ProSpeed would like to confirm that neither Peta Todd nor Tony Jardine were injured in crashCar collided with log pile on sixth stage of WRC season finale, Wales Rally GBTony and Peta had been sitting in a remarkable 44th position overall in her first international rally before the incidentPeta Todd, Help for Heroes patron and former glamour model suffered disappointment on the first competitive day of the 2014 World Rally Championship season finale, Wales Rally GB.
A very wet start to Friday made conditions difficult for the PlayStation®4 DRIVECLUB team, as one of the last cars from the International line-up to tackle each stage, which were growing ever-more slippery with each car passing through them. However, Tony and Peta overcame the challenge, and pulled into the mid-day service in a highly respectable 48th overall.
The afternoon session did not run as smoothly for the ProSpeed team. After a solid run through stage five, the pair faced the treacherous 21.9km Dyfi stage for the second time that day in stage six. It was during this stage that unfortunately, their Mitsubishi Evo IX collided with a log pile on the inside of a right corner, collapsing the front right wheel and swinging the back end of the car round.
Fortunately, both Peta and Tony were unharmed in the incident, much to the relief of the entire team. The car suffered major damage to the front right corner as well as a smashed front windscreen, and after the fans helped to move the car to safety from the middle of the track where it had come to rest, they were towed off the stage.
Tony was keen to stress that the accident was not Peta’s fault, and was instead an uncharacteristic error:
"It was totally my fault. The stage was drying out and I was trying to go quicker. I took a downhill corner in fifth gear and lost the back of the car. As a result we swung into the logs, which cut into the front of the chassis. But the main thing of course is that Peta and I were unharmed, and the marshals did a fantastic job of getting us and the car to safety.
"It won't be easy, but hopefully the ProSpeed guys can get us back out on stage tomorrow."Upon arrival back at the Deeside service park, the car was thoroughly inspected, and was diagnosed as not terminal. As a result, a race against time has begun to replace and rebuild the front end of the car, before it can be re-entered tomorrow, albeit without the possibility of a top-ten in class finish.
But the team remains optimistic, and it was clear that the goal of reaching the finish line in Llandudno on Sunday was still an enticing prospect for Peta and Tony. And in fact, this harsh awakening to the brutal realities of rallying may have made reaching the finish line an even more attractive result.
Peta was clearly very disappointed after the crash, although she is hopeful that she will be back in the car tomorrow:
“We’re both gutted but the most important thing is that neither of us is injured. Tony took the corner a little tight and clipped a log pile which flung the back end out but he did amazingly well to control the car and prevent us from going in to a huge ditch the other side. The damage meant that Tony couldn't open his door and had to climb out of my side. Initially I must admit I thought that was the end of our entire rally, but thankfully the team are hard at work and positive that we will be competing tomorrow.“We were both a bit shaken up, but if the car’s fixed I want to go out again tomorrow.”To see the action for yourself tickets, including the ticket-only family friendly RallyFest stages, can be purchased at www.walesrallygb.com or via hotline 0844 847 2251
