Wilks out to recover from early delay

Navigator Phil Pugh has described how his driver Guy Wilks lost confidence when their Škoda Fabia Super 2000 suffered fading brakes partway through the 24.85-kilometre Fontanales stage.

The Škoda UK Motorsport duo held third overall after the opening stage of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge qualifier but slipped back to third due to the time lost on stage two.

Pugh said: “It happened in the middle of the stage and Guy had to back off a bit because he lost some confidence. The air box also came apart, which meant the engine wasn’t getting full air.”

Wilks reported a handling imbalance after the third stage, which Pugh said was a legacy of them being unable to test as planned on the Monday before the rally.

“We’re still trying to fine-tune the set-up because Guy can’t lean on the car as much as he would like,” said Pugh.

Wilks added: “It’s been a very high speed start to the event, and it’s been difficult to find a good level of grip on this asphalt surface. We’re going to make a few little set-up changes in service to see if we can be even faster on the repeat runs.”

Wilks and Pugh are currently in fourth position overall.