Guy Wilks Explained

Guy Wilks
Nationality: British
Birth Date:1981 1, df=yes
Current Series:FIA World Rallycross Championship
First Year:2015
Current Team:LOCO Energy World RX
Car Number:100
Former Teams:JRM Racing
Starts:13
Wins:0
Podiums:0
Best Finish:15th
Career Template1:
Subbox:yes
Years:20022008
Teams:Skoda, Mitsubishi, Ford, Suzuki
Races:45
Championships:0
Wins:0
Podiums:0
Stagewins:0
Points:3
First Race:2002 Swedish Rally
Last Race:2008 Rally GB

Guy Wilks (born 22 January 1981) is a British rally driver. Wilks started rallying at the age of 19, but currently drives for JRM in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. In 2011 Wilks drove for Peugeot UK in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge. In 2012 he did not compete.[1]

Career

Wilks who was born in Bishop Auckland, County Durham became Ford Ka Junior Champion in 2000 in his first year in the sport, graduating within the Ford 'Ladder of Opportunity' scheme to the Puma 1400 series for 2001. He finished second in the championship. The following year Wilks entered the British Rally Championship (BRC) in a Super 1600 specification Puma, finishing fifth overall in the championship and third in the British Super1600 Rally Championship. In 2003 Wilks competed in the Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC) driving a Ford Puma prepared by Chris Birkbeck Motorsport finishing seventh in the standings. Wilks missed out on an opportunity to join the Subaru World Rally Team for the 2004 season, as he had signed a contract with Suzuki.

For 2004 Wilks made the switch from Ford to a works entry in the JWRC with Suzuki driving an Ignis alongside Per-Gunnar Andersson. Over the next three years Wilks won five rallies and finished second in the JWRC in 2005. Wins included his first JWRC victory at the Acropolis Rally in 2004 and Rally GB in the same year. During his time driving for Suzuki Wilks also won the British Super 1600 title and British Junior title in 2005.

Wilks split with Suzuki at the end of 2006 as they moved their focus to a full-fledged enter in World Rally Championship (WRC). In 2007 Wilks joined the Mitsubishi Motors UK Works team driving a Group N specification Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX in the BRC. Over the next two years Wilks won eight rallies and the BRC title outright.[2]

In addition to the BRC in 2007, Wilks also competed in a number of WRC events with Mobil 1 support allowing him to make his World Rally Car debut in Norway driving a Ford Focus 03 WRC. In total he competed in seven events with a sixth place in Rally Ireland his best finish in a Subaru S11 WRC.2008 saw Wilks supplement his BRC commitments with several outings in a Honda Civic Type R R3 rally car for Italy's JAS Motorsport.

Wilks made the switch in 2009 to S2000 class rallying with Mellors Elliot Motorsport driving a Proton Satria Neo Super 2000 car in the Pirelli International Rally. Then, on 6 June 2009, Proton announced an entry for Wilks in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC). He competed in six events with Proton before making the switch to drive for Škoda UK in Rally Scotland which he won.

On 12 January 2010, it was announced that Wilks would compete on selected rounds of the 2010 IRC driving a Škoda Fabia S2000 for Škoda UK. In the first four rallies of the season, Guy finished 6th in Rallye Monte-Carlo, 2nd in Rally Internacional de Curitiba, 2nd in Rally Argentina and 3rd in Rally Islas Canarias.

During the first stage of the 2010 Rally d'Italia Sardegna Wilks crashed his Škoda and was flown to hospital after reporting pains in his lower back.[3] Hospital checks found the Wilks had fractures to his first and second lumbar vertebrae.[4] The injury meant that Wilks missed three events on the IRC Calendar making a comeback at the Barum Czech Rally Zlín at the end of August.[5]

It was confirmed that Wilks, who finished the year in sixth overall in the championship, would make the switch from Škoda to the Kronos Racing run Peugeot UK Team for the 2011 IRC.

Racing record

Complete WRC results

(key)

