New Rally Safety Recommendations

[SJ Spode]

WRC.com amongst others are reporting the initial results from the MSAs investigation / recommendations regarding spectator safety following Carlos Sainz's accident on the Network Q rally last year.

There are recommendations for all classes of rallies held in the UK, but of course most attention is focused on this year's Network Q and the likely increase in spectator numbers following Channel $ coverage of the WRC this year.

Recommendations include;

In conjunction with the FIA, the MSA is working to reduce the number of spectators in unauthorised areas and will only make available the maximum number of tickets for each stage. This will prevent excessive attendance, making it safer for spectators when on the stages and also help to ease traffic congestion.

The deployment of known experienced marshals may be acompanied by additional security personnel and police officers on the stages. Giant television screens may also be installed in spectator areas.

Consideration is also being given to operating 'park and ride' schemes transporting spectators to the stages and 'Netlon' barriers and specially marked areas will be set out marking safe spectator viewing areas.

You can see the details on the MSA website (www.msauk.org)

They seem to be reasonable ideas & something needs to be done. I've got a feeling that at WRC level then we're going to have more spectator problems increasingly frequently; the downside of increased TV coverage and the sports popularity. Actually thinking about it, this could be a reason for going back to the old days where for instance the RAC rally actually covered the country over 5 days. People would then go and see it nearer their homes rather than everyone tripping down to a small section of S Wales.

I know - never going to happen.

[StuiE]

its not the amount of people its the amount of people in one place on the course

[SJ Spode]

Weight of numbers can also be a problem itself; I'm thinking about the incidents of large traffic tailbacks on roads leading to stages in the Network Q in the recent past; queues which competitors were often stuck in.

But also stages in San Remo that seemed to be mobbed from end to end