FIA president reacts to tragedy in Mexico

FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem reacted to the tragic events that took place on Saturday in the north-west of Mexico, where participants in the Baja California rally were attacked. According to local media reports, ten people were killed and nine more were injured in the shelling.

“I am horrified by the reports of the horrendous attack suffered by participants in the Baja California Rally in Mexico. Motorsport competitions must be a safe place for participants and spectators. On behalf of the entire FIA ​​family, all our thoughts and prayers are now with the victims of this act of senseless violence.”

According to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, videos and photographs have appeared on the network showing the consequences of the attack: cars riddled with bullets and bodies lying on the ground. In one of the videos, there is even footage of several people firing rifles at the cars of the rally participants, while the spectators scatter in horror.

The exact location of the attack is not known, but it was in the municipality of Ensenada in Baja California. According to Mexican police, the shooting began at about 2 p.m. near the city of San Vicente.

Baja California has long been considered the most unsafe state in Mexico, and the statistics of violent crimes there are extremely alarming. This is attributed to the hostility of local criminal gangs claiming control over the territory of the state, but what caused the Saturday attack is still unknown. The rally has been held in this state since 2018, but such incidents have never been recorded before.