2017 World Rally ChampionshipRally

[prisonermonkeys]

As callous as it may sound, I have trouble summoning up sympathy for the spectator who died. By its very nature, motorsport is dangerous. Competitors, spectators, officials and the media accept this going in - and because of this, we work to mitigate the dangers. Everyone takes safety seriously.

Everyone, it seems, except for this man, who blithely disregarded all of the safety precautions in place. And for what? For a better viewing spot? Was that really worth dying for? To anyone on the scene - from the dedicated follower to the casual observer - the place he was in was clearly a dangerous place to be even in ideal conditions, much less at night when the prevalence of black ice is much higher.

The tragedy of this accident is not that a man died. The tragedy is in the way this accident was completely unnecessary and totally avoidable. One man showed a reckless disregard for his own safety, and contempt for the measures that the organisers put in place so that we can all enjoy the sport that we love - and he paid the ultimate price for it.

So no, I don't have sympathy for him. Instead, I'll offer my sympathies to Hayden Paddon and John Kennard. They did nothing wrong, but they have to live with the knowledge that a man died in that accident.

 

[Jimlaad43]

Whenever we hear a story where a spectator dies, the phrase "in the wrong place" usually crops up. Look at Jann Mardenborough at the Nurburgring in 2015, his car flipped over the barrier and killed a spectator sat right next to the catch fencing, in front of the small fence you're supposed to stay behind.

Organisers designate fan zones which are carefully designed to try and avoid things like this. Yes you want to get close to the cars, but choose somewhere better than the outside of a corner. Accidents happen, sometimes unexpected freak accidents happen where the car goes somewhere unexpected (Such as when Latvala mowed down that photographer last year), but if you can find a physical barrier, stand behind it.

Two people were nearly killed in the Dakar rally when Carlos Sainz had an accident and they were standing in a stupid place. They were lucky, this person wasn't.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Back to the action, and SS3 is underway. It's been a disaster for Ogier, who lost forty-one seconds in a ditch, and Evans apparently had a similar adventure. Latvala seems to have opted for the "screw it, let's do it" attitude that will either see him nail the stage or nail himself to a wall, and it's paying off (for now).

So far, nobody except Neuville has gotten it consistently right - but in addition to the new cars, they're also having to deal with a brand-new route; 85% of the stages are new. I'm pretty sure the only familiar stages will be the two passes over the Col de Turini. Right now, it looks like the winner is going to be the person who makes the least number of mistakes.

Update: Kris Meeke is the latest to suffer misfortune, snapping his suspension on SS4.

 

[turbofozz]

Where is the best place to keep up with all of this?

 

[JC_Dude]

After SS5 Neuville leads by 31s from Tanak and an additional 27 from Ogier. SS6 starts in ~2 hours from this post.

Where is the best place to keep up with all of this?

http://www.wrc.com/en/wrc/livecenter/page/4175----.html

 

[SlimCharles]

I wont say a word I would say in other circumtances about the person who died. Amazing how he thought that was a good idea.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C2mJ8qUXUAQzGuY.jpg

 

[Accro2008]

Meeke crash ES4 :


Hänninen ES5 :

Ogier ES3 :

Lefebvre ES2:


Some of the hardest conditions in years for this edition of the rally Monte Carlo.

 

[JC_Dude]

BTW, I just noticed that WRC+ is 20% off right now with promo code WRC2017, if you wanted to subscribe.

 

[Accro2008]

 

[TRGTspecialist]

Slight language warning........amusingly the censor covers it the first time but not the second. Maybe the accent flummoxed them

 

[JC_Dude]

Ogier is coming back. After day 2 he's 45 seconds behind Neuville. This could get pretty spicy towards the end.

 

[Accro2008]

Some of the best flatout action from today :

 

[GOTMAXPOWER]

Hayden Paddon has put out a statement about last night, dignified and respectful but also tackling the elephant in the room (the bad choices made by spectators).



I'm sure he'll be able to bounce back stronger than ever like Andreas Mikkelsen did

 

[prisonermonkeys]

tackling the elephant in the room (the bad choices made by spectators)

I do think serious questions have to be asked about how he was able to get into that position in the first place. He really should have been picked up by the zero cars, but may have moved to that spot after they went through.

At every rally I have been to, there have been a limited number of dedicated spectator areas on stages with dedicated marshalls whose job it is to make sure spectators stay in those areas. Granted, it's not like Monte Carlo, where crowds line the route - access to the forest stages is limited to begin with; most of the spectator areas are based around nearby junctions.

 

[Pete05]

I do think serious questions have to be asked about how he was able to get into that position in the first place. He really should have been picked up by the zero cars, but may have moved to that spot after they went through.

At every rally I have been to, there have been a limited number of dedicated spectator areas on stages with dedicated marshalls whose job it is to make sure spectators stay in those areas. Granted, it's not like Monte Carlo, where crowds line the route - access to the forest stages is limited to begin with; most of the spectator areas are based around nearby junctions.

I agree & I've been to rallies where the Zero Car has in fact stopped & told everyone, that unless these guys move, the stage won't be run as a timed stage. At the threat of being torn apart by the mob, these guys move from the out of bounds to a safer area.
I've also been at spectator points where the marshalls have had the police move these people on.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I've been to rallies where the Zero Car has in fact stopped & told everyone, that unless these guys move, the stage won't be run as a timed stage.

In the WRC, the zero car runs the stage at rally speed. It's the double-zero and triple-zero cars that should have picked him up, but Paddon was the fourth onto the stage, so a good half-hour would have passed since the double-zero went through.

