Ford ace reckons banned gravel crews may have helped to avoid shunt
Markko Martin believes his accident was avoidable
Markko Martin has criticised the FIA, the motorsport's governing body, after surviving an accident he felt could have been avoided on the Rally Argentina if gravel crews had not been banned earlier this year as part of a raft of cost-cutting measures.
The Estonian believes that his pace notes, which did not include the rock that he hit at 100mph during last weekend's event, could have been corrected if gravel crews, who used to recce each stage prior to the competitors running through it, had not been banned.
Martin and his co-driver Michael Park were taken to hospital for checks after the accident which destroyed his Ford Focus on SS5. But Martin, who admitted the accident was his fault, reckons he is “80-90 percent sure” it could have been avoided.
“I don't understand the FIA,” he said. “Do they want a driver killed or do they want us to go off the road and kill 10 spectators before they listen to us? This accident really highlights how we need the gravel crews for safety. I missed the rock and was on the wrong side of the road, but if we had gravel crews they would have spotted this mistake in my notes and we would have talked about it.
“This accident could have been avoided. I would say this is the fourth time that my performance has been compromised this season through not having a gravel crew.”
Martin believes that part of the problem is that there is a lack of FIA officials with recent competitive experience. “Nobody from there has been in a competition car for the last 25 years,” he said. “Things have changed. Would any of them have like to have been in my car on Friday?
“Until people open there eyes and come out and see what is happening then this whole thing is bullshit. They say it saves money; well it costs £40,000 per year to send crews with us, but this accident cost the team £400,000. That isn't cost-saving.”
