Loeb leads WRC

Following Ford’s victory at the first round of the 2010 World Rally Championship in Sweden, the tables were turned at this weekend’s Rally Mexico.



Citroen occupied all three podium positions, with Sebastien Loeb claiming his fourth successive victory in the event. His performance on day two of the rally, which left him nearly a minute ahead of the rest of the field, effectively secured the win. Such a huge margin meant Loeb could take it relatively easy on the final day.



In a well-deserved second place was Petter Solberg, driving his privately-entered C4 WRC. He had been in the lead at the end of the first day, benefiting from the cars running ahead sweeping away the fine gravel and giving him better grip.



Unable to match the pace of Loeb on day two, Solberg then had to battle with Sebastien Ogier for second spot. Right up until the final stage, a Super Special in Leon, Solberg was lying third, just 0.6 seconds behind the Frenchman. However, Solberg managed to set the fastest stage time, eventually finishing the rally 1.1 seconds ahead of Ogier.



Ogier’s fellow driver in the Citroen Junior Team, ex-F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen, did not fair so well, crashing out in dramatic style on day one.







The Mexico event also saw the debut of Ken Block in a WRC car, driving a Ford Focus RS WRC 08 for the Monster World Rally Team. Although famous for his exploits on YouTube, he is also a rally driver of some talent, twice finishing runner-up in the Rally America National Championship.



Block acquitted himself well, finishing day one in tenth place. An accident on a slippery right-hand bend on the second day however badly damaged his car’s suspension, putting him out of contention. He was able to re-join the rally on Sunday though, under the Super Rally rules.



Going into the next round, the Jordan Rally which starts on 1 April, Loeb leads the championship with 43 points. The BP Ford Abu Dhabi WRT duo of Hirvonen and Latvala are sitting in second and third, on 37 and 25 points respectively.