To declare an interest - I am a fan of rallying and delighted that it is to be shown on Channel 4. However am I alone in thinking that a disaster involving spectators is inevitable?
Cars at the very limit of their control envelope are passing spectators by a couple of feet. The in-car shots are frightening with idiots standing on the track and jumping out of the way at the last second. I can?t think of any other sport that is so potentially dangerous(to spectators) or virtually un-stewarded.
I don?t have any suggestions to remedy this, but it will take one serious incident with multiple fatalities to bring an end to the sport as we know it. If the authorities don?t ban it, the bad publicity will make manufacturers withdraw.
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Cheer up, I've been thinking this for about 40 years.
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All it takes is one d*ckhead with his kids who wants to give them a thrill by standing on the outside of a bend on a rally.
It is up to the course car and the experienced spectators to show the way. My brother and I have marshalled at a number of events and have been amazed at the idiots who chose to stand in the most idiotic places - they usually happen to be those with young children oddly enough.
The safest place, IMHO, to watch a rally is up a tree! Tried this on the Somerset Stages on Porlock Hill and it worked a treat. Tried to try this at the Imber Stages on Salisbury Plain and, sadly, there were no trees!
Any vantage point anywhere near a corner, inside or outside is dangerous. Maybe rally organisers should hand out leaflets telling inexperienced spectators that corners, although spectacular, are out of bounds. Stand on the entry to a corner and you will see it all go t*ts up but in safety!
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Worst offenders are local tv crews! One camera guy was causing drivers to slow down and change there line through the most exciting corner of a special stage, I saw the coverage of this stage a couple of weeks later, and was even more annoyed to find the camera guy was 'hosepiping' (waving the camera about in a Jamie Oliver style, supposed to be arty or something) so (a) you couldn't see anything clearly & (b) you felt travel sick AGGHHHHH!!!
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I marshalled in the Margam stage of the Network Q this year. (Is it still called network Q?)
Spectators can choose stupid places to stand, and it's very difficult to stop them.
I can't propose any solution to this problem.
What I'd say is that people choose to go there, they know the risks and they know the risks can be minimized. If they stand is a stupid place and get hit that's their own fault.
However the effect on the driver of maiming someone, and the effect on the driver's performance from distraction caused by spectators is a different issue.
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Its a catch 22 situation.
Spectator behaviour risks the sport. Yet without the spectaors there will be little sponsor/manufacturer involvement.
As Dave says its an absolute pig to get them to shift. Isle of Man signs all it's marshals on as Special Constables so there is some real authority behind the words.
Who remembers the ending of the Group B Supercars, 6r4, RS200, et al because things and speeds got so utterly stupid. Bet we are not far off that situation now.
On a lighter note who remembers that guy who used to man the spectator control car on the RAC/Lombard/Newtwork Q who had an amazing vocal ability to mimic engine noises over the tannoy.
There would be some poor spectators trudging up some forest track at a god forsaken hour only to hear the sound of a full on BDG complete with all the gear changes, throttle blips, sump guard clatter etc approaching at a rate of knots close behind. Up the nearest tree they would go only to see a 1300 Escort or similar pootling past with two jokers inside peeing themselves laughing.
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Maybe if everybody could see clips like this they'd think twice about standing is such stupid places
www.punchbaby.com/media/laters/clips/ouch/rally.mpg
On a more light-hearted note and this clip really is fantastic:
www.punchbaby.com/media/laters/clips/funny/rallyBa...i
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I propose we get a group of our finest MP's epescially those dealing with the railways witness this at first hand after allowing the Rally drivers to drink beer during stages.
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