WTCC: Borkovic raced against doctors' advice

Honda privateer Dusan Borkovic raced in Sunday's opening round of the 2015 World Touring Car Championship in Argentina in spite of medical advice to the contrary, it has emerged.

Six-foot-nine Borkovic drove a Chevrolet Cruze last year, but switching to a Honda Civic has brought unexpected packaging problems. Owing to the configuration of the Civic's bulkhead, the pedal box cannot be adjusted enough to accommodate his legs comfortably.

Borkovic has reported suffering numbness in his legs within just a few laps, and qualified outside the top 10 for both races in the opening round at Termas de Rio Hondo. He finished 11th in the first race, claiming points in the Yokohama Trophy for independent runners, but spun out of the second in the closing laps.

"Borkovic, in spite of the advice of the doctors not to race, decided to do it on his own risk," said the driver's management team in a statement.

Honda is exploring the possibility of modifying the Civic's roll cage to provide more headroom, but since this is a homologated part it will require official sanction – and the use of one of the manufacturer's "jokers" for the season – as well as requiring a new crash test.

Originally on Autosport.com