Rally is not a bunch of kids racing around – it’s professionally organised

I was an official as a safety car driver/passenger at this event. It is not a job I take lightly. We had to sit an intensive course to gain our motor sport UK (MSUK) safety car driver licence. As we drove through the stage it became apparent that there were more people watching than was expected as it was a cold night and day.

We were pre-warned in the briefing that there may be some residents who might cause a bit of trouble, but I must say I was not expecting what we witnessed. First of all on the Torteval stage, we stopped at one property close to the Imperial Hotel. The resident was not willing to listen to reason, and this led to the 30-odd cars travelling at road speed on their first run.

There must have been 150-plus spectators watching from the Imp car park who only got to see one run at speed out of the four that was planned – that included parents who had their children along to watch. What a disappointment to them all.

On getting to the St Saviour’s stage the same sort of problems occurred there with an irate woman, again who would not listen to reason, even to the police. In the same stage we witnessed a family who were delighted it was passing their house and were even in the front garden with a wood-burner, sipping wine.

We had a few minor problems on Saturday with one or two but on the whole it went like it should have with many people watching and the feedback I have received was that they loved it.

So in closing, the Guernsey Rally committee works tirelessly throughout the year to put on this event, it is not a bunch of kids racing around willy-nilly. It is professionally organised and overseen by a safety delegate from MSUK who travels around the UK to run much bigger rallies than ours – in our debrief he congratulated us for putting on a first-class rally and dealing with the troublemakers in a professional and polite way.

If any of you have access to Facebook just go on the Guernsey Rally page and watch a few of the great videos of racers and the public enjoying themselves, the evidence is there.

I also believe that the Trelade Hotel was full, the Peninsula was half-full and some stayed at St Pierre Park. So good for tourism in cold February.

I do hope you can support us and keep allowing us to have fun once a year.

Thank you once again.

PAUL LE JEAN