©Hyundai Motorsport GmbH
During the SS4 Shitara Town R1 (22.44km) held on November 11 in the final round of the WRC, Rally Japan (tarmac), a serious accident occurred during the competition in which a private car entered the scene.
On this day SS3 was canceled due to delays following an accident in which Dani Sordo (Hyundai i20 N Rally 1 Hybrid) caught fire during the opening stage of SS2. The PS4 also started 20 minutes behind schedule from 8:58am. In this stage, Craig Breen (Ford Puma Hybrid Rally 1), 7th, went off the track at km 9 on the right-hand bend. The stage was red-flagged for safety reasons and all crews after the 15th consecutive Bruno Brascia (Skoda Fabia) were cancelled. The SS7, which is a repeat of this stage, was reportedly canceled at 11:30 for safety reasons.
However, Emil Lindholm and Sami Payali (both in Škoda Fabia Rally 2 Evo), who had started the stage after Breen, stopped racing midway through the stage. He said he passed a general car traveling from the opposite direction of the stage. The FIA has released the following statement in this regard:
“There has been a serious breach of stage safety regulations on stage 4 and we are currently investigating. After the accident with car no. 42 (Breen), the stage was red flagged. Immediately after the red flag , stage one car was spotted above.No accidents or injuries were reported but an investigation is ongoing.The afternoon stage car #1 crashed and we added a safety car to complete the stage.We drove and supported the organizers to ensure the highest level of safety”.
Furthermore, the rally organizer said: “There were no accidents or injuries as a result of this incident. The team has taken all possible safety measures in preparation for this event. We are currently investigating the cause of the accident and will work to prevent future relapses.
