Mexico : Citroën news after SS13

Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena set four fastest times on the trot at the start of the second day of Rally Mexico to take first place in the overall classification. At the end of SS13, the World Champions have a 17.8s lead over Petter Solberg and Phil Mills, and are 19.9s in front of Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia. The rest of the field are more than a minute behind the three Citroën C4 WRCs.

The second day of Rally Mexico began with a run through Ibarrilla, a tricky 29,90-kilometre stage. The first three crews got through without problems, but Dani Sordo and Marc Marti got caught out. The Spanish driver’s Citroën C4 WRC hit a stone breaking a suspension wishbone. Dani and Marc did their best to carry out repairs with the equipment on board but had to throw in the towel.

Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena started off in third place this morning 27.4s behind Petter Solberg and 12.4s behind Sébastien Ogier. At the finish of Ibarrilla (SS10), Loeb had caught Ogier. In Duarte (SS11), the no.1 C4 WRC took first place in the overall classification ahead of no. 11 driven by Petter Solberg. The Frenchman extended his lead in the following stages.

“We pushed really hard all morning without making any major mistakes,” commented the three-time winner of the event. “We were in the right position to pull back time and we were able to catch the leader and then take the lead in the rally. We’ll have to open up a bigger gap, as we’re not far enough in front to tackle the last day in a relaxed frame of mind.”

Petter Solberg and Phil Mills led the rally at the end of the opening day, and they were first out on the road this morning. The Norwegian had to sweep the roads and he lost precious seconds at the end of each stage: “We lost time because the roads were very slippery. It’s difficult to push hard in these conditions. Being first out isn’t easy but I know what I’m doing. It’ll be interesting to see what happens this afternoon.“

Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, who were second this morning, found that the grip was very different compared to the first day. “The stages are very slippery,” confirmed the Citroën Junior Team driver. “I’m trying to drive as cleanly as possible but it isn’t easy due to our position at the start. It’s all part of our learning curve. Apart from a spin in the second stage, we’ve run pretty well. We’re going to keep a close eye on what happens this afternoon to plan for the final day.”

After a thirty-minute service break, the crews will cover the first three stages for the second time, and the day will finish with a couple of runs through the Léon Autodrome superspecial.