WRC – Ogier equals Loeb’s six victories on Rally Mexico as the tournament ends early

Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia claimed the defend at the destroy of Saturday on Rally México after the possibility became once taken to cease the tournament within the face of swiftly-changing shuttle restrictions linked with the global COVID-19 virus outbreak. Ott Tänak piped Teemu Suninen to second plan in an exhilarating afternoon finale.

Rally officials, the WRC Promoter and FIA reached a possibility to destroy the tournament after SS21. Ample stage distance had been covered to build positive that the third spherical of the FIA World Rally Championship became once eligible for elephantine championship points – apart from points for the cancelled Vitality Stage – and it gave crew personnel and members of the global media beyond in vogue time to reach to their countries before any extra restrictions were keep in plan on air shuttle due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Ogier guided his Toyota Yaris WRC to four stage wins on his approach to a 27.8-second victory over defending World Champion Ott Tänak. The success became once the Frenchman’s 48th WRC career defend, a feat surpassed handiest by Loeb’s considerable 79 successes. It also moved Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia to the head of the World Championship standings and enabled Toyota to prolong its lead within the Producers’ Championship. It became once the factory Toyota crew’s first success on the tournament and marked the fourth manufacturer with whom the Frenchman has won the rally.

M-Sport Ford’s Teemu Suninen fought gallantly to fend off a fierce afternoon snort from Tänak in his defence of second plan, however the younger Finn came up precise short as the Estonian moved up to fifth within the Drivers’ Championship within the aid of Ogier, Evans, Neuville and Rovanperä. Tänak won six of the 20 particular phases after struggling with aid from an accident that broken the rear of the vehicle on Friday morning.

Elfyn Evans came into the weekend as the sequence chief however it became once never going to be easy for the Welshman to defend shut out on the podium from his first day starting up plan. Fourth total enabled the Toyota driver to raise on the coattails of his crew-mate within the title creep. Younger Kalle Rovanperä executed fifth within the third of the Yaris WRCs.

Sixth-placed Pontus Tidemand wrapped up his third victory within the FIA WRC2 category in Léon with a dominant performance in a Toksport Škoda Fabia Evo. The Swede erred on the aspect of caution over the closing day and eased to victory over Rally Mexico debutant Nicolay Gryazin by 1min 57.7sec, the opening exacerbated by a unhurried power shaft mission for the Russian.

Gryazin’s Hyundai crew-mate Ole-Christian Veiby ran off a string of stage wins over the closing leg, however brake points had cost the Norwegian too considerable time on Friday. He executed in 10th plan.
 
Gus Greensmith reached the raise out in ninth. He lost out on a high six raise out within the second of the Ford Fiesta WRCs after a time-engrossing battery mission on the second stage of the day and recovered strongly to build an additional bound on the closing mountainous specials.
 
Younger Bolivian driver Marco Bulacia had uncared for out on a FIA WRC2 category defend on the tournament in 2019, however the talented Škoda Fabia driver dominated the newly-named FIA WRC3 piece, executed eighth total and 4min 11.1sec in front of the Citroën C3 of Chilean runner-up Emilio Fernández. Ricardo Triviño became once the main Mexican driver in 12th total, third in WRC3 and winner of the NACAM category after a formidable power.

2020 Rally Mexico – Final official outcomes: