Mads Ostberg and Jonas Andersson matched the performance of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle at Monte-Carlo to claim the third podium spot at Rally Sweden.
For his first-ever appearance in a rally on snow, Kris Meeke finished in the points. Khalid Al Qassimi and Chris Patterson ended the rally in sixteenth position.
he World Rally Championship now leaves Europe. Next up for the Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team crews will be Rally Mexico, due to be held on 6-9 March.
There were still some 142 kilometres of timed stages to run on Saturday’s leg, which equates to 44% of the total distance. Despite the conditions remaining difficult, with a lot of slush and water, Mads Ostberg managed to up his pace.
Increasingly comfortable in his Citroen DS3 WRC, the Norwegian closed the gap to his fellow countryman Andreas Mikkelsen in second. Pushing hard, he claimed his first stage win with Citroën on Torntorp 2. He repeated the feat on the Power Stage to collect the three bonus points. He secured his first podium finish in the DS3 WRC, ending the rally just 5.9 seconds shy of second spot.
After starting the day in sixth position, Kris Meeke lost seven minutes when he went off and got stuck in snow bank on SS18. The Northern Irishman nonetheless managed to finish the rally in tenth position, scoring eight points for the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team in the process.
Once again one of the first on the road today, Khalid Al Qassimi had to deal with especially slippery conditions. Careful to avoid making any mistakes, he finished the event in sixteenth place.
QUOTES
Mads Ostberg: “We have made a lot of progress since Friday. I’m pleased to finish on the podium in Sweden for the fourth year running! The three points from the Power Stage are a nice bonus. I feel more and more confident in the car, which is promising for the next few events. We have learned a lot and now I can’t wait to tackle the gravel rallies.”
Kris Meeke: “I think I can be pleased with this first rally on snow. The only minor mistake we made proved very costly. If there had been spectators around, we would probably have only lost fifteen seconds or so. But we had to get the car out ourselves. However, the rest of the weekend went very well. We have learned a lot. The main thing for me is that we managed to get close to the leading guys. And finishing in the points is encouraging for the rest of the season.”
Khalid Al Qassimi: “I tried to be more aggressive today. Things went well from the second stage onwards. We had a few hairy moments but we made good progress. On the Power Stage, I preferred to ease off a little and not make a mistake, so I could be sure of reaching the end without any problems.”
Yves Matton (Citroen Racing Team Principal): “Our crews met the targets that we set them. Mads has secured his first podium finish with Citroen on what is more or less his home event. More than the result itself, it’s the way that he has tackled the rally that has impressed us the most. He changed his driving style and took a step closer to getting the best out of Citroën DS3 WRC. He did a lot of work with the team and his times throughout the rally are very encouraging. Kris had an intelligent race. He completed all the stages and I don’t think we can hold his minor mistake against him. At the end of the day, he has produced a better performance that many a driver at their first Rally Sweden. We’re very pleased with his performance levels and the points he has picked up for Citroën. Khalid wanted to drive on snow. The conditions weren’t kind to him, but he enjoyed himself.”
HOW THE ACTION UNFOLDED
SS17 – Hara 1 (11.32km) – Jari-Matti Latvala won the stage to double his overall lead. Mads Ostberg started the day with the second fastest time. Kris Meeke remained in sixth position.
SS18 – Torntorp 1 (19.26km) – Kris Meeke went off and got stuck in a snow bank, losing seven minutes. Mads Østberg finished third fastest, moving to within twenty seconds of second place.
SS19 – Vargasen 1 (24.63km) – Mads Ostberg went third fastest again, further narrowing the gap to Andreas Mikkelsen. Latvala extended his lead at the top of the overall standings.
SS20 – Varmullsasen 1 (15.87km) – Mads Ostberg continued to cut Andreas Mikkelsen’s lead ahead of the midday service. Kris Meeke continued to improve, moving up to twelfth overall.
SS21 – Hara 2 (11.32km) – To make up for the time lost in the morning, the organisers decided to cancel this stage.
SS22 – Torntorp 2 (19.26km) – Mads Ostberg won his first stage in the Citroen DS3 WRC. Kris Meeke climbed to eleventh in the overall standings.
SS23 – Vargasen 2 (24.63km) – Stage win for Ogier, who moved up to sixth overall. Mikkelsen held off Ostberg.
SS24 – Varmullsasen 2 (15.87km – Power Stage) – Elfyn Evans retired. Mads Ostberg set the fastest time to secure the three bonus points, but fell short of claiming second overall by just 5.9 seconds. Jari-Matti Latvala won the rally, as Andreas Mikkelsen finished as runner-up. Kris Meeke completed the top 10, whilst Khalid Al Qassimi finished sixteenth.
FINAL PROVISIONAL STANDINGS
1. Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) 3:00:31.12. Andreas Mikkelsen / Mikko Markkula (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) +53.63. Mads Ostberg / Jonas Andersson (Citroen DS3 WRC) +59.54. Mikko Hirvonen / Jarmo Lehtinen (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +2:26.95. Ott Tanak / Raigo Molder (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +3:00.56. Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) +4:29.97. Henning Solberg / Ilka Minor (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +4:47.58. Pontus Tidemand / Ola Floene (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +5:38.59. Craig Breen / Scott Martin (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +8:55.410. Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle (Citroen DS3 WRC) +11:18.016. Khalid Al Qassimi / Chris Patterson (Citroen DS3 WRC) +18:50.5
FASTEST TIMES
Sébastien Ogier, 10 – Jari-Matti Latvala, 5 – Andreas Mikkelsen, 4 – Mads Ostberg, 2 – Ott Tanak and Henning Solberg, 1 (1 stage cancelled)
LEADERS
SS1, SS6, SS8 and SS9: Andreas Mikkelsen
SS2 to SS5 and SS7: Sébastien Ogier
SS10 to SS24 (finish): Jari-Matti Latvala
DRIVERS’ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Jari-Matti Latvala 40 points2. Sébastien Ogier 35 points3. Mads Ostberg 30 points4. Andreas Mikkelsen 24 points5. Bryan Bouffier 18 points6. Kris Meeke 17 points7. Mikko Hirvonen 13 points8. Ott Tanak 10 points9. Elfyn Evans 8 points10. Henning Solberg 6 points11. Jaroslav Melicharek and Pontus Tidemand 4 points13. Matteo Gamba and Craig Breen 2 points15. Yuriy Protasov 1 point
MANUFACTURERS’ WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Volkswagen Motorsport 72 points2. Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team 56 points3. Volkswagen Motorsport II 26 points4. M-Sport World Rally Team 22 points5. Hyundai Shell World Rally Team 8 points6. RK M-Sport World Rally Team 4 points
