M-Sport World Rally Team boss Malcolm Wilson isn’t expecting Ott Tänak to suffer any lasting effects from his Rally Guanajuato Mexico accident when the WRC season resumes in Argentina next week.
Tänak and co-driver Raigo Mõlder had a lucky escape when their Ford Fiesta RS WRC crashed into a reservoir on the opening morning in Mexico. Their quick thinking ensured they escaped from the car just before it sank five metres below the water.
With Rally Argentina (23-26 April) being the crew’s first event back in their car, Wilson thinks both men have got the incident out of their systems and that it won’t be preying on their minds as they return to competitive action.
“I’m very confident we won’t see any adverse effects in Argentina,” Wilson explained. “The important thing was that we got them both back out in Mexico. That was vital because of the big gap between that rally and Argentina. They did some useful kilometres after the accident and they’ll be ready to go in Argentina.”
Wilson feels Tänak and Mõlder’s ability to put the incident behind them was down to their own strength of character and the support that they received from the M-Sport team after the crash.
“I think both guys drew confidence from the fact that the team was 100% behind them – I know how important that is for a driver and co-driver. It’s all about feeling supported and that your colleagues want to help.
“But Raigo has been really positive as well and that’s been a big help. The last thing a driver wants is to think his co-driver’s a bit apprehensive. So for a guy to calmly swim to the side (of the reservoir) with his pace notes and pencil in his hand, is remarkable.”