Accident prevents Bernd Zanon from winning the IRC title

Until the last special stage of a total of 12, he fought an exciting head-to-head race with his direct competitor Luca Balbo and went into the last 3 km long special stage with a lead of around 28 seconds. There should be a showdown for the test, race and also for the entire championship.

A technical defect deprived Zanon of his fruits

During the intermediate times in the test, it seemed as if Zanon could significantly increase his lead and consequently bring the championship title to South Tyrol. Less than two kilometers from the end, a stabilizer on the rear axle broke. This resulted in a loss of control of the vehicle. The Eggentaler had no chance of intercepting the car on the narrow route, which resulted in it crashing into a boundary wall. The racing car was thrown into the air and after almost rolling over, the car landed so hard that two wheels on the driver's side were torn off.

Injury in the chest area

Zanon was able to free himself from the car and although the pain in his back was so severe that he could neither stand nor sit, the tears in his eyes were probably more due to the thwarted title win than to the pain in his back. The entire team, consisting of 20 people, worked incredibly hard for a whole year, not to mention the free time they sacrificed and the significant financial support from the sponsors. The failure was all the more bitter due to a technical defect just 2 km before the season's goal. After immediate first aid on site by the Red Cross, Zanon was taken to Sondrio Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a fractured thoracic vertebra. Team doctor Dr. Dr. immediately took over further care. Lorenz Larcher: "Bernd now has to take a break for 2-3 months before he can get back into a rally car."

The future

Assuming there are enough sponsors, Zanon will be back in the rally car in 2018. Which championship with which car has not yet been decided, that depends solely on financial possibilities. “We have clearly proven this year that me and my boys can keep up with the professionals. That’s why I’m not ruling out taking part in one or two of the 2018 WRC rounds (World Rally Championship),” said Zanon.

Zanon is the only South Tyrolean with a racing license for World Rally Championship races

Bernd Zanon is still not only South Tyrol's most successful rally driver of all time, he is also the only South Tyrolean who has the racing license to take part in a World Rally Championship race with a WRC car. This was awarded to him by the World Automobile Federation FIA based on various outstanding achievements in rallying.

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Accident prevents Bernd Zanon from winning the IRC title

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