Tragedy in Donegal

Posted by Maurice Hamilton at 1:45PM on Monday 16 June, 2008 0 Comments

Maurice Hamilton Right now, I should be sitting in the co-driver's seat of a WRC Skoda Octavia rushing through Gortnabrade Glen, described by Sebastien Loeb last year as one of the best special stages he had ever tackled.

Instead, I'm sitting in the headquarters hotel of the Topaz Donegal International Rally and the place has that numb feeling of anti-climax.

Instead of being a hive of Irish rally fever, it's like an empty dentist's waiting room with bulletins tacked haphazardly on the notice board and nobody around to read them.

At 9.30am, the press office remained locked, which summed up the inescapable feeling that no one wanted to discuss the tragedy that had overtaken their event on Saturday and brought about the cancellation of the final day.

A spectator had jumped over a fence and begun to run along a narrow special stage, believing the rally car that had just passed would allow at least 30 seconds until the passage of the next one. Little did he know that a Ford Fiesta was not far behind. The driver had no chance of avoiding the teenager any more than officials had any hope of stopping someone from suddenly vaulting a fence.

The death of a spectator cruelly exposed the contradictions of this classic event. The Donegal International is among the best but the one of the reasons for saying that suddenly works against it in moments such as this.

The term 'relaxed' doesn't make a start on the way in which the officials go about their work. This, after all, is Ireland and you have the inescapable impression that, above all else, enjoying the craic and experiencing the warmth of the welcome takes precedence.

Better than that, the special stages themselves are mind-blowing. Held on closed public roads, they are, without argument, among the best in the world. The danger, in the aftermath of the tragedy, is to believe that the organisation is too blase and overly dependent on the event's reputation and its magnificent geographical back-drop.

In terms of safety, nothing could be further from the truth. The pre-event safety briefing, held in a theatre, was in a class of its own. The rally attracts thousands of fans from all corners of Ireland yet not once, during the nine stages completed, did I see a single spectator out of place. It is not a claim that can be made on several well-known rallies I could mention.

Rallying is a religion in a country where spectators know how to behave and are willing to keep in line those who do not. Which makes Saturday's tragedy all the more heartbreaking for everyone, from organisers to competitors and rally fans.

I understand that the on-board pictures from the Fiesta show that the driver was not to blame. The police, apparently, were satisfied that every reasonable step had been taken by the organisation, both before and after the accident. Yet the management decided to cancel the remainder of stages that afternoon and, subsequently, for the final day.

At the risk of sounding callous, the sense of disappointment was immense and widespread. But you need to understand the psyche of this beautiful corner of north-west Ireland.

Over breakfast this morning, the piped music played hymns in a country and western style. The Clerk of the Course is a deeply religious man. This rally, arguably, needs the cooperation of the community more than any other since there is hardly a town or village in the region that is unaffected as rally cars blast by front doors for three days.

Causing offence took on new meaning when deciding whether or not to continue, even in the aftermath of an accident for which, so far, all evidence shows the organisers to be blameless. You have to hope, in the light of the commitment from sponsors, several hundred team members, not to mention devoted spectators, that the organisers know best.

In the meantime, Tony Jardine and I will never forget the drive of a lifetime in that magnificent rocket ship of a car loaned by Richard Hogg and supported by LGC Precision Engineering and Kumho tyres. We finished 27th, by the way.

But, after a weekend of massive highs and such a terrible low, the end result doesn't actually matter a damn.