No Ypres appearance for recovering Wilks

Guy Wilks and Phil Pugh will not contest the Geko Ypres Rally later this month.

The British duo had been due to take part on the Intercontinental Rally Challenge event in their Škoda Fabia Super 2000 but the injuries Wilks sustained in a crash on Rally d’Italia-Sardegna last weekend have forced his Škoda UK Motorsport team to pull the entry.

Wilks suffered fractures to his first and second lumbar vertebrae in the accident. Although he is undergoing intensive treatment in a oxygen chamber at the Multiple Sclerosis Society Therapy Centre in Middlesbrough, UK, he won’t be fit enough to tackle the Belgian asphalt rally from 24-26 June. Škoda UK Motorsport will monitor his recovery before deciding when his next IRC event will be.

“I’m massively disappointed not to be going to Ypres, because it’s such a fantastic event,” said Wilks, 29. “I hope to have another chance at contesting it in the future. The priority for me right now is to get back to full fitness so I can score more podiums and rally wins in the years ahead.”