Don't blame 'new Group B' for Monte tragedy

Suddenly, all those Group B analogies sat rather awkwardly. Yes, we had the noise, the aero, the angles, the power and the glory. And now, one stage into the rebirth of rallying's most coveted yet controversial era, we had death as well.

It was with some degree of inevitability that social media plotted the course of direct correlation between what happened last Thursday night and what happened in Portugal 31 years ago.

YouTube footage was pored over, erroneous screenshots grabbed and apparently ready to be used in evidence against what was seen as rallying's return to madness.

But what happened on that icy left-hander just outside Rouaine? Was it an accident?

Of course Hayden Paddon's Hyundai sliding out of control was an accident, he didn't mean for that to happen.

But that spectator wasn't there by accident. He took a calculated risk and decided he was safe to stand in that place. History shows that decision to be fatally flawed.

Like the rest of the service park, I have the deepest of sympathies for the family of the rally fan. Like him I couldn't wait to get out there and watch these cars in action.

But unlike him, I've been able to come home and share my thoughts with family and friends.

And that, more than anything else now, has to be the focus for this branch of motorsport. If you go to a rally, you must go home from a rally.

But let's nail one thing down right here and now. This accident had nothing to do with a 36mm restrictor or more aero. This was nothing to do with these cars.

There were two tracks through the ice on that stretch of SS1 - I drove it and I know the place well - and Paddon's car simply stepped out of those tracks.

There was some attitude in the car as he approached the corner and once that soft right-rear tyre got on the ice, not even a driver of Hayden's exceptional talent could deal with it. By the Kiwi's own admission, he was a passenger.

The speed of the crash was low, but contact with the bottom of a bank flipped the car into the air and onto its side. Worst-case scenario should have been damaged suspension on that right-rear.

Instead, we ended with everybody's worst fears.

But, like FIA rally director Jarmo Mahonen said, the outcome would have been the same with a much lower-powered car. That much we can be confident of.

In the days after the accident, Autosport was contacted by two other people who were standing at that corner at the time of the crash and they were able to add detail.

The nature of the road in that section of the D10 is that it runs between a high bank, in places a cliff face, and a drop down into either the La Galange river or one of its tributaries.

It's not a place I would chose to spectate, certainly not at night and absolutely not with such compromised levels of grip. Spectators are not unknown here, I'm told, and some degree of lighting in the corner of the crash would bear this out.

One of my main concerns is that Paddon's car barely left the road, in fact I'd venture the front wheels remained on the asphalt throughout. The rear slid wide, and we're talking inches off the road. In short, the car didn't invade a spectator area...

That's the view of others spectating at the corner.

Those in the area had two questions: why were there no marshals and why was the area not labelled a no-go zone for fans? They were there and they told me there was no signage telling them not to be there.

My question to them was equally straightforward: if you thought the area might be a no-go zone, why take the risk in the first place?

Spectators, you and me have a duty, a responsibility to ourselves and rallying. I'm really not sure self-policing is the answer, but it's certainly part of the answer.

Go to a rally in Belgium and see what happens if you put yourself in a position on the road that those around you feel is dangerous and could lead to the stage being stopped.

You won't be standing there for long.

The marshals question is a more complex one. World rallies are required to supply a safety plan to the FIA. The Monte organisers produced this in September and supplied it to the FIA soon after.

Mahonen praised the ACM's efforts, saying: "I have to thank them, the amount of work they have done has never been done so well. I cannot say any more until the investigation is complete."

That effort translated to 1018 gendarmes, 740 firemen, 4500 metres of safety netting and 9000 metres of 'spectator' tape.

Those at the scene reckoned none of the above was present in that corner.

The Monte Carlo route ran to 237.77 miles. Is it sensible to ask an organiser to police every inch? Yes it is sensible. The bigger question is whether or not it's practical, logistically and financially.

Patently, it's not.

The trouble with rallying is that it runs through remote areas, usually inaccessible to the masses.

But rally fans are hardy folk ready to traipse miles in search of what they feel is the right spot. Containing them can be difficult. But not impossible.

Last year, we saw Rally Argentina make its biggest effort yet in terms of safety and it - and the 6000 police drafted in - did a superb job.

One of the most incredible aspects of last year's South American World Rally Championship round was the Los Gigantes - Cantera el Condor stage.

The first half of this 24-miler was packed with people, but when the stage moved out of the villages and up into the mountains, a line was drawn.

From that line, nobody was allowed in. And nobody came. For miles, not a single spectator. And, don't forget, Argentinian fans on horseback are among the most nomadic in the championship. Nobody tells them where to go.

Last year, Michele Mouton and Cordoba's chief of police did. And they listened.

One of the prime entrances to the opening stage in Monte Carlo last week is through the finish. The junction is lined with gendarmes, so stopping everybody from going in there wouldn't be a problem. So do it.

Times have changed. Rocking up at the last minute and hoping to dive onto a stage, watch the top 10 and then get back on it up the road have gone. Long gone.

Rally watching today means being there well before the start and having some common sense in where you stand.

Just because there's no red tape or a no-go sign, it doesn't mean it's safe. The safest place to watch a rally from is at home on the telly.

The minute you venture outside your front door you're introducing risk. The minute you stand by the side of that stage, the risk increases. In an ideal world, that risk would be managed for you on every corner.

We don't live in an ideal world. But if people don't start putting more thought into their decision-making, we'll be living in a world without rallying.

FIA president Jean Todt is quite clear on this.

"It's very sad," he says. "It should have been avoidable. In life you must have discipline and if you don't have discipline you must have respect.

"Motorsport is dangerous if everybody is not working in the same direction. I am very sorry for the family of the victim and I am sorry for the family of rallying.

"I hope this makes people more aware about safety if they are coming to see this great show.

"People must be educated and follow instructions. The consequences can be horrible and people need to learn."

Every rally needs to do more. Some more than others. Poland ran under a yellow card last season after a lack of spectator control in 2015.

What did the drivers think of Poland last year? Marginally better, but not much. People were still standing right at the edge of the road, within touching distance, as the cars flew by at 110mph.

Nothing infuriates the drivers more than this. And rightly so.

Inevitably, I discussed Paddon's plight with his colleagues last week and, to a man, the attitude was the same. Sympathy was saved for the Kiwi. As one put it: "Hayden had an accident. But the man? He killed himself."

What we can't let this do is define the season or the WRC. Everybody must move in the same direction.

Collectively, the organisers must have no fear of cancelling stages and I never, never want to hear live television used as an argument for running what could be a compromised stage.

Once the organisers start cancelling a few stages, folk will get the message.

And if they don't, then we can't go back to these countries.

Please, just think about where you're going to stand. Rallying is in your hands. Let's make them safe hands.