Petter Solberg Leads Rally Mexico After Day One in Guanajuato
León, Mexico — Former FIA World Rally Champion Petter Solberg leads Rally Mexico at the end of the first day of competition. "Today has been good fun," says Petter. "Of course our road position was a good advantage, but still we have been fast. It will be more difficult tomorrow being first car on the road, but I will keep on enjoying the driving and the fight."
The Norwegian heads a quartet of Citroën C4 World Rally Cars, the French manufacturer’s cars having dominated. Sébastien Ogier holds second and reigning World Champion Sébastien Loeb is third, however the gap between the top three is already 27.5 seconds.
Based in the State of Guanajuato, Rally Mexico is one of the most compact events on the calendar and poses significant challenges. The cactus-strewn mountain stages climb to heights in excess of 2,700 metres, reducing engine power by up to 30 percent. Fast and flowing roads combine with slower and more technical sections, and running order on this North American gravel event can be a significant factor, such is the effect of the loose gravel.
Petter Solberg, running eighth on the road, claimed the advantage from the outset and in the first stage alone pulled out a 9.8 second lead over Ogier. The Norwegian ran without problems and ended the day with a 15 second advantage, having elected not to tactically drop down the order to benefit from another good starting position on Saturday. "I have no reason to play tactics," Petter said. "I’m here to drive as fast as possible, not to play. We have no plan, no strategy - just to take it as it comes."
Sebastien Ogier has maintained second throughout the day and Loeb climbed into third on SS3 when team-mate Dani Sordo dropped a few seconds.
Jari-Matti Latvala is the highest-placed Ford, in fifth position. The Finn found conditions extremely slippery this morning but gained in confidence during the repeated stages in the afternoon. He is 30.3 seconds ahead of team-mate and Championship leader Mikko Hirvonen, who had a narrow escape in the second stage when he hit a rock and then a concrete post.
Former Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen had a difficult start. The Finn hit a rock in the first stage and damaged the steering arm, and then stopped in the following stage when a connection to the fuel pump came loose. It took him and co-driver Kaj Lindström over 30 minutes to locate and fix the problem. Despite dropping way down the order, they nevertheless went on to set top 10 stage times and even claimed equal fourth on the tarmac street stage, before rolling into retirement late this afternoon.
Leaderboard After Day 1
1. P Solberg/P Mills NOR Citroen C4 1hr 23min 39.9sec
2. S Ogier/J Ingrassia FRA Citroen C4 1hr 23min 54.9sec
3. S Loeb/D Elena FRA Citroen C4 1hr 24min 07.4sec
4. D Sordo/M Marti ESP Citroen C4 1hr 24min 20.7sec
5. J-M Latvala/M Anttila FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 24min 41.1sec
6. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen FIN Ford Focus RS 1hr 25min 11.4sec
7. H Solberg/I Minor NOR Ford Focus RS 1hr 25min 17.4sec
8. M Wilson/S Martin GBR Ford Focus RS 1hr 26min 27.1sec
9. F Villagra/J Perez Companc ARG Ford Focus RS 1hr 27min 59.7sec
10. K Block/A Gelsomino USA Ford Focus RS 1hr 28min 13.2sec
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End
Image Copyrights: World Rally Sport
Photo: Petter Solberg leads WRC Rally Mexico after day one in Guanajuato and Leon
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