Portuguese Rally News

[Eli]

So incredibly sad
May she Rest In Peace.
Condolences to the family and her friends.

[the sniper]

That stage was an absolute piece of shit. Too fast, with slippy asphalt. Medium speed stage is 127km/h. That's just crazyness

Got to assume questions will be asked after this...

Thoughts with her family, driver and all who knew her.

Being reported by many main stream media outlets in the UK, the vultures that they are...

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Very sad. And sad it's the only time Rally makes the main BBC Sport page.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/motorsport/54493934

[br21]

Very sad news...
Someone needs to be responsible for stupid decisions... before the rally it was sure the stages will be very, very fast. Believe me, to do 127kmh average with R5 on tarmac stage it needs to be crazy fast stage... Also those 208 Rally4 are super fast cars, some relatively unexperienced drivers take part in the cup, prizes are quite big so they push above their limits and such things happen... It's not good for our sport...

[Mirek]

Someone needs to be responsible for stupid decisions... before the rally it was sure the stages will be very, very fast. Believe me, to do 127kmh average with R5 on tarmac stage it needs to be crazy fast stage... Also those 208 Rally4 are super fast cars, some relatively unexperienced drivers take part in the cup, prizes are quite big so they push above their limits and such things happen... It's not good for our sport...

Bartek, I don't want to defend this particular stage because I don't know it but I know a lot of stages here in CZ where average speed around 130 km/h is perfectly possible if there are no chicanes installed (this year there was one stage over 130 km/h in Valašská rally I think but the second run was canceled for safety reason). In Hungary such speeds on asphalt are rather normal in some events. They sometimes got even to 140 km/h. Same goes to some Belgian stages (there used to be at least one such mega fast stage in Condroz at least). Many stages in Ypres are similarly fast albeit you can not see it in the average speed value because of the number of junctions but the sections between the juntions are often insanely fast even in our Czech standards.

[Rally Power]

Someone needs to be responsible for stupid decisions... before the rally it was sure the stages will be very, very fast. Believe me, to do 127kmh average with R5 on tarmac stage it needs to be crazy fast stage... Also those 208 Rally4 are super fast cars, some relatively unexperienced drivers take part in the cup, prizes are quite big so they push above their limits and such things happen... It's not good for our sport...

Not good for our sport is to make public judgements before knowing all the facts. A full inquiry was immediately launched by the authorities; in due time its conclusions will be known. Meanwhile let's respect the pain and distress of all those involved in this tragic situation.

[TheFlyingTuga]

Dude, the crazy speeds of the stage is a fact. Unfortunately the tragedy happened and we all have to be sorry for it. It was one of those weekends... I left Marinha Grande thinking if the risks we take for fun are enough to continue with this sport or are just being stupid at this point.

BTW, the crash was on the second corner of the first stage. I do believe that top crews and the PIRC crews would take it flat. The asphalt was in good grip there, however, the police was parked in the corner on Thursday while crews did the reccee and maybe the judgment of the corner speed was not the most correct as you had to pass very slowly through there.

[br21]

I saw videos from the stages before the rally, I have data from 3 different cars from first 3 stages. I spoke with few people who attended this event and their opinions were similar to mine.
I know how Czech stages look like, I know how super fast and bumpy polish stages look, I spent loads of time on Belgian roads also.
So I have right to make my own opinion about that very sad situation...

[Mirek]

BTW, the crash was on the second corner of the first stage.

No matter how fast or shitty any stage is, if such accident happens in the second corner of a first stage it's hardly because of that stage even if that stage is completely shitty. It's much more likely because of underestimated effect of cold tyres or overconfidence or overmotivation or whatever else but hardly the stage. Nobody crashes just after the start because of the stage character. Sorry.

[TheFlyingTuga]

No matter how fast or shitty any stage is, if such accident happens in the second corner of a first stage it's hardly because of that stage even if that stage is completely shitty. It's much more likely because of underestimated effect of cold tyres or overconfidence or overmotivation or whatever else but hardly the stage. Nobody crashes just after the start because of the stage character. Sorry.

Yeah, I do understand that. The comments were for the stages in general. I do love to race in Marinha Grande, the Mata Real stages are among the best stages I ever done anywhere (they are like Hradek and Liptakov in RBR). However, we have to start thinking when it's to much. Cars are getting faster and faster, we corner faster, brake later. My issue is that we have to start measuring the stages in this fact as well