[BikerSuz]

Such a horrible incident!
Feel sad for people who lost their lives, as that's irreplaceable.

But feel incredibly sad for Gaurav and his team, and Motorsport in India as a whole. Unfortunately, he and the sport has to face all the brunt. Can't believe what mental state he would be right now.

[aaggoswami]

Its a very unfortunate incident which will leave deep impression on the driver and navigator. It will definitely be a while before both of them are 100% fit again for rallying.
However, one question comes to mind : Isnt it illegal to ride triple in India ? Why is this not being questioned ? If Hit-and-Run case is being filed then those riding triple on three wheelers should have obeyed the applicable rules. Also, from images it is shown that car is overturned. So definitely Guarav Gill and his navigator didn't run away after hitting the two wheelers, but were rather, IMHO, taken away for medical attention.

[f1fan]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Its a very unfortunate incident which will leave deep impression on the driver and navigator. It will definitely be a while before both of them are 100% fit again for rallying.
However, one question comes to mind : Isnt it illegal to ride triple in India ? Why is this not being questioned ? If Hit-and-Run case is being filed then those riding triple on three wheelers should have obeyed the applicable rules. Also, from images it is shown that car is overturned. So definitely Guarav Gill and his navigator didn't run away after hitting the two wheelers, but were rather, IMHO, taken away for medical attention.

I thought that the car that flipped was the car behind Gaurav's car which seems to be a VW polo and was damaged badly. I might be wrong though.

[landcruiser123]

My heart goes out to the deceased, Gill, and Sharif.

Motorsport racing in a country where thousands starve everyday? I'm sure this incident will not go well with the public. Even if the deceased were standing, and the driver lost control, the organizers are to blame as there should be enough safety barricades to arrest out of control cars. I hope Gill and Sharif don't get behind bars for this incident.

[Sk8r]

According to this report - TOI Article , no permission was issued nor any safety measures were in place.

If this is case then the organizers are in definite trouble here including Gill (legally). Considering that there are big names associated with the rally we might see an off the court settlement.

However lost lives can never be brought back. The bigger question would be who is responsible here ?? I will blame the organizers for taking all that money from Mahindra, MRF and JK and doing such a lousy job !

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

My heart goes out to the deceased, Gill, and Sharif.

Motorsport racing in a country where thousands starve everyday? I'm sure this incident will not go well with the public. Even if the deceased were standing, and the driver lost control, the organizers are to blame as there should be enough safety barricades to arrest out of control cars. I hope Gill and Sharif don't get behind bars for this incident.

You dont see barriers during the Rally of 1000 lakes, the forest sections in Wales, the Monte Carlo Rally etc. It is all to do with getting the right permissions and organisation etc. Am sure in the case, the area was taped off

The jury is out on whether permissions were granted and whether the right sort of permissions were given. I would have hoped the the local economy would have benefited with such events.

As for losing control - a terribly misused word - Gaurav was very much in control, there was no way he could avoid the motorcycle on a blind turn. The impact was head on. The Polo had no time to react either, it could not defy the laws of gravity when avoiding impact.

[speedmiester]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Motorsport racing in a country where thousands starve everyday? I'm sure this incident will not go well with the public. Even if the deceased were standing, and the driver lost control, the organizers are to blame as there should be enough safety barricades to arrest out of control cars. I hope Gill and Sharif don't get behind bars for this incident.

What do you mean? So then, why should there be any other sports or games likes cricket or tennis just because people are starving???

I have been a competitor in INRC and I know how much safety is taken into consideration before any event.
I am sure the organizers have taken permission and taken necessary precautions to avoid such incidents. Every event is insured against incidents, FMSCI will not allow the event to take place if all regulations are not met.
Even in this case, the biker was asked not to enter the road, still he did so not realizing the danger.
People go under railway gates in India despite knowing the dangers, what are you going to say about it?
Rallying is not closed circuit racing to have safety barricades all over the stages.
Even in international events, such incidents have happened in the past, so should we ban motorsports altogether. People have died on cricket field, during Olympics, during many sporting events, so should we ban all events in the world?

[superbad]

I only have empathy for the deceased lady & the child, zero for the man riding the motorcycle. Had organizers not taken adequate precautions, other villagers would've also entered (by force/mistake) into the rally area. Why only this individual? It's because of his idiocy coupled with the natural tendency of most two wheeler riders to casually flout rules. His was good riddance, but feel bad for his wife & child, & rest of his surviving family.
Might as well add that the compensation demanded by them is Rs 2 crore + government job. Which smacks of sheer greed & typical money exhorting tactics. The fellow riding the bike would've never earned that much in his entire life (other than by selling ancestral lands or something), I doubt he had an insurance policy worth even 5 % of the amount. The police also need to check his driving license & bike insurance. He was breaking rules just by having 3 seated on the bike, that too without helmets. Our country is better off without such idiots.
Poor Gaurav & his co driver. You've got to feel sorry for them.

[SatishChour]

This is really sad news.

If the rider was alive, he should have been heavily fined for his negligence, the death of his pillion riders is solely on him.

Gives me goose bumps, just to imagine what must have gone through Gaurav Gills & the Polo drivers mind in those few split seconds on seeing a motorcycle in the middle of the track .

