Car rally halted

Press, 27 January 1983, Page 30

Car rally halted

NZPA Monte Carlo The Monte Carlo rallyground to a halt in the early hours of yesterday when an ambulance was sent in to evacuate a spectator injured as cars raced over the narrow, twisting 38 kilometres time trial at Chapelle En Vercors. The trial, the ninth of the gruelling 1500 kilometres common run, was later cancelled altogether and crews waiting to race there were re-routed to the next special — a similar 37 kilometres run through the St Andeol Pass. The decision by organisers to cancel the trial, on which West Germany’s rally pace-

) setter. Walter Rohrl. in the new Lancia had notched up / his sixth Scratch time since / setting out from the princii pality on the common run j stage, meant adjusting the 1 times of the leading competi- - tors. s Meanwhile, on the St Ani deol pass top the French crew of Guy Frequelin and s Jean-Francois Fauchille s miraculously escaped injury - when their British-based s team Opel Ascona spectacu- » larly crashed off the road 1 after hitting an ice patch. s The crash ended a brave 1 drive by the experienced 37-year-old Frenchman who had s managed to keep his Ascona n in the top four since the start - of the rally.