A civilian car drove to a special test on Saturday and caused a dangerous situation. The organizers were fined 150,000 euros.
20:43•Updated 20:46
The arrangements for the World Rally Championship in Japan failed miserably on Saturday, when a van got lost on the route during the third special stage of the day.
A civilian car shouldn’t have a thing for a special test when it’s running. The car was at the start end of a special test when Elfyn Evans was leaving for a quick trip. Evans cart Scott Martin noticed the situation and informed his team. After this, the special test was stopped.
The organizers of the World Rally Championship in Japan were slapped on Sunday fines of 150,000 euros due to the incident. A fine of 100,000 euros was given conditionally. The fine will be paid once and for all if the organizers do not meet the safety conditions in the future. The FIA demands that rally organizers, for example, provide more appropriate training for stewards.
It was not the first time similar problems have been seen in the Japanese World Rally Championship. Two years ago Sami Pajari had a crash with a car.
This year, Pajari got to celebrate Enni Mälkönen with the WRC2 class championship. The duo finished second in the rally, which was enough for the championship. The rally was the last of Pajar and Mälkönen’s joint career, as the Finnish driver is changing kart drivers.
The World Rally Championship in Japan was the last race of the season. Hyundai won the world championship Thierry Neuvillewho became the first World Rally Champion in Belgian history.