Peugeot co-driver killed in Rally GB

Michael "Beef" Park, the experienced co-driver to Peugeot WRC ace Markko Martin, died in an accident during the final leg of Rally Great Britain in Wales on Sunday.

Michael "Beef" Park, the experienced co-driver to Peugeot WRC ace Markko Martin, died in an accident during the final leg of Rally Great Britain in Wales on Sunday.

The 307 WRC of Martin and Park was running in sixth place and aiming for a fifth-place finish, when the Peugeot slid off the road and collided with a tree on the 27-km SS17, the first pass through Margam.

The accident occurred soon after the start of the stage, the car hitting a tree on the passenger side. Park appeared to have died on impact, although Martin was uninjured.

"The situation didn't look bad when we first saw Markko's car on the road," recounted Mitsubishi driver Harri Rovanpera's co-pilot, Risto Pietilainen, the first crew to arrive on the scene. "But when we got closer, we saw that things were bad."

"The ambulance arrived in a couple of minutes and the helicopter soon afterwards, in less than ten minutes," he continued. "But there was nothing that could be done..."

Park, 39, was considered one of the top co-drivers of his generation. As co-driver to Martin, "Beef" Park, as he was affectionately known, enjoyed considerable success with the Estonian during three seasons at Ford before joining Peugeot.

A rally enthusiast since the age of 10, Park gained experience with some of Britain's top drivers. He worked with former world champions Richard Burns and Colin McRae as a gravel note expert while co-driving for both David Higgins and Mark Higgins in the British national series. His big break, however, came when he teamed up with Martin as a privateer pairing in a Toyota Corolla for the 2000 World Rally Championship season.

After a string of impressive performances, the pair were signed up by Subaru for 2001, before moving to Ford, where they evolved into one of the leading driver/co-driver combinations in the WRC. In 2003 they took two rally victories, in Greece and Finland, and improved on that figure with three wins in 2004.

The pair were lying fourth in this season's title race after securing four podiums in a season dominated by Citroën's Sébastien Loeb. Their performances had been instrumental in Peugeot's challenge for the manufacturers' championship, with the team lying six points behind French rivals and PSA sister team Citroën before the British event.

Immediately upon learning of the tragedy, Peugeot Sport withdrew their lead car of Marcus Gronholm and Tim Rautiainen. After Gronholm withdrew, FIA and the organizers of the event elected to cancel the remaining stages.

"Peugeot Automobiles and Peugeot Sport would like to express their feeling of extreme sadness and deep emotion to the family of Michael Park, known affectionately as Beef," a spokesman for Peugeot Sport said on Sunday.

Park's former team boss, Malcolm Wilson said: "On behalf of the BP-Ford World Rally Team, I would like to express our heartfelt sympathies to the family of Michael Park - his wife, Marie, and children William and Victoria," Wilson said. "The reality and shock of today's tragedy will take some time to sink in for all of us. During three seasons with Ford, Michael became part of the family.

"His ever cheerful and vibrant personality, even in the most adverse of circumstances, frequently lightened the tense atmosphere that often surrounds the WRC service park. He was rarely seen without a smile on his face and that's the way I will remember him. He learned his trade as a navigator and co-driver on local rallies and his path to the top of the sport was the result of nothing less than hard work," Wilson added.

Ford motorsport boss Jost Capito echoed Wilson's comments: "On Ford's behalf, I would like to extend our deepest condolences to Michael's family, friends and colleagues following today's dreadful tragedy," he said. "During his time at Ford, Beef became a friend of us all. He was the utmost professional, but never lost sight of the fact that despite the pressures of his job, rallying was fun.

"He reached the very top level of his profession, but still retained close links with his many friends and colleagues at grassroots level, with whom he first developed a passion for the sport. He will be sadly missed by everyone within the Ford team and far beyond, and needless to say all of us are distraught at today's events," Capito added.

Subaru team boss David Lapworth worked with Park when Martin drove for the Japanese team in 2001. "On behalf of all of us at the Subaru World Rally Team, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies and condolences to Michael's family and loved ones after today's terrible tragedy," Lapworth said. "Michael was a member of our team in 2001 and remained a close friend to all of us at Subaru. Today's accident is shocking and in the circumstances all the teams and drivers felt unable to continue."