Bizarre crash frustrates Prokop in Spain

Martin Prokop learned the ’it’s not over until it’s over’ lesson the hard way on RallyRACC-Rally de Espana last week.

Instead of celebrating going sixth fastest on stage two of the FIA World Rally Championship qualifier on Friday, the Czech was left to survey the damage to his Autotek Motosport Ford Fiesta RS WRC after he crashed out between the flying finish and stage stop line.

“We tried to manage the last corner over the flying finish,” Prokop explained. “It was a left corner, we managed but with a big slide and we went off into a small field. I thought I would manage easily but I didn’t. When we tried to get back to the road we had a wheel missing. Normally when you lose a wheel in the WRC it’s something big but it was nothing like that with this.”

Prokop’s stage time had moved him into seventh place but his exit dropped him firmly out of contention for a points finish on the WRC season closer.

“It was frustrating, I was very happy with the time and the [DMACK] tyres,” said Prokop, a former Junior world champion. “It was a big frustration. For some time I have not been happy with the races. But this stage was really good and I thought I could start to be better and better. But we had no chance afterwards to show the speed although I was happy with this good step.”

Prokop, who says he’s never crashed in similar circumstances before, eventually finished 13th alongside stand-in co-driver Michal Ernst.