Sport

"Rally hooliganism" or water leak?

Dozens of rally pilots lost control of their vehicles in the Condroz rally, in Wallonia in eastern Belgium, late on Saturday. Mud, stones and water on a particular road section created hazardous conditions, most of all for the drivers but also for the spectators. Organisers decided to cancel the final stage. Some claim spectators deliberately threw stones and mud on the road in an act of rally "hooliganism", while other sources claim it was all due to a water leak.
Michaël Torfs

The incident created fury among the pilots. They didn't understand what happened at first, but got the picture after the finish. First reports claimed that a number of spectators had created the hazardous conditions on purpose at a place where the narrow road makes a little curve.

The Belgian veteran pilot Freddy Loix told reporters "I left the road and ended up in the field at 140 km/h. I hit a stone and had a puncture. At first we couldn't understand why this happened, but later it turned out that almost everyone went off the course at that particular place."

A number of pilots launched a complaint with the organisation. They were completely taken by surprise and many suffered damage as a result. Organisers decided to cancel the result of the ultimate stage.

An "act of hooliganism" or just a water leak at the wrong place and the wrong time? This morning, reports emerged claiming the problems were due to a nearby water leak. An investigation has been started into the incident to find out who can be held responsible.

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