Palermo, 21 April 2017. The 101st Targa Florio Rally Internazionale di Sicilia, third round of the Italian Rally Championship, Italian Historic Rally and Regional Championship has been canceled after the incident happened in the SS3 “Piano Battaglia 1”.
AC Palermo President Angelo Pizzuto, Race Director Marco Cascino and the race doctor Davide Di Fabrizio, reported the events happened in the press conference held this afternoon.
Angelo Pizzuto President Automobile Club Palermo: “As a sign of our mourning and to pay the due respect to the families of the Race marshal Giuseppe Laganà and of the driver Mauro Amendolia, tragically passed away today during the rally, Automobile Club di Palermo in agreement with the Federation decided to cancel the competitive part of the 101st Targa Florio that includes CIR, Historic Rally and Regional Championship. Our thoughts are with Gemma Amendolia and to the whole Family, as to the relatives of the marshal Giuseppe Laganà”
Marco Cascino, Race Director: “The incident happened during SS 3 called "Piano Battaglia 1", regularly started at 10.59 as scheduled. The driver #29 set off at 11.28 respecting the scheduled timing reported in the timesheet and distance.
At 11.37 race direction required information to crew #29 through the safety radio, as the tracking system analysis showed the crew stopped despite no SOS signal had been sent. Information were requested from the stewards located from split 1 in ascending order all the way to the stop check; from Km 7 +500 up to the stop check included. These actions were put in place since the #29 crew had not gone past the steward post #31 located at Km. 9+630.
Instantly, the stop check located at Km. 14+500 from the start, was asked via a radio message, to proceed to ask crews #30 and #32 to provide any information on car #29 stopped on track. Crews #30 and #31 reached the stop check respectively at 11.44.19 and 11.46.48.
The person in charge of the stop check reported that the two crews saw car #29 stopped on track without any SOS signal on.
Race Direction asked all intermediate posts to show red flags, and accordingly at 11.49 the race of cars #201 – 202- 203 – 204 was stopped while these cars were into the stage.
After making sure that the track was clear Race Direction with the coordination of the Chief Doctor Dott. Davide Di Fabrizio, sent the first aid crew that reached the incident scene at 11.53 on a resuscitation ambulance having doctor on board, originally located at the intermediate 1 post at Km. 7+500. The fire safety team located as per A.C.I. sporting regulations at the start at Km 0+00 reached the incident at a later stage”.
Dott. Davide Di Fabrizio continued the description.
Davide Di Fabrizio: “The rescue staff quickly provided aid to the people involved in the incident. The context that appeared to them was the involvement of three people: the two crew members and a steward located at post 30. Doctors could only ascertain the death of the driver Amendolia Mauro and that of the race marshal Laganà Giuseppe and proceeded to the complex extraction of the co-driver Amendolia Gemma. The girl has always been alert and vigilant and has been moved to the Hospital of Petralia Sottana, where she has been subjected to CAT scan that excluded brain bleeding. A state of concussion was present therefore the decision was taken to transfer her to the Civil Hospital Palermo, inducing a pharmaceutical coma to provide her with further protection”.
(Press Office 101st Targa Florio)
