Hello rally fans :)!
If you’ve ever been to a rally, you know the atmosphere is amazing but unpredictable. Cars flying past just meters away, gravel spraying, and other things. It’s raw, thrilling, and sometimes… chaotic. And while that energy is what we all love about rallying, it comes with a serious challenge for us marshals: spectator safety…
It seems WRC&ERC might be getting a very modern solution to a problem that persists—AI. Yep, artificial intelligence is stepping in to help keep things under control.
I heard from a member of our club that the new system was tested Rally Croatia last year when it was still under development. The system uses AI powered cameras to detect when spectators are standing in unsafe areas along the stages. These smart cameras analyze crowd behavior in real time and alert marshals or organizers when someone’s in a risky spot. The goal? Avoid stage cancellations or delays due to poor spectator positioning before they happen. WRC Croatia Rally was always a challenge with spectators. I had so many unpleasant moments with drunk people. They don’t take us seriously, they think we’re limiting their view but we just care about their safety. It’s not group b rally anymore 🤣.
You’ll tell people to move from a place they can’t be in (so called no-go area), jumps, sharp corners. Here is an example of safety measures we take :).
We’ve all seen stages paused or even cancelled because spectators wouldn’t move (khm Poland...). It’s frustrating for drivers, other fans, marshals and worst of all, dangerous. Human marshals can only be in so many places at once, especially on long and complex stages. Even we’re risking our lives by saving others.. I remember running on the road because I got a call from the headquarters to move some people. I can’t say no, I had to go and luckily enough I avoided a Rally1 car by seconds.. the spectators were extremely unpleasant even when I showed them that they see them..? They started cursing at me and the whole event. I just threatened with police and returned a mean comment but eventually they left.
There’s a bunch of stories like this that I could make a whole new post about :). That’s where this tech shine. It’s like having eyes everywhere, constantly scanning for issues and helping us act fast to prevent damage.
If any of you closely followed our rally you could also witness this absolute stupidity that almost ended up BADLLLYYY. It makes me sick to even look at it.
The system still needs refining, of course. It’s not here to replace us marshals (after all we’re the real MVPs hihi), but to help us. And in a sport where safety can literally mean the difference between life and death, every tool counts.
This could be the beginning of a safer rallying future, one where we can still get close to the action, without putting ourselves or others at risk :)!
And if AI is what it takes to keep the stages running smoothly and the fans protected? Count me in. Because I go to rallies to ensure the drivers can showcase their skills and to fully enjoy.
You know about Darwin Award? Rally spectators have a thing for it🤣
I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Thank you for upvoting, reblogging & commenting. It is greatly appreciated :)❤️!
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