Rydell forced out of WTCC Race of Morocco

Rickard Rydell will be a Eurodatacar WTCC Race of Morocco non-starter after falling ill during the build-up to the event.

The Honda Racing team Sweden ace was due to drive his Honda Civic WTCC in the two 14-lap races in Marrakech on Sunday but a high fever, believed to be caused by a virus, means he won’t be in action when his FIA World Touring Car Championship rivals take to the track.

Rydell, a winner of five WTCC races in the past, had hoped to be well enough to race, but when his condition worsened today, his team were forced to take the difficult decision to withdraw his entry.

“I am tremendously disappointed to be forced out of this weekend’s races in Marrakech,” said Rydell, who has undergone extensive medical examinations and is currently being treated with antibiotics and fever-reducing medication. “I’ve had a persisting fever for the last few days, but it was always manageable and I firmly intended to drive in Morocco. Unfortunately things took a turn for the worse today and the fever increased. It’s very frustrating, but driving the car in this condition would have been highly dangerous and simply isn’t an option. I would like to thank the team for their support in all of this – they’ve really been fantastic. Now, I will liaise with my doctors in order to recover as quickly as possible, and I already look forward to getting back in the car again in Budapest in two weeks’ time.”

Team Principal Nicklas Karlsson added: “We are obviously sad and disappointed not to make the grid in Marrakech this weekend, but health always comes first and the most important thing right now is Rickard’s recovery. We have waited to the last minute before making this call, hoping for an improvement, but ultimately the fever got worse and there is no way Rickard can drive the car in his current discomfort. Taking this decision is all the more painful on this particular weekend, when we’ve got a big group of partners on site in the paddock, but our VIP programme will still run according to its original plan and I am certain that all of our guests will fully understand this unfortunate situation.”