ERC winner Lukyanuk out of Finland after testing shunt

The auto24 Rally Estonia winner was hoping to take his excellent FIA European Rally Championship form into the WRC – but having swapped his winning Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X for a Ford Fiesta R5, Lukyanuk crashed the M-Sport car in pre-event testing, after taking one of the notorious Finnish jumps too fast.

“So, Rally Finland is finished for us before the start,” said a devastated Lukyanuk. “On the test stage I was too fast over a jump and failed to correct the speed and line for the next turn. It seems unreal, but it’s done. I’m sorry. I’ve disappointed a lot of people, who trusted me, Mihail Lepehov, Malcolm Wilson and many others. Sorry for our team and fans. We will recover, but first and last chance in WRC is wasted.”