Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia produced a calm and collected performance to claim their second win from three events in 2019. The Citroen C3 WRC retained its record of finishing on the podium at every round since the start of the season. Citroen Racing thus extended the record it holds for the most wins at Rally Mexico to eight.
Ogier started the last day with a 27.0s lead over the second-placed crew. He and Ingrassia held their nerve despite the pressure applied by those behind. The pair’s controlled final day performance saw them secure victory with an extended winning margin. They also collected five bonus points on the Power Stage with a seventh stage win. The crew climbed to second place in the world championship, just four points behind the leader.
Eleven years after making their world championship debut here in a Citroen C2 Super 1600, Ogier and Ingrassia completed their fifth win in Mexico
They have secured also those in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2018. It’s also their second win of the season, after Monte-Carlo.
“Mexico is definitely a special place for me and I’m especially pleased to secure this fifth win here and take maximum points for the championship! That was what we came for, and although it wasn’t a trouble-free weekend, we managed it well from start to finish. The potential I saw in the C3 WRC continues to be borne out. It enabled us to be top performers this weekend. It’s now up to us to keep working hard because the championship looks set to be even closer than ever before. In the meantime, I would like to thank the team for the great job done this weekend! We’ll now head for Corsica looking for a similar outcome”, Ogier said.
✌??#RallyMexico #win #GOg1er pic.twitter.com/fMGkqrRZUm
— Sébastien Ogier (@SebOgier) March 11, 2019
On only their second appearance in Mexico, Esapekka Lappi and Janne Ferm quickly showed their potential
They ended the opening leg in a promising fifth position, just 2s behind fourth place. On the next day, a sudden change in grip caught them out and left them stranded by the side of the road. The final leg, during which they were first on the road, provided them with an opportunity to add to their experience, whilst preparing for the next few events on gravel. A point on the Power Stage was some consolation for the missed opportunities.
“I’m pleased to have learned how to drive on this specific surface with my C3 WRC and to have equally made progress in understanding the tyre strategy for these stages. We’re now going to concentrate on the Tour de Corse, with the intention of getting back among the frontrunners”, Lappi commented.
?? Well, we Iearned a lot this weekend on how to drive these conditions, especially with this car. I am looking forward to Corsica. Congrat’s to my teammates Seb & Julien and of course to the @CitroenRacing team. We stay positive! #L4PPI #WRC #C3WRC
Championship standing: 6️⃣ pic.twitter.com/pXHgqT1kMz— Esapekka Lappi Rally (@EsapekkaLappi) March 11, 2019
