Three spectators — including two brothers and a father — were killed after a race car veered off course during the Rallye de la Fourme d’Ambert in central France on Saturday morning.
According to local reports from La Montagne, the victims were a 60-year-old man, his 70-year-old brother, and a 44-year-old father. The fatal accident occurred in Ambert, located in the Puy-de-Dôme region.
Authorities say the race car, a modified Peugeot 208 driven by a 22-year-old woman with a 51-year-old male co-driver, left the road during a straightaway portion of the course. Both the driver and co-driver were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
Roughly 30 firefighters and multiple police units responded to the scene. The 44-year-old man was rushed to a local hospital but succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival.
While some reports indicate the victims may have been standing near red tape marking off a restricted zone, officials have not confirmed whether they were in an unauthorized area at the time of the crash. An investigation led by the local prosecutor is underway, and toxicology tests will be administered to the driver and co-driver.
Following the accident, race organizers canceled the event entirely.
“Due to the serious accident during Special N1, the organization and race management have decided to permanently stop the rally,” officials announced on Facebook. “There will be no awards ceremony.”
The Puy-de-Dôme prefecture issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter), expressing condolences and confirming that local and national police were actively investigating. “Our thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones, and all those affected by this tragedy,” the post read.
Saint-Just mayor François Chautard said he was devastated by the incident. “It’s with great emotion and sadness that I express my sympathies to the families,” he told La Montagne. “This rally has existed for 30 years — and in the last two years, tragedy has struck more than once.”
Indeed, the race faced a similar fatality last year when a 42-year-old race steward was killed while attending to a crashed vehicle.
The investigation remains ongoing.
