WRC – Latvala apologizes after his Monte-Carlo accident

Jari-Matti Latvala went off the road in the 11th special of Rally Monte Carlo and hit a spectator. The Volkswagen driver did not take the trouble to stop to check the state of health of the victim (fortunately unharmed) while the Finn abandoned his Polo R in the next section. WRC having suffered damage following his error.

The stewards imposed a fine of €5000 on the Volkswagen driver and placed him under the threat of suspension from a WRC event in the event of a new incident. “He said he didn’t think he hit a spectator at any time. But, looking at the images, the commissioners found it hard to believe that the crew did not realize that they had hit a spectator because the body could be clearly seen on the hood just in front of the windshield... crew should have stopped to check if the spectator was not injured”, explained the organizers.

“First of all I would like to say that I am sorry for what happened.”, commented Jari-Matti Latvala. “We came out on a very slippery road after a right turn and slid into a ditch. I saw a spectator jump to the side and I slowly returned to the road. The team called me after the special to inform me that I had hit a spectator. »

Video of Jari-Matti Latvala’s exit on SS11 of the Monte-Carlo Rally