Fatal accident casts pall over British rally

The death of Peugeot's British co-driver Michael Park cast a pall over the Rally of Britain yesterday.

The final stages were cancelled following the fatal accident, the first in the championship for more than a decade, with cars returning to rally headquarters in Cardiff for the formal finish.

On a grim day for the sport, Park's grieving team announced their immediate withdrawal from the event.

Citroen's race leader Sebastien Loeb, who would have clinched his second successive championship as a result, then took time penalties to ensure he did not win in such circumstances.

Norwegian Petter Solberg, in a Subaru, therefore 'won' the race for the fourth year in a row with Citroen's Belgian Francois Duval second and Loeb third to keep the championship open until Japan next month.

Park, 39, from Newent in Gloucestershire, was partnering Estonian Markko Martin who was unhurt in the 15th stage accident.

Peugeot, Citroen's stablemates in the PSA Group, said Martin went off the road and hit a tree on the passenger side.

Rallying has always been a dangerous sport, with spectator safety a particular concern, but fatal accidents have become rare at world championship level.

The last similar incident was in the Rally of Australia in 1993 when co-driver Rodger Freeth was killed when the Subaru driven by the late New Zealander Possum Bourne rolled after a series of jumps.

Martin, whose team were just six points behind stablemates Citroen in the manufacturers' championship before yesterday, was in sixth place at the time of the accident.

The leading drivers turned off their cars' engines and held a minute's silence on arrival at the finish in a hushed Millennium Stadium. There was no winner announcement and no champagne celebration.