In one of many more strange causes to be disciplined by the FIA, 2024 Dakar Rally competitor Marco Piana has acquired a wonderful of €500 for having the French flag affixed to his truck as nationwide flags are banned for the race. The wonderful will be suspended till the tip of the rally so long as he doesn’t commit the infraction once more.
In line with Piana, at the beginning of Stage #9 on Tuesday, an FIA scrutineer seen his identify was lacking from the door of his #645 GINAF truck. Requested to rectify this, Piana complied and grabbed a sticker from contained in the truck earlier than making use of it as requested. Nonetheless, the decal included each his identify in addition to the French flag signifying his nationality, which he and his Xtremeplus workforce didn’t discover till later that evening once they returned to the bivouac. The flag was already eliminated by the point the FIA summoned him for a listening to.
Nationwide flags are the norm and enshrined in Article 21.1 of the FIA Cross-Nation Rally Sporting Laws: “The primary preliminary(s) and surname of the motive force and the co-driver, adopted by the nationwide flags of the nation in line with Artwork. 9.4 of the (Worldwide Sporting) Code, should seem on either side of the entrance wings or entrance doorways of the car.” Nonetheless, the Dakar Rally’s organising physique Amaury Sport Organisation launched Article 6.3 (FIA) and Article 6.1.1.3 (FIM) to their race rulebook for 2024, each of which state flags are now not allowed by the competitor’s identify. Though the FIA and FIM maintain the ultimate say over their guidelines, each can grant waivers in “very distinctive circumstances.”
An official clarification for the ban was by no means given, although many surmise it’s out of security issues pertaining to the continued warfare in Gaza. Whereas Palestine and Israel are too far-off from Dakar host nation Saudi Arabia for the combating to spill over, the ASO expressed fear that such a contentious battle within the area might encourage assaults in opposition to racers sympathetic to sure sides, and managing race safety is already tough sufficient in an open desert. Because the Dakar’s transfer to Saudi Arabia in 2020, driver security has largely been intact save for a string of explosions earlier than the 2022 race that claimed Camelia Liparoti’s assist truck and severely injured driver Philippe Boutron; the latter led to a terrorism probe by French authorities and prompted the ASO to maneuver personnel from motels to camps.
The Gaza warfare led to the 2023 Jordan Baja being referred to as off, whereas the Houthis’ involvement by attacking worldwide transport has impacted rivals heading to the Dakar or different rally raids within the area.
Piana’s GINAF is a assist truck for Xtremeplus’ three SSV entries piloted by Michele Cinotto, Shinsuke Umeda, and Jorge Waghenführ. Nonetheless, he’s nonetheless labeled as a competitor within the T5.2 subcategory, and is at present thirty-second general within the Truck class with a greatest end of twenty-seventh in Phases #4 and #6.
