František Brutovský‘s effort to recover from the fractured vertebra he sustained at the Hungarian Baja has taken a step in the right direction. On Thursday, he confirmed he has been discharged after a successful surgery, and will spend approximately six weeks getting back in shape.
“The surgery went well without any major complications,” he wrote. “Now, I’ve got a bit of a ‘screwed-together’ spine, and I’m facing 6 weeks of rest—just lying down and taking short walks at most. It’s going to be a long road to get back behind the wheel.”
The injury occurred when his Ford F-150 EVO rolled during the third Selective Section of the Hungarian Baja. He had finished twentieth overall (ninth in Ultimate) in the first SS before improving to eleventh overall and fifth in class the next leg. Brutovský was not the only injury in the race as Fidel Castillo Ruiz broke his collarbone when he rolled that same stage, one of a series of safety concerns that prompted fellow Czech Martin Koloc to withdraw.
The crash resulted in a fractured vertebra that initial diagnosis stated did not require surgery. Once he was transferred to Prague’s Motol Hospital, doctors concluded he should undergo it anyway due to a “risk of poor vertebral healing and subsequent movement restriction.”
While he is expected to be out for any events in September, the timetable should get him back in the driver’s seat for MING Racing Sports‘ next scheduled dates at the Dubai International Baja and Qatar International Baja in November. Both races are intended to help develop the Ford F-150 EVO T1+ for a run at the 2025 Dakar Rally.
