Guy Wilks received some good news at the end of Rally d'Italia-Sardegna, as he’d been given the go-ahead to fly home on Monday (7 June) and had only dropped one place to 3rd in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge drivers’ table - despite spending most of the event in the San Martino Hospital in Oristano, after fracturing two vertebrae in an accident on the opening stage.

In addition, Škoda Motorsport drivers Juho Hänninen and Jan Kopecký finished 1st and 3rd in Sardinia, ensuring that all three Fabia S2000 pilots continue to lock-out the top three positions in the drivers’ standings, while Škoda continues to lead the manufacturers’ championship.

Rally d'Italia-Sardegna proved to be an extremely difficult event, with half of the top 10 seeds failing to reach the finish. In addition to Guy, leading retirements included Sébastien Ogier (Peugeot 207 S2000 - engine), Kris Meeke and Franz Wittmann (Peugeot 207 S2000 – accidents) and Andreas Mikkelsen (Ford Fiesta S2000 - accident).

Guy will be flown home as scheduled tomorrow, on a direct charter flight from Olbia to Luton. He will then see a back specialist to assess his condition, before deciding what his next IRC event for Škoda UK Motorsport will be.

Co-driver Phil Pugh will also fly home on Monday.* He was uninjured in the accident and has been keeping Guy company in hospital for the last two days. Indeed, every member of the Škoda UK Motorsport paid a personal visit to give Guy their best wishes.

The fact that Guy and Phil escaped from the high-speed accident, in which their Fabia S2000 left the road on a sixth-gear left hand corner and collided with large rocks, is a testimony to the strength of the Škoda and a tribute to the engineering excellence at Škoda Motorsport.

Guy Wilks: “I’d like to thank the doctors and nurses at San Martino Hospital for taking such good care of me, and for all the good will messages I’ve received. I’m in good spirits, and looking forward to getting home, seeing a specialist and planning our next rally.

“Congratulations to Juho and Jan and the entire Škoda Motorsport team on another fantastic rally result. Rally d'Italia-Sardegna is a tough event, and together we have demonstrated both the speed and strength of the Fabia S2000!”

*

Rally d'Italia-Sardegna – provisional results (top six)

1. Juho Hänninen/Mikko Markkula (Škoda Fabia S2000)…2:31.28.6

2. Paolo Andreucci/Anna Andreussi (Peugeot 207 S2000)…+35.6

3. Jan Kopecký/Petr Starý (Škoda Fabia S2000)…+ 38.25

4. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Klinger (Peugeot 207 S2000)…+5.58.6

5. Bruno Magalh?es/Carlos Magalh?es (Peugeot 207 S2000)…+9.55.8

6. Teemu Arminen/Tuomo Nikkola (GpN Subaru Impreze)…+10.12.3
*

IRC points (Drivers’) after Round 5

1. Juho Hänninen…42pts

2. Jan Kopecký…31pts

3. Guy Wilks…25pts

4. Bruno Magalh?es…17pts

5. Kris Meeke…15pts

6. Mikko Hirvonen…10pts

IRC points (Manufacturers’) after Round 4

1. Škoda…80pts

2. Peugeot…46pts

3. M-Sport…15pts

Follow Guy and co-driver Phil on:

Eurosport television
Škoda UK Motorsport website – www.skodaukmotorsport.com
Twitter – www.twitter.com/guywilks
IRC Series website - www.ircseries.com



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