FIA cast doubt on Rally of Britain Tue 11 November, 2003 17:59 By Alan Baldwin LONDON (Reuters) - Motorsport's world governing body has questioned the Rally of Britain's future after top drivers were fined for speeding on public roads during last year's event. "Road safety is a matter of the utmost importance to the FIA," a spokesman for the International Automobile Federation said on Tuesday after a magistrates court fined four former champions on Monday. The targeting of 17 rally drivers, including former champions Colin McRae and Richard Burns of Britain along with Spain's Carlos Sainz and Finland's Tommi Makinen, made front page news. "The actions of the police and magistrates seem to indicate that this is an exceptionally dangerous location for a rally," said the FIA spokesman. "The FIA has therefore asked its safety delegate for a report on the suitability of the local public roads for a World Championship event." The rally, which is due to move from its season-ending November slot to September next year, is sponsored by the Welsh Development Agency for the next three years. The 2003 event finished on Sunday. The timed special stages in south and central Wales are held on Forestry Commission land but drivers have to use public roads and motorways to get to them from the service park and rally headquarters. Belgian Freddy Loix was fined 1,750 pounds and banned for six months from driving in Britain after being caught seven times in just one morning. Germany's Armin Schwarz was also banned for six months and fined 1,000 pounds while McRae and Burns were both fined 150 pounds. "The area where these offences happened is particularly dangerous for people to exceed the speed limit under any circumstances," media quoted magistrates chairman Cliff Jones as saying. The rally is confirmed for 2004. But it has been investigated by the FIA's safety delegate before and was initially listed on the 2003 calendar as provisional pending an observer's report into spectator safety. Thirteen people, mostly volunteer marshals, were hurt when Sainz's car went into the crowd in the 2001 rally. Finland's Marcus Gronholm also criticised what he saw as heavy-handed policing on this year's event after being forced to retire by officers who would not allow him to continue on public roads in his damaged Peugeot. "An escort service might have been a better solution," said the 2000 and 2002 world champion

Nicked from Scoobynet.

How much police time and money is wasted at football matches? They must have relised this and decided to make some money back off a less popular sport (less votors).

Steve

That Gronholm thing was embarassing to watch. "I know that I can continue" "No you can't drive on that tyre" "But I know I can get to service" "You're not driving on that tyre"

Either close the roads or escort the drivers but don't try to make some PR exercise out of it.

If there is a more sensible police force then lets have the rally there. If there isn't lets scrap rally gb to save the country the embarassment of the police's heavy handed tactics.

No other country on the rally circuit behaves like this.

For shame.

Faye

Lets have it back up North then, Kielder Forest & The Scottish Borders sounds good to me

As for Gronholm's car, i actually agree with the Cop who stopped him. The car was not safe to be on the road. Top rally driver or not, they still have to follow the same rules as the rest of us when on Public Roads.

As for Gronholm's car, i actually agree with the Cop who stopped him. The car was not safe to be on the road. Top rally driver or not, they still have to follow the same rules as the rest of us when on Public Roads.

I agree....sort of

But in any other country where there is a WRC round, I bet he would have got a police escort back to service.

Back to Dalby, Kielder and Grizdale please

Steve

But in any other country where there is a WRC round' date=' I bet he would have got a police escort back to service.

[/quote']

I'm sure if this sort of thing was arranged in advance, and paid for by the FIA, then it wouldn't be a problem. But as usual the FIA resort to threats of cancellation when the solution is simple.

Lets face it, Bernie & Co don't like having events in the UK, there's not enough money in it for them.

Oh, by the way, with regards to footy matches, the clubs have to pay for Police cover, and a game can not take place without it

Oh, by the way, with regards to footy matches, the clubs have to pay for Police cover, and a game can not take place without it

The clubs have to pay for the police inside the ground but the real cost is stopping the trouble outside the ground.

Steve

Lets have it back up North then, Kielder Forest & The Scottish Borders sounds good to me

Some of the best forest stages in the world.

As for Gronholm's car, i actually agree with the Cop who stopped him. The car was not safe to be on the road. Top rally driver or not, they still have to follow the same rules as the rest of us when on Public Roads.

It's not like the drivers didn't know they would have to use public roads to get to service

Think it was all a bit ridiculous really. Read this article in The Times written by Kevin Eason (Co-driver for Tony Jardine in this year's rally) which gives an indication of the frustration of the participants. Welsh police raelly do seem to have lost the plot :boozer:

rally of britain????????

now there's a funny thing- i dont think that has been the rally of britain for many years- what we have now is a sad castrated residue of a once great sporting event

^^^^^ totally agree, I remember the Rally of Great Britain as a kid.

Actually, it sounds like a criminals' paradise. You could probably go on a crime spree in Wales during the Rally and get away with it, 'cause all the coppers are out persecuting motorists.

I actually agree with the coppers actions as well - dont think the car was safe and therefore shouldnt have continued..

As for it being up North - get your local cities onto it then - get them to put together a package so the event move up there!

And the Rally of Great Britain - just as the Rally of Australia is based in a small section of that country. Agreed its not the Rally it used to be but thats progress for you and it is the GB round of the WRC

Paul..

What I meant in my post was that the police did themselves no favours stopping everyone possible for speeding?

Do you not think that the police would have been better placed escorting Gronholm to service?

Steve

I think the south wales police are overzealous when it comes to speeding and I certainly dont think that sticking to the speed limits means youre a safer driver BUT it was widely known that the police would be out in force on the rally, even moreso than usually, and each driver made a concious decision to stick to the speed limits or not.

I chose to watch my speed very carefully, especially in the known areas, and havent received any NIPS through (suppose I should say yet - fingers crossed etc) as I didnt want a ticket. Everyone takes their chance at the end of the day as we all know the legalities of it.

I was running the shakedown service area at Cefn Coed this year and warned the drivers that there were speed cameras on the route back to the shakedown start location myself on many occasions.

Paul..

As for it being up North - get your local cities onto it then - get them to put together a package so the event move up there!Paul..

Cardiff has it sewn up for the next 3 years but I'll see if Carlisle want to host it after then....

....Just asked them they said no

I told them how much their Safety Partnership Camera Vans could make and they said "Where do we sign".

Steve

Replying to your edited thread.. LOL

I think they did themselves no favours in the creditability stakes through the speeding crackdowns but I still dont think its their job to escort damaged vehicles from one stage to another (or to service in this case). They cant set a precident to this type of incident or the idiots on the road would scream hypocracy if they did something similar.

However, the year Tommi got pulled for having 3 wheels on his wagon I was at service in Builth Wells and a motorcycle copper escorted (I think) Mats Anderson back to service with only 3 wheels on his Proton... Double standards!

Think the MG incident may have been a little different if there were no cameras right there..

Paul..

Cardiff has it sewn up for the next 3 years but I'll see if Carlisle want to host it after then....

....Just asked them they said no

I told them how much their Safety Partnership Camera Vans could make and they said "Where do we sign".

Steve

LMAO at that.. isnt it so true!

Have you seen the Cumbra safety camera forum - 2 sides very much at odds..