A huge accident happened during the 21st special stage of the 1987 Rallye de Portugal, near the small village of Marão, in northern Portugal. The driver Joaquim Ramalho Guedes lost control of his Group N Toyota Corolla GT, probably after his accelerator stuck, causing his car to crash into a group of spectators standing in a prohibited area. Thirteen persons were injured in the crash. One of them, 18-year-old Manuel Carvalho Da Silva Peixoto died shortly after being admitted to the Vila Real hospital.
The experienced driver Joaquim Ramalho Guedes was much criticized for not having stopped his car after the accident. With his co-driver António Abreu, he restarted and eventually managed to finish the rally fifth in his class, 26th place overall, in a very damaged car.
Winners of the rally were Markku Alén-Ilkka Kivimäki in a Martini Lancia Delta HF 4WD, from Jean Ragnotti-Pierre Thimonier, second in a Renault 11 Turbo and Kenneth Eriksson-Peter Diekmann, third in a Volkswagen Golf GTI.
R.I.P
