The first rally of 2022 is underway, and now we have the first crash in a competition of the new class of top-tier cars, a Rally1 vehicle. While Craig Breen did send a Ford Puma WRC Rally1 off a cliff during testing, just before the Monte Carlo Rally, it was Adrien Fourmaux who had the misfortune of crashing one of these vehicles during a rally.
It is worth noting that there have been other crashes previous to these two, but this one is notable because it happened during an FIA-sanctioned competition. The accident is also impressive due to its severity, as the Ford Puma fell into a ravine after it started rolling because of sliding into a rock face.
At the time of the crash, French driver Adrien Fourmaux was within a tenth of a second with Sebastien Ogier's split times on the current special stage, called Roure/Beuil, which is 12.1 kilometers in length.
As you can observe in the videos embedded below, the Rally1 racing car was driven hard, as you would expect it to be at this level in motorsport, and it slid into a rock face. The impact with the former led to a loss of control, and the vehicle could not make the sharp right turn that followed.
Fortunately for everyone involved, the new Rally1 cars come with an enhanced safety cell, which makes getting in and out of more complicated, but Adrien Fourmaux and Alex Coria have every reason to be thankful for it.
The same can be said for Craig Breen and his co-driver, as well as Thierry Neuville. All three mentioned crews crashed the new Rally1 cars and walked away shaken, not stirred. It is estimated that the crew fell about 30 meters (ca. 98 feet) from the road height. In an older model WRC car, this would not have ended as lightly.
Unlike Breen's Puma, which was repaired by the team despite falling off a cliff, Fourmaux's racing car might not be saved. While you may be just as eager as we are to get your hands on the wreck as is, you can leave your hopes at the hood, as M-Sport will take it back to its headquarters for analysis.
These vehicles are far too new to be parted out after being crashed, and the hybrid system needs to be returned to the FIA-approved supplier for checks, just to be sure that it poses no danger to crews.
As we previously noted in another article on the matter, when WRC Rally1 cars crash, they have a set of lights that indicate that they are safe to touch. As you can observe in the photos posted by WRC, this Puma WRC had its green lights on.
Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland. Full profile
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