GUY Wilks crashed out of the Corsican Rally while pushing for a podium spot.

The Darlington rally driver had set the fastest time on today's opening stage of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge event and was up to third place overall.

However, the Peugeot UK ace left the road on a downhill section, six kilometres from the finish of the Barchetta-La Porta test on the second day of action.

Kronos Racing boss Marc van Dalen, who manages Wilks assault on the championship, said: "Guy received a (timing) split to the car which was not good so he tried to push a little bit more.

"He braked two metres too late and went off into a ditch. The car was not damaged, but he was unable to get back on the road from the position he was in.

It's a shame but it can happen, that's rally."

Robbie Durant, who is co-driving Harry Hunt in the IRC 2WD Cup, admitted the section where Wilks and gone off was particularly difficult.

"We almost went off ourselves because the car doesn't seem to want to stop," said Durant. "It's hard because you have to be really careful on the brakes."

Wilks was typically pragmatic about the events which led up to the crash.

"I was trying to make up some lost time and just braked too late," he said. "The back of the car touched the grass, swapped ends and ended up five metres off the road."

The sixth stage of today's action was run as a liaison section following a crash involving the route opening zero car driven by Ari and Max Vatanen.

Max Vatanen was uninjured but this father Ari, the rallying legend, was flown to hospital in Bastia for checks on a neck injury. However, the Finn is expected to make a full recovery following the heavy frontal impact.

Thierry Neuville, in the Team Peugeot Belgium-Luxembourg 207 Super 2000, maintained his overnight advantage as rally leader.