Contested in warm, sunny conditions, the Rally Mexico shakedown saw Kris Meeke top the timesheets in the traditional pre-event dress rehearsal. Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) was second and Sebastien Ogier – third. Sébastien Loeb gave ninth time, 2.6sec behind his Citroen teammate.
Despite being narrower and more technically demanding than most of the stages, the 5.31-kilometre shakedown – held in Llano Grande – provided the crews with the opportunity to reacclimatise themselves with the various difficulties that they can expect to face this weekend.
With the stage held at close to 2,200 metres above sea level, Citroen took advantage of the session to conduct a final review of several engine mappings. The team also confirmed its selection of chassis set-up options, depending on how the roads develop and how much they clean as more cars complete the stages.
Meeke topped the shakedown timesheets with Neuville second and Ogier – third while Loeb gave ninth time, 2.6sec behind his Citroen teammate
Meeke set the fastest time on his third run.
“I felt comfortable in my C3 WRC. This is an event where we were able to produce a solid performance last year and I have felt good since we arrived here in Mexico. Even in recce, I enjoyed driving through these stages again. It was nice to see a bit sun after two winter rallies. I hope the feeling will be the same in the race, but you must bear in mind that this is an event where you have to remain alert to make sure you don’t get caught out by something, especially a large stone or rock”, Meeke said.
On his return to the WRC, six years after his last appearance at this event, Loeb gradually upped his pace in the C3 WRC. The nine-time rally world champion took the ninth fastest time on his fourth attempt, finishing the session just five-tenths of a second off the top five.
“I didn’t know the route and I hadn’t seen any onboard videos beforehand so I initially just focused on getting my bearings on this stage, without taking any risks. We also had to change my driving position because to start with, I couldn’t see very well. But I gradually found some rhythm as we completed the five runs. It’s still difficult for me to know whereabouts I’m going to be in the standings. In any event, we’ll need to be comfortable straight away!”, Loeb explained.
Sweet Dreams!@SebastienLoeb in SS1 ?️#RallyMexico ?? #WRC@CitroenRacing @UnstoppableOff @AbuDhabiRacing1 @TotalRacingENG pic.twitter.com/buaGb8rQPX
— Michelin Motorsport (@Michelin_Sport) March 9, 2018
