Guy Wilks has jumped to second in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, after finishing runner-up on the Rally International de Curitiba in his Škoda UK Motorsport Fabia S2000.

On his first event in Brazil, Guy drove brilliantly to hold second position throughout the challenging two-day event. 

Having only seen the stages during a mandatory 60kph recce, Guy’s first attempt at the fast and flowing stages saw average speeds of over 130kph – and Guy and co-driver Phil Pugh were able to better their times when stages were repeated.

It was a great event for Škoda, with all three Fabia S2000 finishing in the top four. Juho Hänninen finished over a minute behind Guy in third, while Jan Kopecký was fourth. The excellent result sees Škoda increase its lead in the IRC Manufacturers’ standings, while Hänninen leads the drivers – just three points ahead of Guy.

A violent overnight thunderstorm made Leg 2’s stages very wet – so wet that a swollen river forced the cancellation of two stages. A deep river crossing was Guy’s only problem of the day. On his first attempt (SS10) he took it slowly in first gear, but water still got into the engine, leaving him running on three cylinders for a mile. When the stage was repeated in the afternoon (SS13) he took the watersplash much faster, only for the force of the water to tear off part of the rear bumper and jet water into the cockpit.

Guy kept the leader in his sights during the second and final day of the Rally International de Curitiba, driving fast enough to be able to pounce on any misfortune or mistake ahead, whilst keeping the following drivers behind. This Guy did expertly, judging his drive to second place with perfection.

Guy Wilks: “I’m really pleased to finish second and score eight points for Škoda UK on our first visit to Brazil. The team has done a great job and the Fabia S2000 has performed faultlessly throughout the event.

“Congratulations to Kris Meeke, he’s driven a good event. The only difference was that he’s rallied here before, and we had to get acclimatised to attacking these stages at rally speed for the first time.

“I’ve really enjoyed Rally Brazil. The overnight rain made the conditions very tricky and the stages were the fastest I’ve driven since Rally Finlandin 2007. It’s been a tough event, but we’ve been very strong throughout and finished with a great result.”

Škoda UK Motorsport will remain in South America for a week of training and team building before starting to prepare for the next round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, Rally Argentina, which begins on 19 March in Villa Carlos Paz.

Rally International de Curitiba results (top six)

1. Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (Peugeot 207 S2000)… 1:42:45.4
2. Guy Wilks/Phil Pugh (Škoda Fabia S2000)…+46.7
3. Juho Hänninen/Mikko Markkula (Škoda Fabia S2000)…+1:20.20
4. Jan Kopecký/Petr Starý (Škoda Fabia S2000)…+1:49.3
5. Bruno Magalhăes/Carlos Magalhăes  (Peugeot 207 S2000)…+2:16.2
6. Eduardo Scheer/Geferson  Pavinatto (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX)…+14:00.4

IRC points (Drivers’) after Round 2

1. Juho Hänninen…14pts
2. Guy Wilks…11pts
3. Mikko Hirvonen…10pts
4. Kris Meeke…10pts
5. Jan Kopecký…9pts
6. Nicolas Vouilloz…6pts

IRC points (Manufacturers’) after Round 2

1. Škoda…28pts
2. Peugeot…21pts
3. M-Sport…10pts