Mads Østberg had a narrow escape on the Deutschland Rally when a spectator fell off a wall onto a stage and was almost hit by Østberg’s Citroën C3 R5. It happened on Stage 5. The second run over the Stein und Wein test.
The fan fell "head first" onto the stage just as Østberg rounded a quick right-hander. [Click for video].
“This man had a lucky escape,” said a obviously shocked and shaken Østberg. “At the point where he fell, I was flat out over a high-speed jump at approximately 150 km/h! He fell into the racing line, but luckily I reacted quickly and avoided a fatal accident.”
The Norwegian driver swerved left and avoided the fan by 'half a metre or a metre'.
"He came down the wall a metre from the race line, if he fell down half a second later there would have been no way to avoid it,” Østberg added. "It's just a matter of timing. I went almost off the road to avoid him, at the same time he managed to climb out of the line a little bit.
"The shock of the experience, it disturbs your mind a bit when you're driving. I was thinking about it for the rest of the stage. It didn't make me faster. I've never experienced… I've seen people walking on the side of the road but I've never seen… It was a really shocking experience.”
However the event confirmed that the male spectator was not injured and urged spectators to follow the safety information provided. It is understood that that the spectator who fell was not inebriated.
