An Unexpected Tractor On The Stage Caused This WRC Driver To Crash Out

During Rally Australia, Andreas Mikkelsen was so distracted by the sudden presence of a tractor on the stage that he ended up crashing out of the event
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Strange things often happen in rallying, but while drivers might expect to see a bit of local wildlife getting in the way during a stage, seeing a tractor casually driving along the stage is slightly more unusual.

That’s what happened to Hyundai WRC driver Andreas Mikkelsen. Approaching a chicane, he spotted the tractor and then passed it with relative ease. However, the unexpected sight of it on the stage messed with his head. “I braked for the chicane and I did the chicane and then I passed the tractor and it was still going,” he explained. “I said, ‘what the f*** is this, shall we stop and tell the marshals’? [Co-driver] Anders [Jaeger] told me to keep going but just after that there was a left over a crest, which I didn’t really get [the pace note], and then we were too fast and then we rolled.”

His concern over the safety of the stage distracted him enough to put him out of the rally. Mikkelsen called on organisers to ensure this sort of thing never happens again - after all, if he or anyone else had hit the tractor, it could have been a very nasty incident.

According to the organisers, the tractor had entered the stage “without authority” to go and move some of the hay bales in the chicane that had been dislodged by another car.

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Comments

Anonymous

i dont think anyone would hit it but certaintly a tractir could be parked anywhere

11/18/2018 - 13:52 |
3 | 1
Anonymous

lol the best excuse ive ever heard :P

11/18/2018 - 14:36 |
2 | 6
maurotehsilva

Wot in tarnation? (Sorry)

But on a serious note when stuff like this (caused by humans or wildlife) happens there should be some slavk goven to the driver and co driver for restarting the stage. Yes it makes the raceday longer but hey, random stuff happens, and somtimes it can be a big obstruction at times.

11/18/2018 - 17:15 |
1 | 0
Anonymous

Stuff like this happens all the time in rallying, that’s why everyone loves it. Idk what all the fuss is about, it’s his own fault he should have been paying attention instead of going full milenial on the situation.

11/18/2018 - 19:12 |
2 | 5
Basith Penna-Hakkim

Who remembered when Jeremy Clarkson was driving “The Fastest Car in the World” then some maniac in a tractor came in the opposite direction?

11/18/2018 - 22:13 |
12 | 0