YearEntrantCar12345678910111213141516WDCPoints
2002Guy WilksMitsubishi Lancer Evo VIMONSWE
Ret
FRAESPCYPARGGREKENFINNC0
Ford Puma S1600GER
Ret
ITANZLAUSGBR
29
2003Guy WilksFord Puma S1600MON
Ret
SWETUR
18
NZLARGGRE
33
CYPGERFIN
24
AUSITA
28
FRAESP
33
GBR
Ret
NC0
2004Guy WilksSuzuki Ignis S1600MON
Ret
SWEMEXNZLCYPGRE
12
TUR
13
ARGFIN
Ret
GERJPNGBR
18
ITA
11
FRAESP
Ret
AUSNC0
2005Guy WilksSuzuki Ignis S1600MON
19
SWE
22
MEX
11
NZL
27
ITA
23
CYP
29
TUR
52
GRE
17
ARGNC0
Suzuki Swift S1600FIN
18
GER
15
GBR
32
JPN
17
FRAESP
Ret
AUS
2006Guy WilksSuzuki Swift S1600MONSWE
38
MEXESPFRAARG
19
ITA
26
GREGERFIN
15
JPNCYPTUR
19
AUSNZLGBR
52
NC0
2007RamsportFord Focus RS WRC 04MONSWENOR
Ret
MEXPOR
Ret
ARGITAGRE
9
FIN
9
GER
10
NZLESPFRAJPN18th3
Guy WilksSubaru Impreza WRC 05IRE
6
Mitsubishi Motors UKMitsubishi Lancer Evo IXGBR
13
2008JAS MotorsportHonda Civic Type-R R3MONSWEMEXARGJORITAGRETURFIN
18
GERNZLESPFRAJPNNC0
Mitsubishi Motors UKMitsubishi Lancer Evo IXGBR
14

JWRC results

(key)

YearEntrantCar123456789JWRCPoints
2003Guy WilksFord Puma S1600MON
Ret
TUR
3
GRE
6
FIN
3
ITA
6
ESP
11
GBR
Ret
7th18
2004Guy WilksSuzuki Ignis S1600MON
Ret
GRE
1
TUR
3
FIN
Ret
GBR
1
ITA
2
ESP
Ret
3rd34
2005Guy WilksSuzuki Ignis S1600MON
7
MEX
1
ITA
6
GRE
2
2nd35
Suzuki Swift S1600FIN
3
GER
3
FRAESP
Ret
2006Guy WilksSuzuki Swift S1600SWE
9
ESPFRAARG
1
ITA
8
GERFIN
1
TUR
4
GBR
11
4th26

PWRC results

(key)

YearEntrantCar12345678PWRCPoints
2007Mitsubishi Motors UKMitsubishi Lancer Evo IXSWEMEXARGGRENZLJPNIREGBR
1
12th10
2008Mitsubishi Motors UKMitsubishi Lancer Evo IXSWEARGGRETURFINNZLJPNGBR
3
18th6

Complete IRC results

(key)

YearEntrantCar123456789101112WDCPoints
2009Mellors Elliot MotorsportProton Satria Neo S2000MONBRAKENPORBEL
Ret
RUS
5
POR
11
CZE
Ret
ESP
22
ITA
13
7th15
Philip PughŠkoda Fabia S2000SCO
1
2010Škoda UKŠkoda Fabia S2000MON
6
CUR
2
ARG
2
CAN
3
SAR
Ret
YPR
AZO
MAD
ZLI
7
SAN
Ret
SCO
Ret
CYP
6th27
2011Peugeot UKPeugeot 207 S2000MON
3
CAN
5
COR
Ret
YAL
5
YPR
4
AZO
Ret
ZLI
Ret
MEC
Ret
SAN
Ret
SCO
Ret
CYP7th47

Complete FIA World Rallycross Championship results

(key)

Supercar

YearEntrantCar12345678910111213WRXPoints
2015JRM RacingMini Countryman RXPORHOCBELGBR
6
GER
SWE
CAN
NOR
FRA
33
BAR
TUR
ITA
ARG
23rd14
2016Guy WilksFord Fiesta STPOR
HOC
BEL
GBR
18
NOR
SWE
CAN
FRA
23rd3
JRM RacingMini Countryman RXBAR
13
LAT
14
GER
ARG
2017LOCO Energy World RXVolkswagen PoloBAR
7
POR
16
HOC
19
BEL
14
GBR
14
NOR
17
SWE
20
CAN
15
FRA
LAT
GER
RSA
15th21

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Peugeot UK IRC chance for ace Wilks. ircseries.com. Intercontinental Rally Challenge. 29 October 2010. 2 November 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20110723190208/http://www.ircseries.com/html/readNews.asp?id=2244. 23 July 2011. dead.
  2. http://www.rallybrc.co.uk/news-pressrels-details-page.asp?PressID=316 Wilks and Mitsubishi win British Rally Championship for second year running
  3. News: Wilks suffers bruising in crash on SS1. www.ircseries.com. Intercontinental Rally Challenge. 5 June 2010. 5 June 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20110713055843/http://www.ircseries.com/html/readnews.asp?id=1805. 13 July 2011. dead.
  4. Web site: Wilks continues recovery in hospital . Ircseries.com . 6 June 2010 . 12 August 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110713060608/http://www.ircseries.com/html/readNews.asp?id=1826 . 13 July 2011 . dead .
  5. Web site: Wilks to mark comeback with Czech test . Ircseries.com . 12 August 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110713060616/http://www.ircseries.com/html/readNews.asp?id=2057 . 13 July 2011 . dead .