Wonder if this has ever happened in any racing arena.

It is scary, hope it doesn't leave a mental scar of Gaurav Gills racing carrier. And hope he gets back on the track soon.

May the soul of the deceased rest in peace.

[grevvity]

It was an unfortunate accident where partially all the parties to be blamed.

Starting with authorities, I am sure organizers have approached them for permissions but we all know the way government and police permissions work. Even if the permission was granted officially, it would be just a signature on a random paper by a babu sitting in the office.

Permission or not, its the responsibility of the organizers to ensure the safety of participants, viewers and local people. If someone has strayed on the track knowingly or unknowingly, a certain amount of accountability lies with organizers as well. If they didn't have the complete control on the terrain and people, they should have refrained from having the event or should have taken more stringent safety measures.

And at last, its the person who ignored all the warnings and remained stubborn had to pay with his and his family life. He is equally responsible and paid a heavy price for his mistake.

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

What do you mean?

I genuinely apologize, didn't mean to rankle any nerves.

The problem is there's so much apathy for life in India. As you mentioned, people cross barricaded railway crossings. They do carelessly cross highways too. With the kind of socialist mindset the average Indian has, such incidents aren't going to go well with people because this incident seemed to have happened on a public road.

I have been a competitor in INRC and I know how much safety is taken into consideration before any event.
I am sure the organizers have taken permission and taken necessary precautions to avoid such incidents.

Knowing how guarded India is while hosting sporting events, I'm sure there is some lapse here. For example- haven't you seen cricket stadiums where there are nets so that people don't hurl projectiles at players?

I don't know whether it is the permissions issued by the right authority or by the local marshal who hasn't done enough to close the 'loophole' which would have prevented the biker from coming in the path of the car. I understand that 'lack of barriers to mitigate the impact of a crash' is an unreasonable expectation.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Motorsport racing in a country where thousands starve everyday? I'm sure this incident will not go well with the public.

Originally Posted by speedmiester

What do you mean? So then, why should there be any other sports or games likes cricket or tennis just because people are starving???

I have been a competitor in INRC and I know how much safety is taken into consideration before any event.

I believe landcruiser123 was being sarcastic in his comment, with regards to how the ill-informed would use this incident as an excuse to impose restrictions on such sports conducted and participated by the 'well-off' populace.

Really sorry to hear of this news, and I hope Gill and co-driver goes through required therapy to recover.

[charanreddy]

Knowing the Indian Police and Justice Delivery system as well as political considerations, this issue will be swept off as usual in a wrong way.. the villagers will be paid off, the courts will take ages to even list the matter, the police concerned will take over a year to file the challan or the B Report..

All this booking Gill for Sec 304, Transferring SP, District Collector is just eyewash and delaying tactics which will be forgotten in 3 months, this is just the way this country functions Remember a certain bachelor gentle man who ran over a bunch of people and is now acquitted?

Per me, the blame squarely lies with the stupid motorcycle rider, especially after he broke through the barrier despite the marshalls warning him and trying to stop him.. Rules exist to stop mishaps from happening and if rules are not heeded to, then the responsibility lies with the one who broke the rules..

The villagers mistaking a racing rally for a political rally is just plain dumb.. This is just too far fetched..

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by ajmat

As for losing control - a terribly misused word -

Indeed. The media is so fond of this phrase, also "freak accident." This helps spread the idea that accidents are not actually the fault of people. Some of us have helped to reduce this language here on Team-BHP. On the one hand, we may be grammar Nazis, but, on the other, it is the thinking that it is important

Originally Posted by speedmiester

What do you mean? So then, why should there be any other sports or games likes cricket or tennis just because people are starving???

Or flights to the moon... Or movies... Or... Or...

All sports have fans in all income groups. And even here on Team-BHP, those of us with reasonable, but not high, incomes read and write about vehicles we can never own.

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

I genuinely apologize, didn't mean to rankle any nerves.

The problem is there's so much apathy for life in India. As you mentioned, people cross barricaded railway crossings. They do carelessly cross highways too. With the kind of socialist mindset the average Indian has, such incidents aren't going to go well with people because this incident seemed to have happened on a public road. ... ...

Sorry, but that rankles more!

I think I know what you mean: a society in which people expect everything to be provided and done for them. Well, that's true of some, but with a small or a big 'S' don't lay it all at the door of "socialism." In fact, the sense of entitlement and selfishness belongs to the C word rather than the S word! And we'd better leave out the political stuff now.

I'm amazed and horrified at the suggestions that proper permissions and official closures were not organised. But, after the event, what can be done?

[Neil Roy]

It is all very easy to say that necessary approvals were not accorded or obtained. In our country, to get the paper work done is a herculean task in itself indicative of a bigger malaise. IF we are to take any random hospital or school or even govt buildings in our country there will be at least two or three basic "approvals" which are not in order. Such is the sad state of affairs due to the diligence and sincerity with which our govt employees function. Cross the bridge when we come to it is the mantra and when things go wrong, as what has happened now, the press, public and politicians will crucify the so called "violators" and pretend as if this was an exception rather than the norm. Lets face it guys, bureaucracy in our country is a joke and a very bad one at that.
Poor Gill. The guy wont even be allowed to recuperate from the emotional trauma for no fault of his and he is treated as an accused.