Rally Mexico (4 – 7 March 2010) – Day 3
Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena started the final day of Rally Mexico with a comfortable lead overtheir pursuers. All they had to do was to control the gap to score their fourth consecutive victory inMexico. The Franco-Monegasque duo fulfilled their mission. This win puts them in the lead in theDrivers World Championship. Dani Sordo and Marc Marti rejoined in the Super Rally and helpedthe Citroën Total World Rally Team to score more Manufacturers points than their rivals.The programme of the final day of the rally had been pared down. After a short stop in the Poliforumservice park, the drivers tackled a loop made up of three timed stages, including a final pass in the‘Autodrome de León’ super special.
Sébastien Loeb who led the rally by almost a minute took the final loop seriously: “Even if the two stagesinclude sections we’ve already covered over the past two days, I’m going to be the sweeper. I’ll have tofind the right rhythm and that’s not really my cup of tea! I prefer pushing as hard as possible!”At the finish of the 30-kilometre Guanajuatito stage (SS19), the six-time world champion had lost 16seconds to the quickest drivers: “Sébastien Ogier and Petter Solberg are going very quickly as they’refighting for second place. As far as I’m concerned things are okay. I didn’t take any risks and I won’t reallypush in the last two stages.”
Seb and Daniel continued in this vein, and when they came back to Poliforum de León for the last time,the whole team gave them a hero’s welcome. “ They did a fantastic job on the second day and that’swhere they consolidated this mind-boggling victory,” smiled Olivier Quesnel, the Citroën Racing TeamPrincipal. “The C4 WRCs have dominated this rally as they set all the quickest times. They also scoredthe first triple by a French manufacturer in a gravel rally. I’d also like to congratulate Petter Solberg andSébastien Ogier for their great duel in the best possible sporting tradition.”
”This victory’s done us a power of good,” Loeb confirmed before stepping up onto the podium. “Wecontrolled our race well and I think that we can look forward to the next events with confidence, as they’llbe run on similar surfaces. Thanks to this victory we’ve taken the lead in the championship and openedup a small gap over Mikko Hirvonen. It’s a good situation even if we’ll have to sweep the road in Jordan.”Dani Sordo rejoined in the Super Rally and did the job he’d been asked to do; namely, reach the finishand bag the points that went with seventh place in the Manufacturers’ Classification: “ I’ve putyesterday’s disappointment behind me and I’m happy to have set some good times while the other twoC4s were battling for second spot. Thanks to this result Citroën has scored more points than its rival inthis rally – and that’s the most important thing.”THE RALLY IN FIGURESSébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena Dani Sordo / Marc MartiSS19 : Guanajuatito (29,13 km) 6e +18’’0 1er 4e +11’’2 15e +40’05’’9SS20 : Sauz Seco (7,05 km) CancelledSS21 : Comanjilla (17,94 km) 5e + 14’’9 1er 3e +2’’5 15e +39’53’’5SS22 : Super Special 5 (4,42 km) 4e +2’’5 1er 2e +1’’4 15e +39’52’’4Quickest times in the stages
Day 1 – SS1 to 3 : Petter Solberg (Citroën C4) – SS4 : Sébastien Ogier (Citroën C4) – SS5 and 6 :Solberg – SS7 to 9 : Ogier.Day 2 : SS10 to 17 : Sébastien Loeb (Citroën C4) – SS18 : Ogier.Day 3 : SS19 : Ogier – SS20 : cancelled – SS21 and 22 : Solberg.Best performers: Loeb, 8 fastest times – Solberg, 7 – Ogier, 6.Leaders: SS1 to 9 : Solberg – SS10 to 22: Loeb.
Overall general classification (subject to scrutineering)1. 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
