Everyone is asking what is wrong. Everyone is looking for a culprit that cannot be clearly identified. Rally is a sport that is dangerous and there is nothing you can do about it. And tragedies are part of the dangerous sport from time to time. I think you have already read enough about the latest tragedy where four young girls died. So there is no point in detailing and comparing which sport is the most dangerous. We cannot overlook the fact that recently there have been a lot of tragic events in our competitions. But why? What is wrong? Who is to blame?
The sad event affected me a lot, I am a fan of rally sports. I am incredibly sorry for what happened now and in the past. I regret it all the more when I know from my own experience how much attention is paid to the safety of special stages. This sport simply cannot do without accidents, but the fact is clear that it is necessary to reduce the accident rate as much as possible.
But how does a layman see it – a typical televangelist and jack-of-all-trades coach with a bottle in hand? He watches it on TV and immediately wants to know who is to blame. The television is dissected for two days in resolution, while coming up with nothing. As an ignorant and disinterested listener, he blurts out unequivocally: It's getting more and more dangerous to ban those stupid cars! But there are a few questions to think about. I'm a fan, but even so, one tries to suggest at least minimal objectivity. Everyone will always defend their truth, but which one is the right one? God/Devil knows.
1. "Truth": Isn't the media a bit unprofessional?
The media's often tabloid approach to the whole matter has become more and more annoying in recent years (let's remember the floods), moreover, in many cases it is done so without knowing the full facts in detail. They are probably at crime scenes even earlier than first aid – I understand, it's their job, but a little judgment won't hurt. He throws dirt alibi on everyone who even looks like they might know something about the rally. Model situation: Kopecký is second? Great, great! We pride ourselves on a good rally base where champions are born. An accident will happen – ban the destruction of the world! Moreover, they inform us so much that it seems to us that "this was not the case, such horrors". But they used to be, but in the past, a lot of things were not even known and, to put it bluntly, there was nothing to regret. And I certainly don't want to defend anyone, but it seems to me that the media wants to hear from the driver that maybe he did it on purpose. Or they want to hear from the organizers, yes, we messed up the safety regulations. Do you really think that anyone (especially in this day and age) would take the liberty of taking someone's death on a t-shirt? But on purpose. Spend a few minutes on the Internet and study the real details of the tragedy on the relevant links or discussion forums if you are interested.
2. "truth": "Whoever has money can do anything" – isn't it a bit bizarre?
Yes, money spoils everything. You can ride any of today's racing specials from any group. Each of them is a fast beast that really needs to be tamed. Whoever has the money for a team, fulfills the conditions and gets a license can race. They are also no longer Skoda cars, where the fight was mainly in the corners, because on the flat everyone drove (rather didn't drive) the same. It's just a bigger show. As my uncle, who drove the rally as a mitfara, says: "He who has not experienced, does not know. Thinking about everything that can happen while driving is almost impossible. You drive on the edge, that's what rally is all about, but some horizons with dialed five were a lot of luck. And that was just a Skoda Favorit. How about today's four-wheelers, which have three times as many horses?". There are several topics for discussion here, for example the experience of the driver, the suitability of powerful cars for our roads, but I still kind of wonder if people from the union who have been working on it for some time and have knowledge and judgment do not have more competence on this issue after all in how to make the competition as safe as possible. Believe me, few people (and I hope no one) are interested in seeing someone die. On the other hand, there is always room for improvement, be it licensing, track security, retarders and more. Unfortunately, the latest tragedies are perhaps too strong an impulse.
As a compromise solution, the possibility is offered if people who have an idea of what it is about and how dangerous it can be would come to watch the rally. But still – how do you want to check that the audience is not drunk or that someone has not packed a "lard"? Or maybe they are foreigners who don't understand our language and there is a problem. In addition, the whole RZ can be calm, but this dog wants to poop, so the lady will go with him to the corner to the forbidden area, so that he doesn't poop in front of people. And in just a matter of seconds before the organizer warns and sends the person in question away, it can be bad. And that brings me to the incredible bad luck. I'm not a professional rider, but even so, I have some imagination as an ordinary driver. Quite simply, when looking for a "watching" position, I can say to myself: what if this and that happened? Whereupon I immediately reject places that are not marked as spectators.
I try to understand both sides, both the fans and the naysayers. As I already wrote, everyone has their own truth, but is he or she the right one? As much as I wanted to express myself objectively and as much as I may have failed, the question is: Should the competitions really be cancelled? And how will we solve it? Let's think.
