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WRC Mexico: Loeb triumphs by narrow margin
publication date: Mar 8, 2010
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author/source: Robin Roberts
Reigning WRC Sebastien Loeb returned to the top of the winner’s podium in Mexico yesterday, but only just.
He
was chased to the line after a remarkable drive by Phil Solberg and his
Welsh co-driver Phil Mills (below) in their near identical Citroen C4 which
finished only 24 seconds behind and a second infront of the Citroen
Junior Team C4 of Seb Ogier.
BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team
retained the lead of the FIA World Rally Championship after a double
points haul in Rally Mexico.
Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen
finished fourth on the demanding dirt roads in a Ford Focus RS World
Rally Car.
Their team-mates Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila were 27.6
seconds behind in fifth.
The results mean Ford leads the manufacturers'
standings by six points after two rounds of the 13-rally series.
Teams
had to contend with very high altitude which robbed the cars of power
and put much more emphasis in driving ability over roads strewn with
gravel which made it treacherous for the leading crews who brushed away
the slippery top dressing for following drivers. |  |  | Round three of the series takes the BP Ford Abu Dhabi
squad to the Middle East for the Jordan Rally.
It is based on the
shores of the Dead Sea, near the capital city of Amman, on 31 March - 3
April.
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| | | Final positions WRC Mexico |
| 1. S Loeb/D Elena Citroen C4 3hr 42min 41.7sec | | 6. H Solberg/I Minor Ford Focus RS 3hr 45min 29.7sec | | 2. P Solberg/P Mills Citroen C4 3hr 43min 05.9sec | | 7. F Villagra/J Perez Companc Ford Focus RS 3hr 52min 55.1sec | | 3. S Ogier/J Ingrassia Citroen C4 3hr 43min 07.0sec | | 8. X Pons/A Haro Ford Fiesta S2000 4hr 01min 26.1sec | | 4. M Hirvonen/J Lehtinen Ford Focus RS 3hr 44min 29.2sec | | 9. M Prokop/J Tomanek Ford Fiesta S2000 4hr 01min 43.7sec | | 5. J-M Latvala/M Anttila Ford Focus RS 3hr 44min 56.8sec | | 10 A Araujo/R Miguel Mitsubishi Lancer 4hr 04min 14.2sec |
| World Rally Championship positions | | Drivers | | | Manufacturers | | | 1. S Loeb | 43pts | | 1. BP Ford Abu Dhabi | 67pts | | 2. M Hirvonen | 37pts | | 2. Citroen Total
| 61pts | 3= J-M Latvala
| 25pts | | 3. Citroen Junior | 32pts | | 3= S Ogier | 25pts | | 4. Stobart M-Sport Ford | 28pts | 5. P Solberg
| 20pts | | 5. Munchi's Ford | 8pts |
Perez snatches victory with Welsh co-driver on Malcolm Wilson Rally
When Kick Energy rally driver Steve Perez spun and lost
a minute on the second stage of today's Malcolm Wilson Rally, little
did he expect to be crossing the finish line a few hours later as the
winner having successfully defended the title he won last year.
Driving
the Ford Focus 07 along with Welsh co-driver Paul Spooner, Perez, from
Chesterfield, slid off on the treacherously icy Comb stage and knew
from that point on, any hopes of victory for a second successive year
on the Cockermouth-based event were slim.
Despite that, the former
British Historic and National Rally Champion gamely battled on and as
the crews headed for the infamous Grizedale tests near Coniston, Perez
had clawed his way up to third place when on the penultimate stage,
rally leader Paul Bird suffered a problem which forced him out leaving
Perez to battle it out for the lead and courtesy of three stage wins in
the final four tests, took a 17-second win.
The victory was Steve's second successive BTRDA Championship round win following his Wyedean victory last month.
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