Rally Japan organizers fined an effective fine of 50,000 euros, in addition to a 100,000 euro suspended sentence, after an unauthorized vehicle entered the route in a contested section during the final event of the 2024 season of World Rally Championship.
A minivan entered stage 12 (Ena) on Saturday morning, forcing the marshals to cancel the event. after six of the eight cars in the Rally1 category had achieved their times. Television cameras filmed a vehicle stopped, in the opposite direction, approaching the finish line, where the Toyota GR Yaris of Elfyn Evans He was waiting behind a temporary barrier.
According to a report from the event organization, A civilian car stopped at a checkpoint, where five checkpoint staff checked the driver’s pass. He failed to present the required pass and then skipped screening, entered the course and drove 520 meters in the opposite direction.
The vehicle was asked to leave the section, but it did not do so and remained in the same location for more than 10 minutes. Police then arrived and escorted the vehicle off the road.. The FIA opened an investigation into the incident, deemed a “failure to take reasonable action, resulting in a dangerous situation”, which led to the imposition of a financial fine on the Rally Japan promoters.
“The organizers must jointly pay a fine of 50,000 euros,” the report states. “An additional fine of 100,000 euros is imposed on them, applied with a suspended sentence, subject to the following conditions. The organizer must carry out comprehensive training for marshals, with specific modules on road surveillance and communications.in cooperation with a specific FIA working group, the FIA Safety Department and the Japan Motorsport Federation, in preparation for the upcoming WRC Japan Rally 2025.
“The results of the training, accompanied by a comprehensive presentation and report, will be sent to the above-mentioned FIA commissions and committees. [Además, no debe haber] new violations of article 12.2.1.h) of the FIA International Sporting Code 2024 by the organizer during the upcoming Japan Rally 2025“.
The marshals’ report confirmed that the van entered the section through a marshals station which was only secured with tape and marshals, and without a physical barrier. The incident was not immediately reported to the Rally management by the stewards who controlled the stage, but the first message about it reached the FIA Sports Delegate. to Race Direction through the Evans team representative. When the van appeared in front of the stage leader, he prevented the car from starting the stage.
The investigation also revealed that the two checkpoints the vehicle passed through were inspected by security officers working for two different companies and “there was no communication between them“.
The report confirms that the road secretary was ordered to put an immediate contingency plan in place “to ensure the safety of the remainder of the rally”. It was also stated that Failure to implement a sufficient contingency plan, and any deviation from the plan agreed with the FIA Safety Delegate, would have resulted in the cancellation of the event.. The track marshal confirmed that physical barriers had been placed at accessible passages, ensuring the test could continue. This is the second time in three years that a civilian car has taken part in a contested event, following an incident in 2022 in which WRC2 drivers Emil Lindholm and Sami Pajari crashed into a car traveling in the opposite direction..
The report concluded: “The event continued to its conclusion without any further incidents of a similar nature. This problem cannot be considered an isolated event, since a similar case occurred in 2022, in which a vehicle entered a special stage from an unmarked intersection where the adhesive tape was missing.and in 2023, there was a similar case of lack of communication between the zero car and Rally Control, which caused the first car participating in the stage to encounter the zero car parked in the middle of the course.
“The Stewards concluded that the Organizers had breached Art. 12.2.1.h of the 2024 FIA International Sporting Code, and given the seriousness of the breach, a fine was imposed on the Organizers. A fine additional suspended sentence in order to promote the continuous improvement of the training of commissioners, with specific emphasis on security”, they concluded.
