Guy Wilks will mark his comeback from injury when he tests a Skoda UK Motorsport-run Fabia S2000 Facelift for the first time on August 23.
The test in Czech Republic, which is in preparation for Barum Czech Rally Zlin, round nine of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge from 27-29 August, will take place 80 days after Wilks suffered two fractured lumbar vertebrae during a high-speed crash on Rally d’Italia-Sardegna on 5 June.
Wilks said: "I’m massively looking forward to getting back into the Skoda Fabia S2000. It’s been very frustrating since Sardinia, being on the outside of the IRC looking in. I’ve missed three rallies but it was important that I’m 100 per cent fit before getting back into the car. My motivation to get back into a rally car and win rallies has never been higher than it is right now."
The British driver has resumed full training following his most recent round of x-rays and has also been driving a road car for several weeks.
He added: "I’m sure we’ll have a good test and be well prepared for the Barum Rally. I’ve got no problems with getting back into a rally car and driving flat-out. If we’re able to begin from near where we left off [in Sardinia], I’m sure we’ll have a good run and be able to score IRC points."
Guy Wilks is due to return to the IRC in Czech Republic later this month
New driver line-up for PROTON R3 Rally Team
The PROTON R3 Rally Team has confirmed that Irishman Keith Cronin and Niall McShea from Northern Ireland will drive its brace of Satria Neo Super 2000s on Barum Czech Rally Zlin from August 27-29.
Run by the British MEM organisation, the PROTON R3 Rally Team is embarking on its second appearance in this year’s IRC following its entry on Geko Ypres Rally in June when Chris Atkinson and Alister McRae drove its two factory machines.
Cronin is the reigning British rally champion, while McShea is a former PROTON driver and the winner of the Production Car World Rally Championship title in 2004.
"Niall has done some testing for us in the development of the Satria and we wanted to put him in the car for an IRC round this season and Zlin fits perfectly," said PROTON R3 Rally Team principal Chris Mellors. "And it’s hard to ignore Keith Cronin. He’s a British champion and one of the hottest young talents around."
Meireles scoops Madeira Subaru Individual Award
Pedro Meireles has become the eighth Subaru Individual Award recipient of the season following his run to 12th overall on Rali Vinho Madeira last weekend, round eight of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.
Co-driven by fellow Portuguese Jorge Henriques, Meireles had the honour of being the only Subaru representative on the asphalt rally, which was based in Madeira’s capital Funchal.
The Subaru Individual Award is presented on each of the 12 IRC rounds this year to the highest-placed Subaru finisher and demonstrates the support that Subaru is extending to its customer drivers in the IRC in 2010.
Olivier Burri (Monte Carlo), Juan San Martin (Curitiba), Gabriel Pozzo (Argentina), Jose Barrios (Canary Islands), Teemu Arminen (Sardinia), Florian Gonon (Ypres) and Sergio Silva (Azores) are the other Subaru Individual Award winners so far this season.
Pedro Meireles has won the latest Subaru Individual Award
More Rallye Sanremo details emerge
Organisers of Rallye Sanremo, round 10 of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, have revealed further details of their event, which runs in Italy from 23-25 September.
The event will be divided into two legs and will consist of 220 competitive kilometres over 11 all-asphalt special stages.
Leg one, which gets underway on the afternoon of Friday 24 September, will feature five special stages. The second leg, which is made up of six special stages, starts on the morning of Saturday 25 September and finishes later that afternoon.
Once again, the service park and event headquarters will be located on Sanremo’s picturesque seafront.
New website launched for FxPro Cyprus Rally
The FxPro Cyprus Rally, which brings the curtain down on the 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge season from November 4-6, has launched a new website at www.cyprusrally2010.com.
With full historical information on the event, a guide to Cyprus and outline details of this year’s rally, visitors to the site can register to receive regular updates on the IRC qualifier.