Rally Mexico: Citroen driver Meeke closes in on win as Ogier spins
Citroen driver Kris Meeke furthered his Rally Mexico lead on the Saturday afternoon loop, while a spin cost four-time World Rally champion Sebastien Ogier ground in the lead battle

M-Sport Fiesta driver Ogier had taken some time out of leader Meeke on the afternoon's opening stage, but lost 10 seconds on SS13 with the spin.
As a result, Meeke increased his lead in his C3 to 33.4 seconds with one superspecial remaining this evening before Sunday's final stages.
The lead duo opted for slightly different tyre strategies on the afternoon loop, with Meeke taking four hard tyres and two softs and Ogier a split of two hard and three soft Michelins.
The hards held up better over the run and did not lose as much tread, meaning they were competitive against the drivers on softs whose tyres went off and lost tread depth.
Ogier had refused to push too hard in his pursuit of Meeke, and appeared content to settle for another strong haul of points - which would allow the Rally Monte Carlo winner to retake the championship lead from Jari-Matti Latvala.
Thierry Neuville was one of those who suffered from tyre degradation and holds third in his Hyundai i20, the Belgian trailing Ogier by 39.5s with three stages to go.
Ott Tanak seems destined for fourth, which would mark his first finish off the podium in 2017.
Tanak struggled to catch Neuville on Saturday's stages but did seem happier in the afternoon and took a stage win, after set-up maladies affected his morning running.
Hayden Paddon - like Hyundai team-mate Neuville - suffered on his tyres and heads the two Toyota Yaris's in fifth.
Latvala admitted the event has become an extended test for Toyota, which is experimenting with engine settings and tyres, and currently occupies sixth.
Juho Hanninen had been suffering with illness but felt better in the afternoon and is on course to score his first overall classification points of the season, holding seventh overnight in his sister Yaris.
Dani Sordo's supreme pace on Saturday's morning stages dried up somewhat, but the Spaniard does find himself back in the points after a 10-minute penalty levied against him by Rally Mexico organisers for not completing Friday's special stage was overturned.
He now lies eighth, 45s behind Hanninen.
Elfyn Evans continued with one hand behind his back with a pre-event five-minute penalty for an engine change, but has worked his way into ninth place in his DMACK-shod Ford Fiesta.
WRC2 leader Pontus Tidemand rounded out the top 10, the Swede retaking the class lead on the last stage of the loop.
Tidemand had fallen behind the M-Sport Fiesta R5 of Eric Camilli early on Saturday morning, but now heads the class once more with a 0.6s advantage.
OVERALL CLASSIFICATION AFTER SS16:
Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kris Meeke, P.Nagle | Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT | Citroen | 2h46m13.9s |
2 | Sebastien Ogier, J.Ingrassia | M-Sport World Rally Team | Ford | 33.4s |
3 | Thierry Neuville, N.Gilsoul | Hyundai Motorsport | Hyundai | 1m12.9s |
4 | Ott Tanak, M.Jarveoja | M-Sport World Rally Team | Ford | 2m12.7s |
5 | Hayden Paddon, J.Kennard | Hyundai Motorsport | Hyundai | 3m26.1s |
6 | Jari-Matti Latvala, M.Anttila | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC | Toyota | 4m32.5s |
7 | Juho Hanninen, K.Lindstrom | Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC | Toyota | 4m33.2s |
8 | Elfyn Evans, D.Barritt | M-Sport World Rally Team | Ford | 8m23.8s |
9 | Dani Sordo, M.Marti | Hyundai Motorsport | Hyundai | 8m24.6s |
10 | Pontus Tidemand, J.Andersson | Skoda Motorsport | Skoda | 9m26.1s |

Rally Mexico: Citroen's Meeke adds to advantage on Saturday morning
Rally Mexico: Meeke seals fourth WRC win despite late car park scare

Latest news
WRC Rally Belgium: Everything you need to know
The World Rally Championship heads to the asphalt roads of Ypres Rally Belgium this weekend, with Toyota’s Kalle Rovanpera facing a slim prospect of wrapping up the title.
Third-generation McRae eyeing Junior WRC graduation for 2023
Third generation driver Max McRae is working hard towards stepping up to the Junior class of the World Rally Championship next season, following a test in a JWRC car.
Ex-F1 racer Kovalainen plans Japan WRC entry, eyes European outings
Ex-Formula 1 racer Heikki Kovalainen is pressing ahead with preparations for a one-off WRC outing in Japan in November and plans to contest more events in Europe in the near-future.
Hyundai cautiously optimistic after shock Finland WRC win
An unexpected victory in Finland has left Hyundai Motorsport cautiously optimistic it has turned a corner after a difficult start to the World Rally Championship's new hybrid era.
How Rovanpera has reignited Finland's rallying obsession
Finland may have a small population, but it has long enjoyed rallying success. Now that the nation has a new star to cheer in the form of Kalle Rovanpera, interest in the discipline is surging once again
How Tanak spoiled Rovanpera’s Finnish homecoming
Kalle Rovanpera and Toyota went into Rally Finland as overwhelming favourites but came away as runners-up to a resurgent Ott Tanak and Hyundai. While it may have dampened the homecoming party, it still moved the Finn closer to the ultimate World Rally Championship prize
Inside Hyundai’s F1-spec mobile WRC home
Hyundai is one of the World Rally Championship's big three, and has a brand-new travelling facility befitting of that status. The team invited Autosport for a behind-the-scenes look at its state-of-the-art HQ, which comes complete with all the bells and whistles you'd expect of a top Formula 1 outfit
How Rovanpera's latest Estonia masterclass left his WRC rivals stumped
After trailing Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans for much of Rally Estonia's opening day, WRC points leader Kalle Rovanpera took advantage of a change in the weather and never looked back afterwards. Winning for a fifth time this year at the scene of his 2021 breakthrough, and with a breathtaking powerstage bonus for good measure, his advantage is already looking difficult to topple
How the WRC captures its stunning visuals
Whether it’s the mountains of Monte Carlo, the snow of Sweden or the Kenya Savannah, the World Rally Championship is able to beam some of motorsport’s most spectacular footage to television screens while operating in the harshest of environments. Autosport went behind the scenes to unearth the secrets that make this logistical challenge possible
Why WRC's Safari tour is more than just a rally
OPINION: A source of national pride in Kenya, the Safari Rally is also a sporting, cultural and economic phenomenon. And as last weekend's World Rally Championship round reminded us, it's a key driver in establishing Africa’s place in world motorsport
How Rovanpera tamed a wild Safari Rally
The Safari Rally acted as a brutal test of driver and car resolve as multiple retirements opened the path for a historic Toyota 1-2-3-4 triumph, headed by star Kalle Rovanpera. But keeping things clean was only half of the challenge, as a well-timed charge when conditions worsened allowed the Finn to take control
How Tanak turned the tables to deliver Hyundai a timely WRC triumph
The 2019 champion has been a bit-part player recently, but Ott Tanak ended a 15-month drought in fine style with a dominant win in Sardinia. On a weekend when championship leader Kalle Rovanpera struggled with cleaning the road, his Hyundai rival has made his belated arrival into the title race and given cause for those predicting a walkover from the Toyota star to pause