Sébastien Loeb (Citroen DS3) leads Rally Mexico ahead of his team mate Mikko Hirvonen, while the Ford drivers were slowed down by punctures (Solberg) and technical issues (Latvala).
Petter Solberg was the first leader of the event after he set the best performance in the qualifying stage on Thursday. But the Norwegian driver lost his chances of victory quite early when he suffered two punctures in ESS2 and 3 ! His teammate Jari-Matti Latvala moved up to the lead, but suffered a suspension failure in the ESS5, which also dropped him down in classification.
That helped both Citroën drivers to pull away in front, with Mikko Hirvonen taking the lead before Sébastien Loeb moved ahead of the Finn after ESS10.
Mads Ostberg (Ford Fiesta) remained in third position ahead of Citroën Junior Team’s DS3 driver Thierry Neuville. But the Belgian driver, who made great WRC debuts in Mexico, was forced to retire after he hit a stone in ESS6. He will be back on Saturday thanks to Rally 2 regulations (former Super Rally).
"Enthusiastic" spectators, throwing stones at the cars, forced the organizers to cancel ESS9.
Classification at the end of day 1 (after ESS12) – Rally Mexico (WRC)
1. Sébastien Loeb (Citroen DS3) in 1h24’46’’4
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Citroen S3) +11’’2
3. Mads Ostberg (Ford Fiesta) +1’11’’9
4. Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford Fiesta) +1’27’’9
5. Petter Solberg (Ford Fiesta) +1’35’’4
6. Ott Tanak (Ford Fiesta) +1’36’’7
7. Evgeny Novikov (Ford Fiesta) +2’02’’0
8. Chris Atkinson (Ford Fiesta) +2’33’’7
Etc.
Petter Solberg was the first leader of the event after he set the best performance in the qualifying stage on Thursday. But the Norwegian driver lost his chances of victory quite early when he suffered two punctures in ESS2 and 3 ! His teammate Jari-Matti Latvala moved up to the lead, but suffered a suspension failure in the ESS5, which also dropped him down in classification.
That helped both Citroën drivers to pull away in front, with Mikko Hirvonen taking the lead before Sébastien Loeb moved ahead of the Finn after ESS10.
Mads Ostberg (Ford Fiesta) remained in third position ahead of Citroën Junior Team’s DS3 driver Thierry Neuville. But the Belgian driver, who made great WRC debuts in Mexico, was forced to retire after he hit a stone in ESS6. He will be back on Saturday thanks to Rally 2 regulations (former Super Rally).
"Enthusiastic" spectators, throwing stones at the cars, forced the organizers to cancel ESS9.
Classification at the end of day 1 (after ESS12) – Rally Mexico (WRC)
1. Sébastien Loeb (Citroen DS3) in 1h24’46’’4
2. Mikko Hirvonen (Citroen S3) +11’’2
3. Mads Ostberg (Ford Fiesta) +1’11’’9
4. Jari-Matti Latvala (Ford Fiesta) +1’27’’9
5. Petter Solberg (Ford Fiesta) +1’35’’4
6. Ott Tanak (Ford Fiesta) +1’36’’7
7. Evgeny Novikov (Ford Fiesta) +2’02’’0
8. Chris Atkinson (Ford Fiesta) +2’33’’7
Etc.