The final day of Rally Guanajuato Mexico has got off to a dramatic start after Sebastien Ogier went off the road on the day’s first test.
Ogier started the stage with a lead of 10.5s over Citroen team-mate Sebastien Loeb but hit trouble approximately 13 kilometres from the stage start, breaking the front left-wheel of his DS3 WRC after going off the road.
Loeb now has an overall advantage of 1m37.8s with two stages remaining. Mikko Hirvonen moves up to second with fellow Ford Fiesta RS WRC driver Jari-Matti Latvala climbing to third.
“For sure I was not happy to see him there,” said Loeb after completing the stage. “It’s not so nice to have to push between team-mates but it’s my job to push and to fight for my championship I had to push him. I wanted to fight. It’s very important to take the car home now.”
Hirvonen and Latvala both reported adopting a low-risk strategy through the stage to preserve Ford’s healthy quota of manufacturers’ championship points.
Petter Solberg, who has elected to carry one spare tyre to boost his chances of winning the event-closing Power Stage, also said he wasn’t taking any risks as he looks to preserve his car’s tyres and avoid picking up a puncture.
Henning Solberg said his Fiesta had developed a front-right brake problem on the stage but added that he could repair it before the penultimate run.
In the battle for the Super 2000 World Rally Championship Martin Prokop has slashed Nasser Al-Attiyah’s lead to 23.1s after Al-Attiyah reported losing time when the lining around his door worked loose and began touching his arm.
Standings after SS20 :
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | S. LOEB / D. ELENA | Citroën DS3 WRC | 3h33m13.3s |
| 02 | M. HIRVONEN / J. LEHTINEN | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | +1m37.8s |
| 03 | J. LATVALA / M. ANTTILA | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | +2m33.4s |
| 04 | P. SOLBERG / C. PATTERSSON | Citroën DS3 WRC | +7m04.5s |
| 05 | M. ØSTBERG / J. ANDERSSON | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | +8m28.5s |
| 06 | H. SOLBERG / I. MINOR | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | +9m24.0s |
| 07 | N. AL-ATTIYAH / G. BERNACCHINI | Ford Fiesta S2000 | +12m01.5s |
| 08 | M. PROKOP / J. TOMANEK | Ford Fiesta S2000 | +12m24.6s |
| 09 | J. HÄNNINEN / M. MARKKULA | Skoda Fabia S2000 | +12m47.0s |
| 10 | K. BLOCK / A. GELSOMINO | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | +43m38.8s |
| 11 | F. VILLAGRA / J. PÉREZ COMPANC | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | +45m42.6s |
| 12 | O. TANAK / K. SIKK | Ford Fiesta S2000 | +51m57.1s |
| 13 | B. GUERRA / J. MARIN | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X | +59m29.1s |
| 14 | F. NAME / A. ZAPATA | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX | +1h02m29.6s |
| 15 | M. JOURDAIN / M. PIMENTEL | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX | +1h04m56.2s |