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[Hexagram]

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."

Very bad start to the year for Block.

Hope he and his co-driver are ok. No word on the car yet and whether or not it is in a fixable state.

[geetface9]

Dang, that sucks!! I hope he can get his stuff in gear this year...I'd really like to see him fighting for top 5 positions by 2012 or 2013. Maybe he should have tried to get in a citroen like kimi raikkonen. As much as I like the ford fiesta I'm thinking it's gonna be on the same level as the focus was against the c4.....good but just not good enough. Which kind of begs the question in my mind; would sebastien loeb have as many championship titles if he were in a ford??? If only we could enter an alternate dimension and find out!

[Frontrunner]

Hopefully a speedy recoverery

[Jamie]

Ohhhhh man I hope Block's okay! I love that guy