NEAR MISS AFTER MOTORIST DRIVES ONTO STAGE
Rally Japan was one safety breach away from being cancelled after a car, belonging to a member of the public, was driven onto stage four in an un-taped section and narrowly avoided being hit by WRC drivers Sami Pajari and Teemu Suninen, who were travelling in the opposite direction.
Event organisers were deemed to be negligent for failing to “take reasonable measures in implementing the approved safety plan”, according to a judgement by the stewards of the rally.
They were ordered to ensure that “all junctions accessible by vehicles are manned, and further emphasising to marshals the importance of their roles and how it impacts the safe running of the event for the public, competitors and themselves”.
The stewards also stated they would “immediately and permanently stop the competition should the approved safety plan be compromised or breached or if there is any deviation from the agreed mitigation plan presented by the organiser”.
In a further response to what the stewards deemed a “serious and unsafe situation”, the incident has been referred to the FIA Closed Road Commission for a full investigation.
Toyota boss Akio Toyoda, whose organisation made a financial contribution to the event, said: “Many challenges remained for the first rally in this area. However, I sincerely hope to continue this rally.”