Sebastien Ogier remains in full control at the Rally Mexico. At the end of the second leg, the Frenchman now holds a lead of 2:52.4 minutes over Citroen works driver Mikko Hirvonen. An absolutely perfect day, said a delighted Ogier, who refused to let anything stand in his way- even a closed gate.

The team looks likely to be credited with any time that was lost, as co-driver Julien Ingrassia was forced to leave the car to open the gate. Any decision in this regard will be taken by the stewards. We actually slowed down a bit, added Ogier. There is no point in taking big risks. I cannot afford to lose concentration.

First stage win for Jari-Matti Latvala. Meanwhile, team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala continued his programme of testing. A maiden stage win (SS 18) was proof that the Finn is feeling increasingly comfortable at the wheel of the Polo R WRC (WP 18). Fellow Volkswagen driver Ogier currently has five stage wins to his name.

The Rally Mexico concludes with a further three special stages today, including the 54.85-kilometre Guanajuatito stage.

NB

Sbastien Ogier belatedly made winner of SS 18.

The frustration over the gate incident didn't last long as Frenchman Sbastien Ogier has since been declared the winner of SS 18. During the stage, Ogier was stopped in his tracks by a gate that, for some unknown reason, had been closed, causing him to lose around half a minute while he opened it. But the time he lost has now been knocked off his overall time.

Top 10 Overall classification Day 2

1.  Sebastien Ogier    Volkswagen         3h38m42.2s2.  Mikko Hirvonen     Citroen             + 2m52.4s3.  Thierry Neuville   M-Sport Ford        + 2m59.9s4.  Dani Sordo         Citroen             + 4m45.2s5.  Nasser Al-Attiyah  M-Sport Ford        + 5m33.9s6.  Ken Block          Hoonigan Ford       + 8m57.1s7.  Chris Atkinson     Abu Dhabi Citroen   + 9m23.8s8.  Benito Guerra      CRT Citroen        + 10m00.9s9.  Martin Prokop      Czech Ford         + 11m22.3s10  Evgeny Novikov     M-Sport Ford       + 15m41.9s