9th & 10th May 2008

  Spectator Information

YOUR SAFETY
Regular rally spectators know that there is nothing more exciting than watching powerful cars competing on some of the fastest tarmac stages in Europe as drivers fight to shave tenths of a second off their time, but fast cars and pedestrians can be a potentially dangerous combination. And, with ever more people eager to share the excitement of one of the most popular rally's in the UK , the safety of drivers, spectators and marshals continues to be our top priority.

The RBS International Manx Rally has always been at the forefront of promoting safety in rallying and we hope to continue to make the event as safe as possible for all involved.

All Event Officials, Marshals, Timekeepers, Medical Crews and Recovery Teams are volunteers. It is physically impossible for marshals to cover every yard of a 10-mile stage, we therefore also rely on you to obey the warning signs, act sensibly and think about your own safety when spectating.

Would you describe walking, cycling, or pushing a baby-buggy alongside a motorway as sensible? No, of course you wouldn’t. So, with rally cars travelling faster than motorway traffic, but on narrow, twisting roads, it’s equally daft to walk or cycle on a special stage. Neither is it sensible to stand – let alone sit – on a bend or junction where a car might slide off the road.

Remember - on the Isle of Man roads are closed under an act of Tynwald (Manx Parliament), walking on a stage can mean you are liable to prosecution for breaking the law.

The RBS International Manx Rally has an excellent safety record and we want you to help us keep it that way. Follow the safety guidelines in the programme and on the signs at special stages. If you are asked to move by the marshals or the safety cars that run in front of the first competitors, please do so. If you or other spectators stand in a dangerous place, the stage will be cancelled (a stage was cancelled in 2004 due to a lack of marshals compared to the large number of spectators) and everyone will miss out on the excitement of seeing top rally drivers in action.

That action involves rally cars being driven on the limit, so accidents can - and do - happen. This is when the second element of our pre-event safety planning – the response to incidents involving competitors – is put to the test. The RBS International Manx Rally is able to call on the services of a wide range of highly-skilled support services capable of handling the most severe incidents.

But, before we can deal with an incident we need to know what has happened and where. We therefore have a network of radio operators on each special stage, linked through our control centre to all the senior officials. Based on the information received from the marshals and radio operators, a decision is taken on what response is required.

There is always a minimum of one doctor or paramedic available to respond, a rally rescue ambulance staffed with trained volunteers, plus a recovery vehicle, again crewed by trained volunteers, all of whom can reach the scene of an accident quickly. We have tried to minimise the risks to you and the crews without destroying the spectacle that makes rallying so enjoyable. We want you to enjoy the action safely so let’s be careful out there.