Rally of Portugal: Stone ends Adrien Fourmaux's aspirations in Arganil

Adrien Fourmaux's (Hyundai i20) aspirations in the Rally of Portugal ended today against a rock, on the second pass through the Arganil section, when the French driver was just eight tenths of a second behind the leader.

At the second hairpin in the Pai das Donas area, when 'cutting' the left curve, Fourmaux stuck the car in the ditch, hitting a rock, breaking the steering of the Hyundai from the Rally1 category, the Lusa news agency found at the scene.

The Hyundai i20 ended up in the middle of the section, in the opposite direction to the race, in a dangerous position, but it did not prevent other competitors from passing, such as Japanese driver Katsuta Takamoto (Toyota Yaris), who was forced to take advantage of the little space available between the crashed car and the barrier.

Despite the accident, the stage was not interrupted, and attempts to remove the Hyundai continued, without much success. First, the marshalls [volunteers who help organize the event] and members of the GNR tried to move the rally car, but were unsuccessful. Then, a jeep from the National Republican Guard (GNR) tried to push the back of the Hyundai with its rear end, but the attempt was soon aborted when plastic was heard breaking.

Finally, the 'old technique' of lifting and pushing ended up having an effect, with some spectators joining the authorities in this desire.

While his co-driver signaled the crashed car and removed rocks from the side of the road, Fourmaux, forced to wait for the tow truck after the other competitors had passed, ended up being applauded, while taking several 'selfies' with the fans and, sitting on a chair, in the middle of the audience, he didn't refuse a beer, toasting the photojournalists present.