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<\/p>\nIreland\u2019s Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle kept up their impressive form and (just about) held their nerve on the final day of Rally Mexico. Despite running off the road a few corners before the end of the Power Stage, the Citro\u00ebn Total Abu Dhabi WRT crew secured the C3 WRC’s maiden rally win!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The final day of the rally only featured two stages: La Calera (32.96km) and the Derramadero Power Stage (21.94km). <\/p>\n
As the crews left the service park this morning, light rain had started to fall. This led to the Citro\u00ebn Total Abu Dhabi WRT crews making different calls when it came to tyre choice. Kris Meeke went with four soft and two hard Michelin LTX Force tyres, whilst St\u00e9phane Lefebvre opted to go with six soft compound tyres.<\/p>\n
On the penultimate speed test, Kris Meeke claimed his fifth stage win of the weekend. He extended his lead over S\u00e9bastien Ogier by another 6.3s, whilst St\u00e9phane Lefebvre set an excellent third fastest time.<\/p>\n
The team looked on nervously as the crews contested the Power Stage, broadcast live on television. And there was certainly no shortage of drama! With the finishing line almost in sight, the Northern Irishman’s Citro\u00ebn C3 WRC ran wide on a long right-hand corner. The car ran through the hedge at the side of the road and into… a spectator car park!<\/p>\n
Kris managed to keep his cool, get around the parked cars and back onto the road in a few seconds. He crossed the finishing line to secure victory by 13.8 seconds! <\/p>\n
After something of an emotional roller-coaster ride during the final stage, there were scenes of joy and celebration in the team as Kris and Paul were welcomed as champions on their return to the Le\u00f3n service park.<\/p>\n
This is Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle’s fourth win in the WRC, following Argentina in 2015, and Portugal and Finland in 2016. It is also Citro\u00ebn\u2019s 97th win in the World Rally Championship.<\/p>\n
Kris Meeke said afterwards: “I think I might end up telling this story hundreds of times\u2026 I’m annoyed with myself for making that mistake. The car went wide after a big compression and we were very lucky. I quickly looked to get back on the road because I knew we could still win. That’s the main thing: we showed the potential of the Citro\u00ebn C3 WRC in securing the car’s first win. I’m proud and delighted for the entire team, this result is for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
CLASSIFICATIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n FINAL STANDINGS (UNOFFICIAL)<\/strong> MANUFACTURERS\u2019 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP<\/strong> Ireland\u2019s Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle kept up their impressive form and (just about) held their nerve on the final day of Rally Mexico. Despite running off the road a few corners before the end of the Power Stage, the Citro\u00ebn Total Abu Dhabi WRT crew secured the C3 WRC’s maiden rally win! The final […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16595,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[654,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irish-news","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n1. Meeke \/ Nagle (Citro\u00ebn C3 WRC) 3:22:04.6
\n2. Ogier \/ Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +13.8
\n3. Neuville \/ Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 WRC) +59.7
\n\u2003
\nDRIVERS\u2019 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP<\/strong>
\n1. S\u00e9bastien Ogier – 66 points
\n2. Jari-Matti Latvala – 58 points
\n3. Ott Tanak – 48 points
\n4. Dani Sordo – 30 points
\n5. Thierry Neuville – 28 points
\n6. KRIS MEEKE – 27 points<\/strong>
\n7. CRAIG BREEN – 20 points<\/strong>
\n8. Elfyn Evans – 20 points
\n9. Hayden Paddon – 17 points
\n10. Stephane Lefebvre – 10 points<\/p>\n
\n1. M-Sport WRT – 103 points
\n2. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT – 67 points
\n3. Hyundai Motorsport – 65 points
\n4. Citro\u00ebn Total Abu Dhabi WRT – 55 points<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"