In the long research journey that led to the realization of this volume, an accredited professional who was present at that edition of the tragic world rally confided his greatest doubt to us, and in the face of the normal resistances that a colleague is inclined to have, asking for anonymity, he showed us an object and allowed us to photograph it. The photos we show are not evidence in the strictest sense of the term. That is, they do not prove a truth. However, they are elements that support one narrative over another.
In this specific case, they would support the theory of mechanical failure:
Henri and Sergio's accident could have occurred due to a mechanical failure, as well as for reasons related to the driver's health, an eventuality that we delve into nonetheless in another section of the work.
The version told by the guardian of the piece (plausible but now not de-monstrable) of the front wheel suspension of Toivonen-Cresto's S4 (which he collected on the spot after the car and occupants had been taken away) is that the front wheel came off at the turn, throwing the S4 down among the trees. Here is his account of that terrible day.
"When the tow truck took away Toivonen and Cresto's S4 and the ambulances took away what remained of their bodies, no more smoke came out of the ditch. On the ground, there was a huge carpet of plastic gloves used by doctors and nurses who had extracted the bodies from the car, and a lot of fire extinguishing foam. It seemed to be in a muffled, stunned world, where every word was too much. Everywhere, the smell of burning. Near the car, there were scattered on the ground pieces of melted or burnt parts of the S4.
Shock absorbers, bolts... Farther away, there was a piece of the S4's suspension that, as you can see, is sharply severed. It escaped the flames managing not to melt like everything else because it was much further away. At that time, it was customary to recover a piece lost from a car and keep it at home. There are colleagues who have the wheel with the entire suspension of the Fiat 131 Abarth that Markku Alén lost in Portugal, and I kept this piece from Toivonen's car. The Gendarmerie was there but they didn't tell me anything.
After all, my gesture was nothing compared to the immense tragedy that had just taken place. Climbing back onto the road, I turned to look back. I tried to understand what had happened and how this piece had come off.
I noticed something, which was never talked about. It is true that there were no skid marks on the ground, it was clearly seen that the car had not skidded, nor had it hit the other side of the road to bounce off. However, there was a white mark, a furrow, as if something metallic had scraped along the ground. I took a picture and left. No one ever spoke of it, but I remember it well even today. I am certain that the piece of suspension I took is linked to that slight furrow and the exit of the S4".
