How MICHÈLE MOUTON Reformed WRC Safety After Portugal’s Darkest Rally Weekend

July 3, 2025

GRRL! SUMMARY:

MICHÈLE MOUTON, the legendary Group B driver turned safety pioneer, fundamentally transformed WRC spectator protection starting in 2015 alongside deputy Nicolas Klinger. Their innovative live video monitoring system, born from a “mushroom” spectator spotted at a hairpin corner in 2019, now tracks dangerous fan positions in real-time from race control – a stark evolution from the chaos that once defined rallying.
The 1986 Portugal Rally stands as rallying’s darkest moment, when spectators pressed so close to cars that officials found fingers in air intakes and a crowd collision killed three people, hospitalizing 32 others. Factory teams, led by drivers like Juha Kankkunen, made the unprecedented decision to withdraw rather than continue what he called being treated like “killers” – forcing the sport to confront its deadly spectator culture.
Today’s Rally Portugal deploys a safety apparatus that would be unrecognizable to 1986 spectators: 646 marshals, 318 firefighters, three helicopters, and a dedicated airplane circling overhead to relay live video feeds. The meticulous planning involves months of digital mapping through Estonian software Eventhos, plotting every spectator zone and emergency access point down to individual corners, with safety delegates like Priit Priimägi filing 40-page post-rally reports.