Kris Meeke takes victory for Citro�n Racing in Rally Argentina
Citro�n Racing scores a one-two finish at Rally Argentina, marking ten out of eleven wins in Carlos Paz.
Having already set the joint fastest time in Wednesday's shakedown, Kris Meeke and co-driver Paul Nagle only missed out on winning the first stage by 0.2 seconds.
However, after grabbing the lead following the treacherous SS2, the DS3 WRC crew controlled the pace perfectly from the front on what is an incredibly difficult event.
Kris Meeke maintained his lead until the very end to take his first ever win in the World Championship. In doing so, he claimed the first win by a British driver since Colin McRae prevailed at the 2002 Safari Rally.
Meanwhile, following a technical issue in the early stages, Mads Ostberg settled for the runners-up spot, finishing 18.1 seconds behind teammate Kris Meeke. Despite the issues he suffered, Mads Ostberg posted top-five times in every other test, peaking with four-second best times and three thirds, including in the Power Stage, which netted him an extra point.
Kris Meeke has become the 74th driver to win a World Championship rally and the fourth most successful Briton, after the late Colin McRae (25 wins), Richard Burns (10) and Roger Clarke (1), while Paul Nagle is the second Irish co-driver to win a WRC round after Ronan McNamee in 1989. For Citro�n Racing, this is their 94th WRC win and their 29th one-two finish, both of which are new records.
Thanks to the maximum points scored in this one-two finish, the Citro�n Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team now holds second place in the Manufacturers' standings.
Meeke said: "Everything was fine until we got to the end of the last stage. Once we had crossed the line, I was overcome with emotions. It'll take time for it to really sink in. I didn't start the rally aiming to fight for the win. I just wanted to have an error-free rally."
He added: "From the shakedown onwards, I felt full of confidence. It was a really difficult race but the DS3 WRC is a solid and reliable car. All the other guys had problems and we secured a one-two finish. I have to thank Yves Matton, who believed in me. He gave me a great opportunity and he has been supportive throughout. This is just the first step in me thanking him for that support. I hope there will be others. This one is for Colin McRae."
The next stage is Rally de Portugal on 21 to 24 May.
by: Becca Chaplin