Hayden Paddon and co-driver Seb Marshall crashed during SS7 of Rally Portugal on Friday afternoon (Central European Summer Time).
The pair had retaken the lead of the rally in their Hyundai i20 WRC on the previous stage (SS6) with their second stage win. They were in an intense battle for the top placings with Hyundai Motorsport team-mate Dani Sordo and Citroën’s Kris Meeke, with the three drivers swapping among the top three places. The rally had already taken its toll on WRC drivers’ championship leader Sebastien Ogier who crashed out on the previous stage.
Paddon is currently in hospital for checks and put this message on his Facebook page:
“Well, what a day, looking so promising only for Porta De Lima stage to bite us for a third year in a row. To be on the pace and leading the rally twice today was encouraging, driving within ourselves and looking to consolidate on the final stage of the day. But unfortunately I made a small mistake to avoid a big rock on the inside of a corner which sent us wide into the ditch and of course there had to be a culvert in the ditch to stop us in our tracks. Really sorry for the team and everyone supporting us.”
More to follow…..
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