Robert Kubica’s difficult Rally Sweden took another turn for the worse when he slid into a ditch early in the 15.87km Värmullsåsen test.
With the live TV cameras focused on the Pole as he opened the stage, Kubica drifted wide in a left corner and his Fiesta RS came to a halt in the snow. Spectators came to the rescue, manhandling the car back on the road with the loss of four minutes.
“We just understeered into the corner. The pace note was wrong. The car’s OK, we just need a new windscreen,” said Kubica, whose Fiesta also suffered front end damage.