WRC Round-up: Rally Guanajuato Mexico

Sebastien Loeb

Round two of the 2011 WRC calender, Rally Mexico was the first gravel stage of the year. Teams traveled from the snow-banked roads of Sweden to a hot and sunny Mexico. Mikki Hirvonen started off the season with a win at Rally Sweden in February. Snow has not been the best hunting ground for Sebastien Loeb,but Mexico was different. Loeb has won the rally five times in the past and this time it was business as usual.

Mikko Hirvonen

Hirvonen did put up a fight with the Citroen ace and made things difficult for the champion. Ultimately, Sebastien Loeb triumphed in the battle of the champions. Sebastien completed the event in 3hr 53min 17.0sec in his Citroen DS3. The team was impressed with Loeb’s performance however, regretted the fact that, Ogier had to exit the event following a crash.

“We’ve just had a very tricky rally. I had a great scrap with Sébastien Ogier, a few teething troubles with the car, and my victory only came at the end of the race. It’s a good result where points are concerned, as we’re in second place in the world championship. The season’s really begun for us here.”

Ford Fiesta WRC

Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen was just shy of Loebs pace at the front and finished with a time of 3hr 54min 55.4sec. Ford were satisfied with the result of the rally having increased the lead over Citroen in the constructors as well as drivers championships.

“It’s a great result from the championship perspective, especially considering the disadvantage of our road position on Friday,” he said. “After my difficulties last season, I feel I’ve rediscovered my consistency and that’s so important in mounting a title challenge. I knew the roads used in the Power Stage well and those bonus points are a big boost.

“I didn’t have the opportunity to fully test some of the parts on the Fiesta before this rally. So I’m looking forward to doing that when we test in Portugal before our next rally there. We still have work to do in improving the car, but it’s a hugely encouraging start to the season,” he added.

Henning Solberg

Peter Solberg who set the pace on the first day finished fourth behind, Ford’s Jari-Matti Latvala who came in third. Matts Ostberg, Henning Solberg, Nasser Al-Attiyah, Martin Prokop, J Hanninen and F Villagra complete the top ten.

After two rounds, Ford lead the constructors championship with 73 points. Mikko Hirvonen stands at the top of the drivers table with 43 points followed by Sebastien Loeb on 37 points. Next stop, Rally Portugal on 24th of March.

Via Rally Sport