Jan Kopecky withdraws from Ypres Rally

Jan Kopecky will not have the opportunity to fight for first place in the IRC Championship. The Czech went off the road during the shakedown which took place last night. His co-driver Petr Stary appears to be suffering from a broken collarbone and is about to be transferred to hospital for tests.

Karel Pokorny, Skoda Motorsport press officer, explained the reasons for this late retirement compared to the time of the accident. “The pain was worse than the day before and when Petr tried to sit in the car this morning, he couldn't breathe normally in the bucket seat. »

Jan Kopecky is obviously disappointed, even if he is primarily worried about his co-driver. “We had a good chance of finishing in a good position at the finish of the rally, the disappointment is therefore immense”, admits the Czech. “However, Petr’s health remains the priority. »

The start of the first special will be given today at 16:49 p.m.