First of all, how are you, Sebastian?
Not too bad. I think it’s going well as the checks I’ve had to make sure there’s no concussion have been very positive. At that level, I have no symptoms and I’m pretty confident that everything is fine in my head, which is already a good thing. The question that arises is the ligaments around the cervical vertebrae that were stretched with the whiplash. On that point, I’ll know more on Monday (1is June. Editor’s note) at the end of the day. I have to do what are called movement X-rays. With this, they will be able to tell me how much damage has been done to the ligaments and will have a slightly more precise idea of how long it can take (the forced rest. Editor’s note)
How did this clash happen?
It was really bad luck. The timing was extremely unfortunate. We arrived at a bend on a crest where we couldn’t see at all what was behind us. We weren’t arriving very fast. From the data, we could see that the impact occurred at 62 km/h. The vehicle in front was going slower than us, but even if it was at 40 km/h, as the speeds add up, it’s a 100 km/h impact into a wall, so it represented a nice deceleration and the car stopped dead. It didn’t move an inch and it was the whole neck that took the hit.
The worst thing is that I saw him coming, but the road was very narrow and on gravel, even at 60 km/h, it was impossible to stop suddenly. As it was a left turn on a crest, I was a little on the left side of the road. As we don’t have a forerunner, we try, while not driving fast, to be in the trajectories that we will take in the race. When I saw that the car was a little to the right, I threw myself into the ditch on the left so I was next to the road, but the person in front had the bad reflex to turn on me. If he had stayed in his line, nothing would have happened or it would have cost a broken mirror.
Does this situation happen often during reconnaissance?
This is a subject that has been under discussion for a long time. So, it comes back to the table and it concerns safety during reconnaissance. It is not normal that we have to do them on open roads these days. In the end, it is almost during reconnaissance that there are the most accidents. Even if we were at 60 km/h, it gives a bad image of the rally with drivers who drive too fast. The problem is that to do our job in two passes, we are forced to look at the trajectories otherwise it is not good preparation. It would be good to discuss it again and look for solutions to improve this aspect. It seems to me that by removing the traffic, this would already change the situation.
Did you immediately feel that the shock had been violent?
Vincent and I immediately felt that the neck was pulling. We got out of the car, but quite quickly we had to sit on the ground. I really didn’t feel well, I was sweating like when you’ve just been hit and I even lost consciousness for a short while. Fortunately, Taka (Takamoto Katsuta. Ed.) was already there and he took good care of me, same with Ott (Tänak. Ed.) and other crews who arrived behind. We thank them all for being there.
So it was logical not to let you start?
Even though the doctors showed me that there was no concussion, and even though I felt better the next day, it was way too early to get back in the car and do the 2e day of reconnaissance. In any case, with the pain that remains in the cervical area and perhaps affected ligaments, I would not have been able to ride in the rally. It was impossible and I absolutely did not insist. I did not want to play with my health.
What are your chances of being at the start in Latvia (July 18-21)?
Missing Poland, the first fast rally of the year that gets you into the rhythm, won’t put us in the best conditions to go to Latvia. However, I’m not afraid of much and if I’m 100% fit, I’m not afraid of going to discover a new rally. It all depends on my physical condition. I didn’t want to take any risks in Poland and it will be the same story in three weeks. I won’t take any risks with my health.
Interview by Loïc Rocci
