The Rally d’Italia Sardegna for spectators

They will be followed, cuddled, guided step by step, to watch in the best possible way and in total safety the show of the World rallying champions. Everything is ready to give the best welcome to the thousands of fans which will arrive in Sardinia from all over the world, to watch the Italian round of the World Rally Championship. Many new features, besides the usual guides and maps specially designed for them. Amongst these, very important and revolutionary are the indications concerning spectators’ no-go areas.

The red tape disappears, replaced by more than 4,000 signs (see picture) which will shows the spectators’ no-go areas: it is one of the news in the spectators’ areas management which the soon to be released 2009 Guide to Rally d’Italia Sardegna will cover.

The special stages’ look changes, with more than 50 km of red tapes removed. They will be replaced by more than 4,000 signs to forbid staying in the areas deemed dangerous. It is the result of the work done by Race Control, headed by Lucio De Mori and Mauro Furlanetto, and particularly of the Chief Safety Officer Tiziano Siviero.

The latter explains: “I would like to begin with a foreword: during the set-up of the spectators’ go and no-go areas, there has always been “some confusion” in the definition of forbidden area. I will quote 2 examples: the first is that spectators think that if a red tape is placed 10 metres away from the road, it is possible to stand behind it, considering the forbidden area to be between the road and the red tape; the second one is that if there is no red tape, the spectators feel they are entitled to stay where they please.

To overcome this “confusion”, we have asked the FIA to test a new system based on the fact that only the areas deemed apt and safe for spectators will be defined via the use of green tape. Of course, spectators will have to stay behind these tapes, and not between the road and the tape. All the areas not defined by green tape close to the special stage will be forbidden to spectators.

In the areas deemed dangerous there will be warning signs which will read “Dangerous Area, no go area” so as to warn, also visually, that it is best to keep away from that spot (see picture) .

This system will make it easier to understand what can be done and what must not be done and will help the marshals who must see that spectators respect the rules”.

Amongst other news the special stages’ traces on the aerial maps of Google Maps, with virtual movies, a sort of birds’ eye view over the SS which, from next week, will enable fans to preview the main attractions on the rally route directly from the event website.