Ott Tänak’s injured trusted man recounts the crash – “I immediately felt that something was wrong”

Kuldar Sikk, who served as the co-driver for Ott Tänak's gravel crew, was injured in the Central European Rally last weekend.
Kuldar Sikk
Kuldar Sikk. Kuva: M-Sport
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Sikk and Estonian driver Ken Torn formed Tänak and Martin Järveoja‘s gravel crew for the Central European tarmac rally. Gravel crews provide the main crew with real-time information about the conditions of the stages before the official run.

Torn and Sikk were involved in an accident early last Friday morning.

“Accidents happen, it was a combination of circumstances,” Sikk told the Estonian site Delfi.

“No car was coming towards us at the time. It was foggy and dark, raining, and the road was slipperier than we expected.”

The car driven by Torn and Sikk went off the road and rolled over. Sikk, who injured his back, was taken to the hospital, where he underwent surgery.

“I immediately felt that something was wrong with my back. The feeling was unpleasant enough that getting back into the car wasn’t possible,” Sikk said.

Sikk returned to his home country, Estonia, on Tuesday, where he spent one more night in the hospital. He was discharged for home care on Wednesday afternoon.

“I’m walking on my own. I’m can’t sit, but I can lie down and stand,” Sikk explained about his condition.

Sikk took his first steps on Tuesday but didn’t speculate on how long his recovery would take.

Sikk served as Tänak’s co-driver from 2010-2012, during the early stages of Tänak’s career in the World Rally Championship. Before that, he co-drove for Urmo Aava in the WRC.

Sikk, 45, currently works as the Head of Sports Division for the Estonian Autosport Union.

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