Thread: Money Vs Human Life

Thats standard, and has been in rallying world wide for decades.

That's not pretty.
Is the Driver at fault ? Race Organiser ? or the individual ?
Or is it just a hazard associated with the sport.

I know from watching many races from Europe that spectators put themselves in amazingly bad positions. There have been many fatalities over the years.

Not nice
It seems to happen often over there because of how close they stand to the rd!

CHEERS TIM.

Hope the driver was thrown out of the team and prosecuted.

Have to say though that there are places in the world where if you knock someone down with your car you don't stop until you get to the next police station or you could be beaten to death at the scene of the accident by the locals.

Saw that on the news yesterday I think. They said the driver was arrested at the end of the race.

Its a hazard associated with the sport. Everybody that is involved in motor sports as a participant, official, spectator, sponsor etc are all warned of its dangers prior to admission. The reality is that it is dangerous and nobody hides that fact, and if anything it is made clear to everybody. Thats not to say that this was anything but terrifying or tragic, or that this type of spectating would be allowable in all countries. The spectators are acutely aware of the risks, and just sadly the person that was clobbered had his number called on the day. I recall when I was racing Karts, heading out to the Wollongong street race. As soon as I saw the track I said to my mum that I would never race on it, it's too dangerous - that was coming from a racer... The next year a girl racing in my class took the lead at that street meeting slid wide, hit a barrier and her brake pedal when through her helmet. A driver sees very little outside of his "zone" and may not have even realised he hit anybody, and like the driver calculates his risk, so to the spectators. Sometimes, the calculations are wrong and we get an Ayrton Senna, Roland Ratzenberber, Don Watson, Greg Hansford, Peter Brock, Possum Bourne, Ashley Cooper, Stewart McColl, Mark Porter, Nori Abe.... even with the spectators.

Originally Posted by Slunnie

Its a hazard associated with the sport. Everybody that is involved in motor sports as a participant, official, spectator, sponsor etc are all warned of its dangers prior to admission. The reality is that it is dangerous and nobody hides that fact, and if anything it is made clear to everybody. Thats not to say that this was anything but terrifying or tragic, or that this type of spectating would be allowable in all countries. The spectators are acutely aware of the risks, and just sadly the person that was clobbered had his number called on the day. I recall when I was racing Karts, heading out to the Wollongong street race. As soon as I saw the track I said to my mum that I would never race on it, it's too dangerous - that was coming from a racer... The next year a girl racing in my class took the lead at that street meeting slid wide, hit a barrier and her brake pedal when through her helmet. A driver sees very little outside of his "zone" and may not have even realised he hit anybody, and like the driver calculates his risk, so to the spectators. Sometimes, the calculations are wrong and we get an Ayrton Senna, Roland Ratzenberber, Don Watson, Greg Hansford, Peter Brock, Possum Bourne, Ashley Cooper, Stewart McColl, Mark Porter, Nori Abe.... even with the spectators.

Well worded Slunnie

My sentiments are with Slunnie. Its not nice but all participants including spectators are at risk at motor sport events. Hopefully there was some sort of insurance. Some of the positions people are in at rally events is very concerning. I marshalled at a London to Sydney event in WA some years back and had a hell of a time keeping people behind barricades and out of likely danger areas. Due to the expanse of rally legs it is extremely difficult to police spectators. I think charging a driver in this sort of scenario is a little unwarranted unless he took a deliberate or gross negligent action.