Top brass speaks out over safety

That's the line being taken by the sport's top brass on the eve of this weekend's Monte Carlo Rally, the opening event of 2002. Speaking at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, Max Mosley president of motorsport's governing body the FIA said that issues of crowd safety would be dealt with severely this year and that stages which were not up to scratch would be abandoned.

"Spectators must stand in authorised areas," said Mosley. "We won't run the stage if they are standing in unauthorised places. It's extreme but we'll have to take that approach."

Stages on certain WRC events last year were marred by a lack of crowd control, which led to cancelled stages on several events including Rally Argentina and Rally Portugal.

The year's low point came when the Ford Focus of Carlos Sainz crashed into a spectator area on the second leg of Rally Great Britain. Several people were injured including two children.

"The events in World Rally are on open roads and it is difficult for spectators to be in a safe place," added Mosley. "There are going to be significant changes this year and there is going to be more effort in the future not to run stages with particularly difficult areas."

Mosley's view echoes that of World Rally supremo David Richards, who stressed the need for teams and marshals to work together to make the championship safer.

"Spectator safety is the category's Achilles' heel, but is an issue that can be resolved," said Richards in this week's AUTOSPORT magazine. "We need spectators to know that if it is not safe, the stage isn't going to happen. The teams need to play a greater part with the marshals. They need to give something back to those who volunteer their time to look after their safety."