Rally Mexico (4-7 March 2010) – Day 3
Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia have climbed onto the podium of a World Championship rallyfor the second time in their careers. The Citroën Junior Team crew shared the podium with twoWorld Champions in Mexico: rally winner Sébastien Loeb and Petter Solberg in second, both ofthem driving a Citroën C4 WRC.
Having set off in third position for the final day, which consisted of 51.49 competitive kilometres, theCitroën Junior Team crew gave the enthusiastic Mexican fans a breathtaking battle to remember withPetter Solberg.Sébastien Ogier set fastest time – his sixth of the rally – on the opening 29.13 kilometre stage,Guanajuatito. This allowed him to overhaul Petter Solberg for second place overall. “We’re going to fightto the end but I don’t want to take too many risks,” reported Sébastien at the end of the stage.Petter Solberg fought back in Comanjilla (SS21) to regain 0.8 seconds from Sébastien Ogier. “I knewthen that it was going to be a battle to the finish,” commented the Frenchman. “But it’s not over yet. Itwill all come down to the superspecial, so it’s important to stay concentrated and not make any mistakeson this short final stage.”
The two Citroën C4 WRCs set off side by side for the last 4.42 kilometre stage. Thanks to a final effort,the 2003 World Rally Champion went fastest to secure second overall ahead of Sébastien Ogier, whofinishes third at the end of round two this year.
“It was the first time that we ever had the chance to fight for a top place all the way to the end,” saidSébastien at the rally finish in León. “We managed to drive at a good pace throughout the event. It’s asure sign that we are making progress. This podium rewards all the hard work that the team has put in.It’s been a great start to the season; we really couldn’t hope for better.”Citroën Junior Team manager Benoit Nogier concluded: “We haven’t been on the podium since Greecelast year, again thanks to Sébastien. This podium is actually like a win for us, given the relative lack ofexperience of our team and drivers. It’s a huge satisfaction to see all our hard work rewarded today.Sébastien and Julien were able to fight for the podium thanks to their extremely strong performance.They again showed themselves to be quick, professional and talented…it’s been a great job from start tofinish. Petter’s second place is also a huge satisfaction for Citroën. We hope this result provides proofthat the products and information we place at the disposal of our clients allows them to achieve topresults. Seeing three Citroëns on the podium is an emotional experience!”
THE RALLY BY NUMBERSSébastien Ogier / Julien IngrassiaSS19 : Guanajuatito (29.13 km) 1st 2nd +40’’2SS20 : Sauz Seco (7.05 km) Cancelled before the startSS21 : Comanjilla (17.94 km) 2nd +0’’8 2nd +26’’1SS22 : Super Special 5 (4.42 km) 3rd +1’’7 3rd +25’’3Fastest stage times
Day 1: SS1 to SS3: Petter Solberg (Citroën C4) – SS4: Sébastien Ogier (Citroën C4) – SS5 and SS6:Solberg – SS7 to SS9: Ogier.Day 2: SS10 to SS17: Sébastien Loeb (Citroën C4) – SS18: Ogier.Day 3: SS19: Ogier – SS20: cancelled – SS21 and SS22: Solberg.Best performers: Loeb, 8 fastest times – Solberg, 7 – Ogier, 6.Leaders: SS1 to SS10: Solberg – SS11 to SS22: Loeb.
Provisional final classification1. Loeb / Elena Citroën C4 3h42’41’’72. P. Solberg / Mills Citroën C4 +24’’23. Ogier / Ingrassia Citroën C4 +25’’34. Hirvonen / Lehtinen Ford Focus +1’47’’55. Latvala / Anttila Ford Focus +2’15’’16. H. Solberg / Minor Ford Focus +2’48’’07. Villagra / Perez Companc Ford Focus +10’13’’48. Pons / Haro Ford Fiesta +18’44’’49. Prokop / Tomanek Ford Fiesta +19’02’’010. Araujo / Miguel Mitsubishi Lancer +21’32’’5…15. Sordo / Marti Citroën C4 +39’52’’4
