Sordo in duel against Meeke in Mexico

Dani Sordo was in the fight for the head of the Rally of Mexico against Sébastien Loeb (Citroën) in the second stage of the Rally Mexico until the two leaders suffered a puncture on the second pass of Guanajuatito (SS14), leaving first place to Sébastien Ogier (M-Sport).

If the pilot Hyundai a perdu une demi-minute dans l’incident, il reste en lutte pour la deuxième place face à Kris Meeke (Citroën) qui le devance de moins de 11 secondes.

“A podium in Mexico would be a great result and I am determined to maintain this position, commented Dani Sordo. Things didn't go as planned. I lacked confidence in the first special (of the second stage) and I lost time against my direct opponents. I felt better afterwards, but it was in the first stage of the second pass where I lost the most time. I hit a small stone at the start of SS14 and had to drive for 31km with a front left puncture. Without a spare wheel for the rest of the passage, I had to remain careful on the other routes. We didn't want to take all the risks. Meeke is not far ahead, so we will have to stay focused. »

Hyundai Motorsport is doing quite well after a poor start to the event with Andreas Mikkelsen following in fourth place. The Norwegian has nothing left to play for since he is more than 41 seconds behind his teammate.

“It was difficult in the first pass and our times were not impressive, admits the former Volkswagen driver. I was struggling with the lack of grip on the courses. It improved in the second pass and we were able to perform better. Plus, we're now 4th, which isn't too bad. We have to concentrate on our own rally given the gaps with Dani and Seb (Loeb). It's very easy to make a mistake here and so I want to keep the same pace, but it will be impossible to improve our position on a regular basis. »

Thierry Neuville completes the Hyundai line-up by being isolated in sixth place. The Championship leader, again the opener in the second stage, made several errors which could have cost him dearly.

“It was a tough day but we’re still here, noted the vice-world champion. We managed to gain a position and a lot happened in front of us. The day didn't start well because we got stuck after a ford, which made us lose a minute. We also suffered two punctures. We learned a lot by going first on the road. We must therefore take positive points even if we are obviously frustrated. We will try to get as many points as possible in the last stage to limit the damage. »

The final stage of Rally Mexico is scheduled to start at 15:18 p.m. The end of the event will be followed live with our live text.