At the threat of being torn apart by the mob, these guys move from the out of bounds to a safer area.

The only WRC event that I have been to was the 2005 Rally Australia. But the whole thing was built around the spectator experience without compromising the event (unlike the current rally with half a dozen one-kilometre point-and-squirt "stages"). I remember being on Murray Pines II, and the spectator point was on a purpose-built embankment. The cars came through a quick left over a blind crest, past us and down to a tight right, then back up a hill to the next junction. The embankment was on the outside of the left, so we were above the cars, and a series of concrete dividers were spaced on front of it, so that in the event of an accident, the cars were deflected away from the embankment and the crowds. It was a really good model for getting the spectators up close and personal with the cars without compromising safety or the quality of the event for competitors.

 

[Pete05]

In the WRC, the zero car runs the stage at rally speed. It's the double-zero and triple-zero cars that should have picked him up, but Paddon was the fourth onto the stage, so a good half-hour would have passed since the double-zero went through.


The only WRC event that I have been to was the 2005 Rally Australia. But the whole thing was built around the spectator experience without compromising the event (unlike the current rally with half a dozen one-kilometre point-and-squirt "stages"). I remember being on Murray Pines II, and the spectator point was on a purpose-built embankment. The cars came through a quick left over a blind crest, past us and down to a tight right, then back up a hill to the next junction. The embankment was on the outside of the left, so we were above the cars, and a series of concrete dividers were spaced on front of it, so that in the event of an accident, the cars were deflected away from the embankment and the crowds. It was a really good model for getting the spectators up close and personal with the cars without compromising safety or the quality of the event for competitors.

Yeah, I've neve made it to the WRC in Perth or Coffs but I've been to my fair share of ARC, VRC & lower. The Zero Car was at a VRC 10 odd years ago & the Police intervention was up at Healesville for the ARC in the 90's.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I've neve made it to the WRC in Perth or Coffs

You should. It's amazing.

Although if I could have any job, it would be to set the route for Rally Australia. The current one isn't great, or at least isn't as good as it could be.

 

[Pete05]

You should. It's amazing.

Although if I could have any job, it would be to set the route for Rally Australia. The current one isn't great, or at least isn't as good as it could be.

Oh look, if it ever makes it a little further south to Victoria, it'll definitely be on the cards & something I wouldn't miss. I could offer up a few personal favourite roads as stages too
Unfortunately, Coffs is a bit of a stretch - I'd never get the time of work.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Good work, Foxtel! Instead of showing Rallye Monte Carlo - as your programme guide said you would - you instead play a replay of the Asian Cup of golf.

 

[Pete05]

Good work, Foxtel! Instead of showing Rallye Monte Carlo - as your programme guide said you would - you instead play a replay of the Asian Cup of golf.

If I remember correctly, it's on page 479 of the contract that it more or less says,
"FOXTEL reserves the right to do whatever the hell we want & there ain't jack 🤬 you can do about it."

 

[prisonermonkeys]

If I remember correctly, it's on page 479 of the contract that it more or less says,
"FOXTEL reserves the right to do whatever the hell we want & there ain't jack 🤬 you can do about it."

They're usually pretty good. It's just ... golf. Golf. The least-exciting "sport" ever.

Thankfully I caught the earlier showing of the rally.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Back to the action, and Neuville extends his lead as Ogier plays it safe. Ogier has hit back, trimming a few seconds from Neuville's lead despite an off-track excursion. Tänak and Meeke have had mechanical gremlins that have slowed them down, while Evans has bounced back with quick times on the dry (for Monte Carlo) tarmac.

Also, news on Andreas Mikkelsen's plans for the rest of the season will be revealed next week.

 

[GOTMAXPOWER]

Disaster for Hyundai on SS13, Sordo crawling with no power steering and Neuville stopped to change a puncture.

E - Suspension damage for Neuville, he has been stopped for a few minutes now. M-Sport 1-2 and Latvala on course to take 3rd.

E2 - Neuville has been stopped long enough that the Rally2 penalty will be less than finishing this stage, he will be 6 minutes off the lead in 6th place roughly a minute ahead of Evans going into the final day.

E3 - Ignore that last comment, no Rally2 into the final day so he will lose around 20 minutes on this stage, still PS points to go for though.

 

[Lilium]

I hope this year I can properly follow the wrc season. I skipped last year, as I couldn't attend the rally here, and had alot of stress with searching a house, and what not for my wedded life, but this year its seems its going to be good. I hope I can spectate the Portuguese rally once more. LAst year only got to watch the special stage at Porto, as my companion ditched our weekend program without noitce

Once my tv arrives I'll be following it as IU would every year .

quick question, the toyota looks great, but how's it faring?

 

[prisonermonkeys]

quick question, the toyota looks great, but how's it faring?

Latvala is third, but it's been a rally of attrition so far.

 

[twitcher]

Here's a video of Neuville's breakdown


Some hairpin carnage


Day 2 action, last clip is Meeke's crash...bloody fast!


High speed action from Day 3

 

[turbofozz]

Man I can't wait to see these cars flying around Coffs at the end of the season. They are incredible!

 

[JC_Dude]

From the stage times so far it seems like the Ford and Hyundai are a cut above the Toyota and Citroen. All quite close, which is great.

 

[Northstar]

I'm so happy Red Bull is covering the WRC.

I do wish they would at least give a rundown of the other classes running, but beggars can't be choosers.