Block taken to hospital after shunt
Ken Block and co-driver Alex Gelsomino have taken to hospital for checks after the American crashed heavily during this evening's Rally of Portugal shakedown stage
Block rolled his Monster Ford World Rally Team Fiesta RS WRC just over a mile into the three-mile stage.
The car, which landed on its roof, is well off the road and will not be recovered until later tonight when the shakedown has finished. The crew are not expected to take the start in Lisbon tomorrow.
Block has suffered a tough start to the year, struggling for pace in Sweden before being hit by electrical issues with his Ford on the second round in Mexico earlier this month.
A spokesman from the Monster team said: "Both Ken and Alex have been taken to hospital in Faro for precautionary checks. All I know is that they rolled, but they're okay. We won't know the situation with the car until it is recovered back to service."
Matthew Wilson was following Block in the stage and said: "From what I could see, he has run wide in a corner, clipped the bank on the right and rolled up and over the bank.
"The car is quite a way off the road and in a field. It was a narrow section, probably third or fourth gear."
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