The Monster Ford World Rally Team driver was taken to the hospital on Wednesday night following a heavy crash in the shakedown of the aforementioned event. His entire adventure in Portugal lasted a little over a mile, as he lost control of his Ford Fiesta RS WRC and rolled it five times, landing on the roof outside the road.
While Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino were taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, the car was destroyed beyond quick repair and all signs point to the fact that the American will not get to start in the rally on Thursday.
The incident comes after two failed outings with the Fiesta RS WRC this season, in the first 2 rounds of the 2011 championship. After struggling with lack of pace throughout the season opening Rally Sweden, electrical failures prevented him from making the Top 10 in Mexico.
“Both Ken and Alex have been taken to hospital in Faro for precautionary checks. All I know is that they rolled, but they're okay. We won't know the situation with the car until it is recovered back to service,” stated a spokesman for the Monster Ford World Rally Team.
Further details on Block's accident were provided by Stobart Ford's Matthew Wilson, who started the shakedown behind the American.
“From what I could see, he has run wide in a corner, clipped the bank on the right and rolled up and over the bank. The car is quite a way off the road and in a field. It was a narrow section, probably third or fourth gear,” said Wilson, according to Autosport.
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