Officials in the World Rally Championship are pleading with fans at Rally Poland to stay safe and not cause any further stage cancellations after a day of significant interruption due to crowd control issues.
Even before the event proper was underway, the shakedown stage had to be paused due to the high number of spectators gathering. Stage three and stage seven were lost to virtually all crews, while SS6 was interrupted while the police worked with the FIA and rally officials and volunteers to ensure the road was clear of fans and safe to compete on.
The upshot is that much of the field has competed across just 54 miles instead of the planned 71.
Toyota’s Elfyn Evans sits just two seconds off the lead on Friday night. Still, the Welshman is frustrated at what he sees as a lack of progress from the event, seven years after it was removed from the championship for failing to reach the FIA’s required safety protocols.
Three of Friday's stages were impacted by the spectator issues
He told DirtFish: “These stages are not thrown out for fun, it’s a pretty serious thing canceling a stage – but they also have a responsibility to us and to everybody watching. The hands of the people making the decisions are tied, but it’s just a shame it’s the same six years later.”
Hyundai’s WRC program manager Christian Loriaux said more police might have helped the situation, adding: “Some countries are different and it’s different to control the people. I think if the case is like that, then you should know it in advance and put more police to really try to control the crowd.”
The Belgian was quick to add that he fully supported the decisions taken to cancel the stages.
He said: “The decisions are right because you can’t put people at risk and it’s not worth risking anyone’s life. Stopping the stage is never nice but it’s the right decision to make. In some ways the more you are strict with [canceling the stages] the more they will realize – because, at the end of the day, they stand in the sun for hours to see the car and then they see nothing. They are punished like us.
“I think it’s the right decision to educate them. But the difficult bit is that it was like that in the past [in Poland]. So, when you come back, you expect that all the effort is going to be made to solve it. It was disappointing. We’ll all keep our fingers crossed for tomorrow and we’ll keep our fingers crossed for Andreas [Mikkelsen, Hyundai’s rally leader].”
WRC Commission president Pernilla Solberg defended the efforts of the organisers involved. She spent time in rally control and watched the team – including the police – trying to regain control of the stage.
“The organisers,” she told DirtFish, “they do an amazing job, and they have all the marshals and police to help them, and then [there are] just a few spectators who don’t want to listen. And I know the work that Michèle [Mouton, FIA safety delegate] puts in, trying to make sure there’s safety for the crews and for the spectators on the stages.”
Solberg led the calls for that minority of fans to understand the impact of their actions, adding: “I really, really hope now we can make a joint effort to really send this message across to please respect the marshals, respect the safety crews who are there for you to make a safe rally so we can have a good day tomorrow – so we don’t see [a repeat] of this.
“From what I’ve seen and heard in race control today and from everybody involved, they have done an amazing job – but it’s just a few people who don’t want to listen.
“I think they’ve (the organizers) done everything they can. I haven’t heard anything suggesting otherwise. You had even the police today with a helicopter hovering above the fans and telling them: “Please move, we will cancel the stage.” But even that didn’t help. So what can you do?
“I know FIA is fully on board to try and help the promoter and the crews are now sending messages on their social media to say, please respect this. Let’s have a good day tomorrow and Sunday.”
WRC Promoter declined to comment on the spectator issues through Friday.
