Block Wants More Testing after Rally Turkey Failure

Ken Block did not exactly have the WRC debut of his dream this season, as his first few outings in the championship at the wheel of the Ford Focus RS WRC have been influenced by unwanted incidents. Coming after an 18th place in Rally Mexico, during which he posted some competitive stage times along the way, Block's performance in Turkey took a strong hit from the very first stage.

On Friday, the North American racer experienced a technical problem with his car – a broken steering arm – and was forced to stall his Focus WRC only 2 km from the finish line. With his chances of scoring a Top 10 result practically cut down to zero, Block returned to action on SuperRally rules, but found it hard to maintain the pace of the championship's big guns.

“I was so gutted because that was a really stupid accident,” admitted the Monster World Rally Team driver in an interview with the WRC. Additionally, he blamed the accident on his lack of testing prior to Rally Turkey, as his last jump inside the Ford Focus RS WRC before the Thursday shakedown was in Rally Mexico.

“I wouldn’t have minded if I was going flat-out! The thing is, before the shakedown I hadn’t sat in the car since the last stage of Rally Mexico and I think that makes a big difference. The level here is so high that you can’t just jump in the car and expect to compete,” added Block.

Consequently, Block revealed that he will look to take his rally car for a few days of testing during the upcoming few weeks, as his next WRC outing is scheduled for Portugal, in late May. Nevertheless, driving three different cars in three different series and benefiting from limited financing will certainly not make it easier for him.

“We’ve got three cars this year: the Focus, the Rally America Fiesta and the Gymkhana Fiesta. They’re all very different, but the Focus is certainly the most sophisticated. It’s going to take me some time to get to know it, but there’s only a certain amount of budget available,” added Block.