Co-driver Park dies in accident

[vrooom]

Michael Park, co-driver for Markko Martin, has died after an accident on stage 15 of Wales Rally GB.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/world_rally/4257438.stm

This is sad day :(

I would like to express my sadness at this terrible loss and extend my condolenses to his family and friends.

Jay

[Don]

:( :( :( rip :(

[MorroW]

This is really bad news.
Park was surely extremely good co-driver.

Markko and Michael make really good team together.
They are not only working together but also very good friends on free time.

Really sad.

Rest in peace, Park.
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b371/ahvest/park1.jpg

[Madman_CZ]

this is a shock..... just goes to show safety in rally needs to be improved more as it is a dangerous sport ...

a sad day for motorsport

[L(Oo)ney]

this is a shock..... just goes to show safety in rally needs to be improved more as it is a dangerous sport ...

Traveling at 100+ mph through trees and near the edge of big drops is never going to be safe, no matter how much you try to make it so.

Anyway - RIP...

[snewham]

that's really sad. RIP

[Blackout]

Makes me feel sad, terrible for his family and for Märtin who was driving, cant even imagine how does he feels. Sad day for motorsport :( rip

[ORION]

This is the most horrible way to remind us how dangeruos racing is :(
And I hope Märtin will be able to accept that this tragedy has happened.

[XCNuse]

:weeping:


:tombstone

[priits]

http://tbk.fameflame.dk/temp/Michael_Park-2005_WRC_Wales_SS15_01.jpg
http://tbk.fameflame.dk/temp/Michael_Park-2005_WRC_Wales_SS15_02.jpg
http://tbk.fameflame.dk/temp/Michael_Park-2005_WRC_Wales_SS15_03.jpg
http://personal.inet.fi/surf/jako/martin2.jpg

[RudiTurbo]

Every thread I read again makes My eyes wet again and again
This is just unbelievable :(

[tristancliffe]

Such a sad day!

My thoughts, and those of this community, go out to the friends and family of Mr Park at this difficult time, as well as to Markko Martin himself.

Motorsport will never, and should never, be safe. They all know the risks. I'm sure Mr Park would rather depart this way than become a vegetable for the rest of his life. Nevertheless, it never reduces the sadness, nor sense of loss when an accident like this occurs.

R.I.P.

[LRB_Aly]

Always sad when something like that happens in motorsport.
rip

[detail]

A thing that I recall, not connected directly, but is said quite often: for example "why i like F1" or "why the new qualifying format is cool" — because "any mistake costs a lot".

Very sad. R.I.P.

[ajp71]

It's a sad reminder that motorsport is dangerous :(

[tpa]

:guilty:

What a tragedy. My thoughts are with Park's family (wife, 2 kids) and Martin.

[wien]

I'm lost for words... Can't imagine how Markko must be feeling.

RIP Beef

[Qurpiz]

Motorsport will never, and should never, be safe. They all know the risks. I'm sure Mr Park would rather depart this way than become a vegetable for the rest of his life. Nevertheless, it never reduces the sadness, nor sense of loss when an accident like this occurs.


True, yes, but every victim is too much.

I really feel sorry for Parks kids, because I've lost my mom and sister in a car accident, and I can tell you, they'll never understand why their father had to die.

[Highsider9]

http://personal.inet.fi/surf/jako/martin2.jpg

This Pic is really moving, just imagine how he must feel right now

R.I.P

[GP4Flo]

Oh, that's really sad news. :(

It gives me a strange feeling as I have seen him in action just some weeks before at the Rallye Deutschland. When you see the modern rallye car and the safety standards of today's rallye (like in Germany) you think it's safe, but apparently motorsport is dangerous and will always remain dangerous.

[Gavin UK]

r.i.p. :(

[priits]

http://www.tdl.ee/~raxz/park/

[deggis]

this is a shock..... just goes to show safety in rally needs to be improved more as it is a dangerous sport ...
It can never be safe enough but just think about the Group B era. Safety has improved a lot since accidents like Henri Toivonen's crash in Corsica '86.

http://www.hisparally.net/rallydescargas/descargas/videos/Audi%20Sport%20S1%20-%20www.rallydescargas.tk.rar

That video is a good example of crowd safety in those years...

[Chris_Kerry]

A very sad day for motorsport. My feelings go out for everyone involved. I hope that Martin is given support through this dreadful time. The sheer desperation he must be feeling right now, it must be awful!

RIP Mr Park

[DodgeRacer]

RIP Beef man :(

[Neokiller]

:( this is very sad to see and also shows how dangerous are the rallys and FIA dont spend time to improve the stages and security for the drivers and also the public but can't imagine how Markko is feeling and also Michael Park family. 2 kids :(

RIP :(

[Tomstr]

Rally will never be safe, that´s how the sport is. However, this accident is something you don´t want anyone to happen. :(

[inCogNito]

driving a car will never be save. You can't win against the laws of physics.

[BlackEagle]

so sad :(

rip

[J.B.]

:(

He chose to dedicate his life to his passion of rallying. The price can be high. r.i.p

Must be awful for family and friends. Marko is missing the next rally.

P.S. I hope there is no saftey overreaction like 1994 in F1. WRC has had an extreordinary record and I can't remember any fatalities since the '80s.

[deggis]

P.S. I hope there is no saftey overreaction like 1994 in F1. WRC has had an extreordinary record and I can't remember any fatalities since the '80s.
Possum Bourne's co-driver Rodger Freeth died in 1993. They raced for the Asia-Pasific Championship but the rally event in Australia was part of the World Championship.

Crowd accidents has happened a lot in 90's...

Btw, last weekend same kind of accident (!) happened here in Finland on a national junior rally event. Co-driver died. :(

[ajp71]

:(

He chose to dedicate his life to his passion of rallying. The price can be high. r.i.p

Must be awful for family and friends. Marko is missing the next rally.

P.S. I hope there is no saftey overreaction like 1994 in F1. WRC has had an extreordinary record and I can't remember any fatalities since the '80s.

I think there should be changes, not due to this crash in particular, rallying should go either to much more production based cars on much longer, more endurance based events, the return of long night stages and mixed surface events or it should be replaced by rallycross, with much faster cars, but in a safer environment. With the current championship the cars are being driven to hard, there are alot more big crashes, think Solberg in Germany, if Phill Mills had been sitting at driver height he'd have been killed. It's just unrealistic to have this much speed with unguarded spectators and trees.

Despite these safety concerns I don't think they alone should change rallying, more the lack of manufactures backing.

[inCogNito]

http://files.filefront.com/Michael_Park_Tribute/;4161582;;/fileinfo.html
http://files.filefront.com/Michael_Park_Tribute_2/;4161634;;/fileinfo.html
http://files.filefront.com/Michael_Park_Tribute_3/;4161723;;/fileinfo.html

[skiingman]

Very, very sad.

I do think its a sport where men are men and I hope there isn't an overreaction for safety either.

The spectator accidents are largely up to the spectators....I guarantee most of them were someplace they shouldn't have been.

[NotAnIllusion]

Indeed terrible news, my thoughts there as others' are with Park's family & Märtin.

Rallying is dangerous and it is sad to see this happen. Nevertheless, rallying has never been safer than this and while safety can probably be always improved, I don't think as dramatic a change is needed as when the Group B was eventually scrapped after Henri Toivonen's and his co-driver Sergio Cresto's fatal crash back in May 1986.

Thanks inCogNito for the tribute links