Hyundai Motorsport remains in the hunt for a podium finish in Rally México

Hyundai Motorsport remains in contention for a podium finish in this weekend’s Rally México, the third round of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), despite a challenging Saturday on the gravel stages.

Starting as rally leader, Dani Sordo ended the day third overall, after struggling to find the rhythm in the opening loop and then suffering a front-left puncture at the start of the afternoon loop. The Spaniard, alongside co-driver Carlos del Barrio, is over ten seconds behind second-placed Kris Meeke but 46.8 seconds adrift of new rally leader Sébastien Ogier.

Andreas Mikkelsen has moved up to fourth overall in the #4 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC, with Thierry Neuville in sixth, having endured more drama on the penultimate day of the rally.

Saturday’s schedule saw crews twice contest the 30.97km Guanajuatito and 26.37km Otates tests before tackling the famous El Brinco jump. A lunchtime service separated the two loops, followed by two more timed runs around the Autodromo de León. An evening street stage in the city concluded the day’s action, which totalled 140.35km.

Drama unfolded for the Hyundai Motorsport crews right from the outset with Sordo lacking confidence on the narrow, slippery Guanajuatito stage, and Neuville losing one minute of time through the water splash.

Still embroiled in a close fight for the rally lead with Sébastien Loeb, Sordo started the afternoon loop with just a 2.9-second deficit. Unfortunately, the puncture in SS14 (Guanajuatito 2) saw him lose further time, as indeed did Loeb in the same stage. The Spaniard emerged in third overall behind Ogier and Meeke, with Loeb in fifth behind Mikkelsen and ahead of Neuville.

Crew Notes: Sordo/Del Barrio (#6 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

• Stage win on SS17 (2.3km Autodromo de León), his third and team’s fourth of the event

• Third overall after struggling to find a good rhythm and picking up a puncture in SS14

Sordo said: “A podium in Mexico this weekend would be a great result and I am determined to keep this important position for me and the team. Things haven’t gone according to plan today. I struggled with confidence on the opening stage and lost some time compared to my nearest rivals. The feeling was better for the rest of the morning loop, but it was in the first stage of the afternoon when we lost most time. I hit a small stone at the start of SS14, so had to drive the 31km stage with a front-left puncture. With no spare tyres to rely on, I took the rest of the loop quite steady, not pushing hard. We didn’t want to risk anything. Meeke is not so far in front, so we have to make sure we remain focused and see what happens on Sunday morning.”

Crew Notes: Mikkelsen/Jæger (#4 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

• Tough weekend continued for Norwegian crew

• Fighting to secure fourth place overall with buffer ahead to third and behind to fifth

Mikkelsen said: “The morning was tough and our stage times were not so impressive. We were really struggling when the grip levels were low. Things were better in the afternoon and we were more competitive. On the plus side, we are up to fourth, which is not so bad. There is a big gap to Dani in third and to Loeb in fifth, so we have to really concentrate on our own rally. It’s very easy to make a mistake here, so I want to keep a steady pace and rhythm. It’s impossible to do anything about our position based on pure driving but let’s see what happens tomorrow.”

Crew Notes: Neuville/Gilsoul (#5 Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC)

• Sixth overall after another demanding day

• Good learning experience as first on the road

Neuville said: “It has been another difficult day, but we’re still there and fighting. We have managed to gain one position today, and there are lots of things happening at the front of the pack. The morning didn’t get off to the best of starts after we got stuck in the water splash, losing over a minute of time. We also had two punctures during the day which made things very complicated. We learned a lot as first on the road, so we have to take some positives away despite the obvious frustrations. We have to look forward to Sunday and aim for some points to minimise the damage from this tough weekend.”

Picking up the pieces

Team Principal Michel Nandan said: “There has been a lot of drama today, and unfortunately we haven’t come through the day unscathed ourselves. Punctures for Dani and for Seb Loeb saw the lead of the rally change hands so all we can do now is aim to stay in touch and push for a podium finish from the weekend. Thierry has encountered a few more issues today, in addition to his disadvantageous road position. It has definitely not been his rally but, holding sixth place, he is still chasing precious points. We have three cars inside the top-six, which is some consolation considering the problems everyone has encountered, and we want that to remain the case by Sunday afternoon. This rally is far from over.”

Sunday’s itinerary at a glance

• Three stages will be held on Sunday morning, starting with the 24.32km Alfaro test.

• Two runs through the familiar Las Minas stage will follow with the second acting as the Power Stage with additional driver points up for grabs.

• All in all, just 46.46km of special stages remain with plenty still to play for in the opening gravel event of 2018.

Classification after Day Two