Despite desperate efforts, Dani Sordo and his co-driver Candido Carrera could only watch as their Hyundai i20 N rally car burnt to the ground.
Competing in the final round of the FIA World Rally Championship, Rally Japan, the Spaniard said he knew something was amiss early in the first stage of the day.
During special stage two, Sordo caught a whiff of a funny smell which evidently turned out to be fuel leaking into the cockpit.
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Suddenly, he brought the car to a halt in the middle of the road as flames licked the side of his seat.
Sordo and Cerrera desperately tried to extinguish the car, as did Ford duo Gus Greensmith and Jonas Andersson who were first on the scene.
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In just two minutes, the $1.5 million rally car burnt to the ground leaving only the roll cage behind.
The stage was duly stopped and subsequently cancelled altogether, as was the stage that followed.
“The car was starting to smell [like] petrol a lot,” said Sordo.
“Just here, in the straight line, the first was coming between the seats and the smoke, a lot of smoke, so I stopped the car.
“In a few minutes, it started to burn. With the extinguisher, we tried to take it out. It was coming from the rear. With all the carbon, it is quite difficult to stop.
“The car after [Gus Greensmith] stopped to help with the fire extinguisher, but it was also impossible so we could do nothing.
“I’m so sorry to the team to lose one car like this.”
No cause has yet been determined as to why the car burst into flames.
After special stage four, Hyundai’s Thierry Neuville sits equal with Elfyn Evans of Toyota for the lead of the rally.
Recently crowned champion Kalle Rovanpera lies third and only 0.7s adrift of the lead.
Stan Sport will carry like and ad-free coverage of SS9 and SS12 on Saturday at 10am and 3.30pm.
That coverage will continue on Sunday with SS15 at 9.45am and the final stage of the year, SS19, at 4pm.
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