Kris Meeke has clinched his first maiden WRC victory at XION Rally Argentina. Meeke is the first British driver since 2002 to win a world rally. The Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT finished a one-two as Mads Østberg finished second which is a first 1-2 finish for a French manufacturer in almost 3 years. Elfyn Evans completed the final spot on the podium.
The late Colin McRae was the last British winner at Kenya’s Safari Rally 13 years ago and mentored 35-year-old Meeke through the early part of his career. Meeke dedicated the victory to McRae by saying, “The one guy who did most for me isn’t here to see this. This is for Colin. He helped my career out at the very beginning. He supported me financially through to the world championship. Without his support I wouldn’t be here.”
Meeke led the four-day gravel rally for all but a handful of kilometres in his Citroen DS 3, ending a torrid start to the season in which he crashed in the first three rounds. He ended the first leg with more than a minute’s lead and measured his pace over incredibly rocky conditions which sidelined many frontrunners to finally reach the top step of the podium on his 58th start.
Østberg was fighting with a fever and an early engine problem only for him to secure his second consecutive runners-up spot. Østberg climbed to second in the championship standings behind Sébastien Ogier.
Elfyn Evans survived the final stage of the rally despite suspension problems in his Ford Fiesta RS to finish 3min 27.4sec behind Meeke, conceding a minute as he nursed the car through the test. It was a fitting farewell for the current Fiesta RS, which will be replaced by a new evolution at the next round.
It was a weekend to forget for Team Volkswagen Motorsports as Ogier finished a lowly 17th after suffering with his fuel injectors of his Polo R Rally car. Jari-Matti Latvala retired from third with fuel supply problems Polo R during the first pass of the test. Team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen and fourth-placed Thierry Neuville both crashed out after hitting the same rock in the repeat run.
FIA WRC DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
Pos
Drivers
Team
Points
1st
Sebatian Ogier
Volkswagen Motorsport
84
2nd
Mads Østberg
Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT
51
3rd
Andreas Mikkelsen
47
4th
Elfyn Evans
Ford M-Sport WRT
41
5th
Kris Meeke
35
6th
Thierry Neuville
Hyundai Shell WRT
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