Wilks describes innocuous Sanremo exit

Guy Wilks has described the accident that forced his retirement from Rallye Sanremo last Saturday morning.

The 29-year-old Škoda UK Motorsport driver was in contention for a points finish when he slid into a low wall on a right-hand bend approximately seven kilometres into Saturday’s opening 29.56-kilometre Ceppo stage.

“It was small and innocuous,” said Wilks, who was taking part in his second IRC since his return from injury. “The start of the stage was greasy and I think everyone was finding it the same. Seven kilometres in we just touched a bit of dirt under braking and I had to come off the brakes to come back on. We lost ten metres and that was enough to make me pull the handbrake to try and make the corner, a second-gear right-hander. The back touched the wall at quite a steep angle and it broke the rear-left upright.

“It was just unfortunate really. There and then I knew the upright was broken so I had to get the car out the way of the stage.”

Wilks and co-driver Phil Pugh are set to return to Intercontinental Rally Challenge action on RACMSA Rally of Scotland next month (October 15-17).