The Mexico Rally takes drastic measures

The organizers of the Rally Mexico have trained nearly 1,000 race marshals to prevent new unsportsmanlike behaviors like those seen during the last two Mexican WRC rallies.

In 2007, for the second consecutive year, the Rally Mexico was targeted by spectators who threw stones at the cars and placed rocks on the special stages.

Faced with this real security problem, the organizers decided to tackle the issue directly by calling on rally spectators to become part of the solution. A program named ‘Responsible Spectator’ has been established with the ambition of training a small army of volunteers capable of going into the special stages to set an example.

We are trying to create excitement around this sport, explains Eugenio Perea, a member of the organizing committee. The program is designed to involve spectators and recognize them as one of the six main groups of the WRC. Today, we have the competitors, the organizers, the media, the manufacturers, and the FIA, but no one pays attention to the spectators. They are only mentioned in case of a problem or to state their numbers. We want to create a new way to involve spectators by giving them rights and responsibilities.

According to the number of participants, the program seems to have been well received: “We were surprised by the responses,” adds Perea. “We had envisioned two hundred responses; we quickly received two thousand! To maintain control, we decided to limit the program to a thousand for this year.”

If successful, Perea believes that this ‘Responsible Spectator’ initiative could be adopted at other WRC rallies: « This program is designed to help spectators. If everything goes well, we will need to grow to maintain our supporter base to ensure the health of our sport and the smooth running of the rallies in joy and safety. »

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