SS22: Loeb wins Rally Mexico

Sebastien Loeb has won Rally Guanajuato Mexico for the fifth time.

The Citroen Total World Rally Team star began the final day of the event locked in a close battle with team-mate Sebastien Ogier, 10.5s adrift.

But when Ogier crashed on stage 20, Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena moved in front and were able to preserve their advantage until the finish in Leon.

Although they ultimately benefited from Ogier’s retirement, their win was all the more remarkable after they fought back from a 50-second time penalty incurred when they were late starting stage 15 following a gearbox problem.

The victory marked the first triumph for Citroen’s all-new DS3 World Rally Car and was Loeb and Elena’s 63rd success at world championship level on their 140th start in the series.

Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen finished second in their Ford Fiesta RS WRC with team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila third.

Nasser Al-Attiyah and Giovanni Bernacchini have won the Super 2000 World Rally Championship section of the event in their Barwa World Rally Team Fiesta.

SS2: Power stage

Mikko Hirvonen has won the World Rally Championship’s second Power Stage after clocking the fastest time through the 8.28-kilometre Guanajuato test.

It was the factory Ford driver’s first stage win of the event and ensures he finishes second overall on the rally to extend his lead of the WRC drivers’ standings.

But while Hirvonen celebrated landing three world championship bonus points, Sebastien Loeb was left to bask in the glory of his fifth Rally Guanajuato Mexico victory at the wheel of his Citroen DS3 WRC, which was secured after the completed the Power Stage by sharing the joint second-fastest time with Petter Solberg.

Solberg changed his strategy for the final day of the event by opting to carry one spare tyre in an effort to be as competitive as possible through the stage, one of the WRC’s exciting new initiatives for 2011, which was shown live on television throughout the world. However, it proved to be to no avail.

Nasser Al-Attiyah wrapped up the Super 2000 World Rally Championship section of the event in his Ford Fiesta with Martin Prokop second in a similar car.

Munchi’s driver Federico Villagra completed the stage with a broken driveshaft on his Fiesta RS WRC.

Standings after SS22: