Novikov to fight on in Finland

Evgeny Novikov is determined to keep going on Neste Oil Rally Finland following the crash that left his M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Fiesta RS WRC with extensive damage.

Russian Novikov limped to the stage finish having dropped more than 26 minutes when he left the road and rolled, fortunately without injury to he or French co-driver Denis Giraudet.

“We rolled,” said the 21-year-old Novikov. “I went a bit too fast, just a little too fast by only one metre and rolled. We put the car onto the wheels and we will see what we can do to the car when we get back to service.”

Novikov was in seventh place prior to his crash, despite a heavy landing on stage four. He is now in last position having taken 26m50.1s more than stage winner Mikko Hirvonen to complete the fifth stage of the high-speed gravel event, round eight of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Reports suggest Novikov is struggling to negotiate the road section back to service in Jyvaskyla because his car’s bonnet has blown back onto the windscreen...