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NORTHERN Irish driver Kris Meeke and his navigator Paul Nagle from Killarney overcame a major hiccup to seal victory at Rally Mexico last Saturday.

The Citroën drivers were in front going into the final day and extended their lead over Stéphane Lefebvre by 6.3 seconds in the penultimate speed test.

With victory in sight as they headed into the final few turns, disaster struck as the C3 WRC ran wide on a long right-hand corner. Amazingly, the car flew through a hedge at the side of the road and into a spectator car park.

Meeke managed to keep his cool and get back on track before crossing the finish line with 13.8 seconds to spare.

It’s the duo’s fourth win in the World Rally Championship following their victories in Argentina in 2015 and Portugal and Finland in 2016.

Director of Citroën Racing Yves Matton was mightily relieved with the outcome. “What happened is almost beyond belief, even if this kind of thing has occurred before,” he said.

“At the time, there was some confusion as to what had happened; the onboard footage made it look like there had been a major off whereas the tracking system indicated that the car was still moving. When the car crossed the finishing line we were absolutely thrilled and all the tension and drama just slipped away.”

Tyrone man Meeke admitted that he was fortunate to recover from the mishap. “I think I might end up telling this story hundreds of times,” he reflected.

“I'm annoyed with myself for making that mistake. The car went wide after a big compression and we were very lucky. I quickly looked to get back on the road because I knew we could still win. That's the main thing: we showed the potential of the Citroën C3 WRC in securing the car's first win. I'm proud and delighted for the entire team. This result is for them.”

Ford’s Sébastian Ogier finished second while Thierry Neuville of Hyundai was third.

The victory propels Meeke up to sixth place in the Driver’s World Championship leaderboard on 27 points.

Citroën are currently fourth in the Manufacturer’s World Championship with 55 points.
 

 
Above: Locals catch a glimpse of Citroën’s Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle during last weekend’s Rally Mexico.