Hyundai’s Belgian driver Thierry Neuville held his overnight lead at the Monte Carlo Rally yesterday, a day after a fan was killed when struck by a car. The 50-year-old Spanish fan was hit by the Hyundai driven by New Zealander Hayden Paddon as he took photos in a banned area.
Monte Carlo is the first leg of the 2017 World Rally Championship with new regulations allowing more powerful cars on the icy roads.
World champion Sébastien Ogier paid for an error on special stage three, losing 40 seconds as he needed a push from spectators to get his Ford Fiesta going.
The spectator was killed within an hour of the start of the rally. He was taking photos in a banned area when a car driven by Paddon hit him. Paddon was the third to start the opening against-the-clock section in his Hyundai i20 and is believed to have hit black ice that made him lose control as he entered a bend.
The Hyundai span round, hit a bank and nearly ended up on its roof but finished on its left side. The 29-year-old New Zealander and his co-driver, John Kennard, walked away unhurt. But it quickly became apparent that the 50-year-old Spanish spectator was critically hurt.
The man was taken to hospital in Nice by helicopter but did not survive. “Despite the best efforts of the medical staff, the spectator has sadly died,” organisers said in a statement.
Paddon, who won the Argentina rally last year, said he was shocked at the death. “I an incredibly saddened by the accident and my thoughts are with the family and friends of the person involved,” he said in a tweet. “It’s difficult to say much more at the moment as we are in shock with what’s happened.”
“Caught out by black ice near the end of the stage. The car snapped sideways and then we were a passenger(s),” he wrote on Twitter.
Witnesses and sources close to the official inquiry said the Spanish man was sitting in a zone where a sign said “forbidden to the public”. The first timed special was cancelled but the rally resumed from the second stage and Neuville led after the first stage.
The International Automobile Federation, the world body, had ordered tougher safety measures for the public after agreeing to allow more powerful cars to make the world rally championship more attractive.
Cars now are lighter and more aerodynamic but have been allowed to add 80 horsepower. Some observers have said they are similar to Group B cars which were banned in 1987 after a series of fatal accidents.
Portuguese driver Joaquim Santos hit a Rally of Portugal crowd in his Ford RS200 in 1986 killing three spectators and injuring dozens.
Neuville and reigning world champion Sebastien Ogier who had gone before Paddon had set times 10 seconds faster than when the rally went over the same course last year.
