With two victories of the FIA World Rally Championship season in the
bag for Ogier/Ingrassia, Rally of Mexico was the third win for the duo in their
2015 Volkswagen Polo R WRC car. Teammate Mikkelsen /Floene finish 3rd
behind Ostberg/Andersson for Citroën in the DS3 rally car.
With 25 wins (in 29 rallies competed in, ever) for the Polo R WRC,
Volkswagen extends its lead in the manufacturers title with the hat-trick for
Ogier/Ingrassia winning all of the first three rounds of the 2015 WRC season
showing excellent form. The French pair now has an impressive 27 victories to
its name, putting them ahead of rally legend Carlos Sainz and into third place
in the all-time winners list.
The double world champions finished in the top three on 20 of the 21
special stages. They even clocked the fastest time on nine of the 21 stages.
Ogier/Ingrassia moved into the lead just 5.61 kilometres into the rally and
never surrendered that position despite heavy threats from team-mates Mikkelsen/Floene
and Latvala/Anttila. Neuville/Gilsoul driving for Hyundai and Ostberg/Andersson
were also heavily involved in what was an exciting battle for the lead.
In trying to put their team-mates under pressure, Latvala/Anttila skidded
into a bank resulting suspension damage which forced them to retire early on
Saturday. The duo returned to action on Sunday, fighting their way back to
claim six points in the Manufacturers’ Championship.
The conditions on the special stages posed big challenges for the
drivers and co-drivers. The road surface on the first of six gravel rallies in
a row consisted of a mixture of loose sand on one hand and rough, jagged gravel
on the other. “Otates”, “Los Mexicanos”, “Ibarilla” and “Derramadero” are
classics on the WRC calendar. The “El Brinco” Power Stage, with its famous and
popular jump, provided a fitting finish. The three bonus points for the fastest
time went to Ogier/ Ingrassia, with Mikkelsen/Fløene picking up two extra
points for finishing second.
Following his victory Sébastien Ogier commened, “Absolutely
incredible! I am so happy and proud of this victory in Mexico. It is one of the
best wins of my career…It is my third win in a row here… I love coming here.
The route suits me, the countryside is fantastic, and the fans make the rally a
great fiesta every year.”