Without last year’s restrictions, and with the promise of good weather for the weekend, the safety of pilots and the public is once again a major priority for the organisation of the biggest sporting event in Portugal. It is also a priority for the GNR, which has made 2,800 personnel available to work along the route between Thursday and Sunday.
“Safety, security, security”. These are the watchwords of Hora Rodrigues, the director of the Vodafone Rally of Portugal, a few hours before the race gets underway.
“The appeal I make is that the public should always, always, respect the action areas. Don't put yourself in dangerous zones because a less cautious attitude of half a dozen spectators can be enough for FIA officials to question the race and spoil the show for thousands of other fans, many of them coming from far away. We spent a whole year on the road and tearing it all down would be very sad,” reinforces the event director.
Horácio Rodrigues thanked the GNR for their fundamental support, which over the next four days will deploy a force composed of about 2,800 operational personnel, for a daily average of 700 people, involving 782 vehicles from six territorial command centres.
“The GNR will seek to act in a preventive way, being prepared to guarantee the safety of spectators and drivers, but also to ensure the movement of traffic in the various stages of the rally,” guarantees Lieutenant Colonel João Fonseca.
“It should not be forgotten that this is the biggest sporting event in Portugal, with a massive presence of Portuguese, but also many foreigners, to be expected. Given the concentration of public in the areas where the action will take place, we will have to establish specific traffic perimeters, not only at the stage locations, but also in the surrounding regions,” he added.
In turn, Major Francisco Martins, public relations officer at the Porto Territorial Command, asked that the examples of previous years be followed, leaving some advice to all those who intend to go to the stages.
“In previous years, we always set an example with a behaviour that respected all Portuguese people. This year will not be different. However, it is not convenient to facilitate and we remind you that some areas have prohibited access. It is important that people go to the desired areas in advance. The Guard soldiers are there to inform and help and we ask that you respect any instructions they may give”.
Given the high temperatures that are expected on the days of the rally, it is also important to remember that “any carelessness can cause a fire with unpredictable consequences, even for the route of the rally. Also take care of the environment and leave garbage in the proper places,” he appealed.
Seeing the light on new hybrid Rally1 cars
On an event which could also be historic for the number of people who will be on the ground to watch the rally, Hora Rodrigues once again emphasises safety and strict compliance with all regulations:
“It is essential that the Spectator Zones are respected as much as possible and that people do not stay in dangerous areas. Just be a person in a dangerous place and the director of the FIA, who passes half an hour before the first competitor, calls me and says that this stage is not safe. Let them not jeopardise the rally”, reinforced the race director, before recalling the questions that are now being posed in relation to the new hybrid generation in the WRC.
“We can no longer have the volunteers that we had in the past trying to help a driver put a car back on the stage. Handling a car of this type now requires additional care and depends on which warning light is on. If the light is green, it does not represent a danger and everything is normal, but if it is red, we cannot even touch it,” he warned.
In view of this, the organisation has provided training to all those involved, including the GNR, on all the procedures to be taken in these situations.