It is being conducted by the organisers, the North Armagh Club, and officials of British motorsport's governing body, the RACMSA.

Seven people were injured when the Mitsubishi Lancer of Co Down driver Dickie Curran crashed through a crowd barrier and into a group of spectators close to the paddock area. Ambulances and the rally rescue service were on the scene instantly to treat the injured.

Four were taken to hospital where one was described as being in a serious condition although none are said to have life-threatening injuries.

The accident happened on the final stage of an event now in its 28th year and after Northern Ireland champion Kevin Lynch had already crossed the finish line to record his fourth victory in a row.

But the celebrations of his win over British champion Mark Higgins were cut short when news of the accident spread. The champagne was put away and the prize ceremony cancelled.

Lynch, like everyone else, was stunned by what the investigation may find was a completely freak accident.

It involved a Group N (or production) car, not one of the powerful Fords or Subarus driven by the likes of Lynch and Higgins, and the driver was a hugely experienced competitor. It happened on one of the slowest sections of the final stage, a chicane which followed a very short straight out of a hairpin.

The biggest contributory factor is likely to have been the atrocious weather. The organisers had already decided to abandon the scheduled eighth stage as the intensity of the rain increased and conditions, both for drivers and spectators, became treacherous and unpleasant.

Curran's Mitsubishi got onto the sodden grass at the chicane and became uncontrollable, sliding along the 20 metres of run-off area, separating the road from the safety barriers before crashing through into spectators.

Safety is a massive priority for the organisers of an event which is designed primarily as being spectator friendly, an opportunity to see the top drivers and top cars in a relatively confined area. It is policed by an army of marshals who have ensured it has run safely for almost 30 years.

But motorsport is dangerous and although serious accidents involving spectators are rare they can happen despite all the precautions. No-one could have predicted a serious incident at that particular point.

It was, for instance, within metres of the rally control centre and the corporate hospitality area of Turkington Holdings, the rally sponsors, whose staff, led by Gary Turkington, responded superbly by providing shelter, comfort and support for spectators who suffered shock rather than physical injury.

It went almost unnoticed that Lynch had set a new record with his fourth straight win, coming from behind to beat Manxman Higgins who made a mistake on stage six.

His Subaru got wide on a corner, caught the grass and went sliding wildly to the edge of a car park. It cost him 12 seconds and handed Lynch an eight-second lead which he protected comfortably on the final stage.

Kenny McKinstry, the 10-times winner, took third place in his Subaru after Irish national champion Charlie Donnelly clipped a tree on the final stage, breaking a wheel on his Toyota. James Gillen moved up to fourth in his Subaru when Richard Hogg spun his Skoda on the final hairpin.

Garry Jennings won a fiercely contested all-Mitsubishi production category, beating former World production champion Niall McShea by four seconds with Mike Curran a further two seconds back, the three of them finishing fifth, sixth and seventh overall.

Wesley Patterson won the Escort Challenge section, Darren Gass was fastest in the Super 1600 category with his C2 Citroen and John McKeown won class three in eighth overall in his Escort Cosworth.

But it seemed to mean little on a day when the focus was on the injured and the unfortunate driver who was utterly distraught.

Turkington Lurgan Park Rally: 1 Kevin Lynch and Francis Regan (Ford Focus) 13 mins 32.2 secs; 2 Mark Higgins and Michael Gibson (Subaru Impreza) 13.40.6; 3 Kenny McKinstry and Noel Orr (Subaru Impreza) 13.46.5; 4 James Gillen and PJ Gillespie (Subaru Impreza) 14.12.2; 5 Garry Jennings and Darragh Mullan (Mitsubishi Lancer N) 14.15.5; 6 Niall McShea and Steven McAloon (Mitsubishi Lancer N) 14.19.9; 7 Mike Curran and Brid Deary (Mitsubishi Lancer N) 14.21.3; 8 John and Amanda McKeown (Ford Escort Cos) 14.25.2; 9 Richard Hogg and Mark Hanna (Skoda Octavia) 14.27.0; 10 Derek McGeehan and Alan McGeehan (Toyota Corolla) 14.27.1.