Andreas Mikkelsen’s Rally Mexico debut proved a brief one when the Norwegian’s Volkswagen Polo R retired midway through the long 44.03km El Chocolate (SS3) with broken suspension.
It is believed Mikkelsen went off the road and hit a rock. His Volkswagen hopes he will restart tomorrow under Rally 2 regulations.
Robert Kubica was hampered for the final 30km by troubles with the gearshift on his Ford Fiesta RS. To aid his weakened right hand, the Pole uses a paddle shift system but the hydraulic assistance failed, a problem Kubica blamed on the heat.
Thick gravel covered the surface and Jari-Matti Latvala and Sébastien Ogier, the first two cars into the stage, swept the loose stones clear for the benefit of those behind. Third on the road Mads Ostberg was one of those to benefit, the Norwegian going fastest to move into a 1.1 second lead over Ogier with Mikko Hirvonen climbing to third.
Benito Guerra damaged the steering rack on his Fiesta RS and his steering wheel was moving around in the cockpit. WRC 2 leader Ott Tanak retired shortly after the start when he went off and ripped the left front wheel from his Fiesta R5 while Nicolas Fuchs also stopped with a broken suspension arm.