WRC Safari Rally navigator in hospital after freak Gilgil accident

World Rally Championship driver Georgios Vasilakis from Greece and his British navigator Timo Krawszik were Saturday evening involved in a road accident along the Naivasha-Nakuru highway.

They were evacuated to Nairobi for medical attention.

The crew are competing in the WRC Safari Rally which ends on Sunday in Naivasha.

According to the rally's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Raj Jutley, the crew were driving back to the Rally Service Park in Naivasha when the incident occurred after they hit an embankment at the Gilgil weighbridge.

Dr Jutley said the two managed to come out of the rally car before the medical team arrived in real time including summoning a helicopter that was used to evacuate them.

The injured navigator was flown to Wilson Airport in Nairobi and then rushed the Aga Khan Hospital for management after the dusk accident.

"The two were attended to before the navigator was airlifted to Nairobi but he was stabilised and is in a fairly good condition," Dr Jutley said.

Dr Jutley said they were in the initial stages of investigation, adding that they will release fully details after analysing the situation.

"All that I can say is that our team responded in real time after the information was relayed to our control room,"  he said.

Vasilakis is already back at the team hotel in Naivasha.

Vasilakis and Krawszik were lying 23rd overall in their Ford Fiesta some one hour 21 minutes and 32.1 seconds behind overnight leader, Frenchman Sebastien Ogier of Toyota.

The rally ends on Sunday with the Malewa, Oserian and Hell's Gate stages being run twice.