issue relating to landowners not wanting to be associated any more. I know of one rally that was held on the same weekend as the Wyedean that was pulled in the middle of the event at the request of the landowners