Sébastien Ogier won his seventh victory on Rally Mexico on Sunday, a record that allows him to dethrone his compatriot Sébastien Loeb. The Frenchman, who did not take part in all of the heats, nevertheless took the lead in the World Championship.
Frenchman Sébastien Ogier (Toyota) won Sunday’s Rally Mexico, the third event of the season, and set a new record by winning this stage of the World Rally Championship (WRC) for the seventh time. At 39, Ogier now has one victory more than Sébastien Loeb (6) on the slippery and demanding tracks of Mexico and continues his quest for records as he did during the legendary Monte-Carlo rally, the first event on the calendar. , which he had won for the ninth time in January.
Belgian Thierry Neuville (Hyundai) ranks second, just four hundredths ahead of Briton Elfyn Evans, who brings a second Toyota to the podium. return after two blank years due to Covid-19. Reigning world champion, the Finnish Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) is in fourth position at 1 min 55 sec and grabs a few extra points thanks to his fourth place in the Power Stage.
Ogier at the top of the ranking
A Power Stage, the last stage of this rally made of stones and dust, won by the eight-time French world champion, who had until then been able to carefully manage his lead in the general classification. Thirty-five seconds acquired after the mechanical setbacks on Friday of the leader of the world championship, the Estonian Ott Tänak (M-Sport Ford), and especially after a spectacular accident, fortunately not serious, which put the Finn Esapekka Lappi out of play ( Hyundai), while leading the race on Saturday.
With a harvest of thirty points, Ogier, who skipped Rally Sweden a month ago and is only doing a partial season with Toyota, takes the lead in the World Rally Championship with 56 points. , ahead of Neuville and Rovanpera. Ott Tanak, first when arriving in the Sierra de Lobos and Sierra de Guanajuato mountains, is only fourth with 47 units.
Croatia as the next step
Once again, the Mexico Rally, with its course laid out at 2,700 meters above sea level, its sharp stones along the tracks and its stray dogs, pushed the mechanics and the drivers to their limits. The Spaniard Daniel Sordo (Hyundai), victim of punctures, or the Frenchman Pierre Louis Loubet (M-Sport / Ford) of broken suspension on Friday and Saturday and a slow puncture on Sunday, can testify to this.
With this record in Mexico, Ogier also offers Toyota a victory in the form of revenge: the Japanese brand, reigning world champion of constructors, was absent from the podium in Sweden. Next stop on the WRC calendar: Rally Croatia from 20 to 23 April on asphalt roads that are known to be narrow and bumpy.
Source: Europe1
Brayden White, a veteran sports writer at Global Happening, brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise to the sports section. With over a decade of experience, he is committed to delivering high-quality coverage of the latest games and events.
