This was taken directly from tha pages of RACER Magazine. It is very realevent to off road racing, and shows just how vulnerable our sport is. I know that Scott from PCI is a very big advocate for this issue, and am sure he will have a coment on it. It just shows how vulnerable even an organization like the FIA is.
"Dodging a Bullet"
"Racing safety issues concentrated on participants in 2001, in the aftermath of the loss of Dale Earnhardt at the Daytona 500. However, an incident during a stage of the Rally Great Britain, final round of the FIA World Rally Championship, refocused attention on the first and foremost goal of all motorsports saftey developments: protection of the paying public.
Two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz's Ford Focus went off the road and plowed into a spectator area, sending 13 fans to the hospital, two in serious condition with head neck and back injuries. Sainz was not injured, and completed the stage before withdrawing from the event. Rallying athorities were well aware that they had dodged a major bullet, and immediately suggested that the event, which this year drew 50,000 fans daily in the course of its four day run, faces the ax unless specific new spectator saftey guidelines are established.
"Any event with poor saftey is at risk," noted World Rally Championship TV rights manager David Richards. "Just because Britain is the base for many of the teams does not mean saftey can be any less stringent here."
Drivers reported having to take avoiding action as they came across spectators wandering down the stages. "The spectator areas are carefully chosen, but there is no way of predicting where a rally car could go in an accident," said Richard Burns, whose third place in Britain clinched his first World Championship title on home ground. "I am sure the organizers here will do whatever is neccassary."
They'd better. The Rally of Portugal has been excluded from next years WRC calendar because of poor saftey, while Monte Carlo Rally was also threatened with a ban after a succession of recent incidents."
This is a caption for a picture
"Proximity to the action is a large part of rallying's appeal, but 13 fans got too close to Carlos Sainz's Ford in Britain, pointing out a clear and present danger for the sport."
Now tell me how much this article reminds you of our sport.
PMC Racing
"Dodging a Bullet"
"Racing safety issues concentrated on participants in 2001, in the aftermath of the loss of Dale Earnhardt at the Daytona 500. However, an incident during a stage of the Rally Great Britain, final round of the FIA World Rally Championship, refocused attention on the first and foremost goal of all motorsports saftey developments: protection of the paying public.
Two-time World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz's Ford Focus went off the road and plowed into a spectator area, sending 13 fans to the hospital, two in serious condition with head neck and back injuries. Sainz was not injured, and completed the stage before withdrawing from the event. Rallying athorities were well aware that they had dodged a major bullet, and immediately suggested that the event, which this year drew 50,000 fans daily in the course of its four day run, faces the ax unless specific new spectator saftey guidelines are established.
"Any event with poor saftey is at risk," noted World Rally Championship TV rights manager David Richards. "Just because Britain is the base for many of the teams does not mean saftey can be any less stringent here."
Drivers reported having to take avoiding action as they came across spectators wandering down the stages. "The spectator areas are carefully chosen, but there is no way of predicting where a rally car could go in an accident," said Richard Burns, whose third place in Britain clinched his first World Championship title on home ground. "I am sure the organizers here will do whatever is neccassary."
They'd better. The Rally of Portugal has been excluded from next years WRC calendar because of poor saftey, while Monte Carlo Rally was also threatened with a ban after a succession of recent incidents."
This is a caption for a picture
"Proximity to the action is a large part of rallying's appeal, but 13 fans got too close to Carlos Sainz's Ford in Britain, pointing out a clear and present danger for the sport."
Now tell me how much this article reminds you of our sport.
PMC Racing
