Stéphane Lefebvre is hoping to return back to action before the end of the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship season after his crash at Rallye Deutschland three weeks ago.
The Citroën Abu Dhabi World Rally Team driver and his co-driver Gabin Moreau are recuperating in France after a lengthy spell in hospital in Germany since their near-100 miles per hour crash on the Baumholder military stages.
Lefebvre is already back at his home in Northern France after spending some time in the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris.
The Frenchman told WRC.com “I hope to be in Corsica (29 September – 2 October) just to observe the event. That will allow me to spend time with the team before considering when I’ll be back in action at a rally. The aim is to drive competitively again before the end of the season.
“Going back home was a key step for me, I stopped using the crutches to walk very quickly and can now get around easily enough, even though I still have some pain in my ribs.
“To keep myself busy, I took out a cable TV subscription and I’ve been spending time on a driving simulator. When my lower back is strong enough again, I’ll be able to start working on specific physiotherapy sessions with Citroën Racing’s osteopath.”
Credit: Citroën Racing/@World Photography
Lefebvre is already thinking of coming back in a WRC car, but his co-driver Moreau was severely hurt in the crash, suffering a fractured right leg and left hand, broken left foot and a cracked vertebra.
Moreau is currently transferred to a hospital in Strasbourg where he will be having a second operation on his tibia.
Moreau added for WRC.com “According to the doctors, my progress has been quick since the operation, which involved removing the pins that had been put in place in Germany. Obviously, I can’t put any weight on my foot as yet, but I have been able to begin moving around whilst taking the right precautions.
“As soon as I’m sufficiently independent again, I’ll be able to spend a few days at home. After that, I’ll continue my recovery in a specialist centre. The whole process will take several weeks, so it’ll probably take a bit longer than Stéphane but we are both determined to start working together again as soon as possible.”
