Portugal: Leaders from the second stage to the end, Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle produced a masterful performance at Rally de Portugal to claim their second World Championship win. This win, Citroen’s 95th victory in the WRC, was just rewards for the hard work of the Abu Dhabi Total WRT at its first gravel rally of the season. Having rejoined Tuesday morning under Rally2 regulations, Stephane Lefebvre/Gabin Moreau and Khalid Al Qasimi/Chris Patterson made it to the final podium.
The Abu Dhabi Total WRT crews’ day started before sunrise Tuesday morning, with service at 5.15am for Stephane Lefebvre! As overnight rainfall had softened the gravel roads, all the drivers had no hesitation in fitting soft compound Michelin LTX Force tyres for the rally’s closing four stages.
Armed with a healthy 45.3-second advantage, Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle could afford to manage their lead. Whilst Andreas Mikkelsen dislodged Sebastien Ogier from second place, the Citroen Racing crew controlled proceedings at the front. After the first runs on Vieira do Minho and Fafe, they still held a 35.5s lead.
The no. 7 crews didn’t change their strategy for the final two tests. At the end of the Fafe stage, Kris and Paul could finally relax after claiming their second win in the WRC, finishing 29.7s ahead of Andreas Mikkelsen.
After rejoining this morning under Rally2 rules, Stephane Lefebvre and Khalid Al Qasimi had an uneventful day. The young Frenchman ended the event on a high, grabbing the fifth fastest time on the Power Stage.
After this great result, the Abu Dhabi Total WRT will now focus on the next event on its calendar. Two cars will be entered at the forthcoming Rally Poland (30 June-3 July) for Stephane Lefebvre/Gabin Moreau and Craig Breen/Scott Martin.
“First and foremost, I must thank the entire team and PH Sport for the work done this weekend. We have secured this win against top-level competition so the performance is especially important for me as a driver. Before the start, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Although I’ve done a lot of testing over the last few weeks, I was clearly short of competitive mileage. But I managed to drive quickly and led pretty much from start to finish, managing my lead from Saturday afternoon onwards,” said a jubilant Meeke adding that he was cautious again on the final day.
“There were quite a lot of embedded rocks on Fafe, especially on the second pass. It really is a very special feeling to win here. The atmosphere is incredible, with some of noisiest and most passionate fans in the world. They say that getting that first win is a monkey off your back, but it feels like this one is just as important. There aren’t too many drivers that have won a WRC rally, but there are even fewer who have won two! We’re now going to try and build on this result for the next few races and especially in 2017 to be compete at the highest level,” he said.
FINAL OVERALL STANDINGS (UNOFFICIAL)
1. Meeke / Nagle (DS 3 WRC) 3:59:01.0
2. Mikkelsen / Jaeger (VW Polo-R WRC) +29.7
3. Ogier / Ingrassia (VW Polo-R WRC) +34.5
4. Sordo / Marti (Hyundai i20 WRC) +1:37.1
5. Camilli / Veillas (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +4:01.6
6. Latvala / Anttila (VW Polo-R WRC) +4:06.9
7. Ostberg / Floene (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +6:53.6
8. Prokop / Tomanek (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +10:24.1
9. Tidemand / Andersson (Skoda Fabia R5) +11:45.2
10. Fuchs / Mussano (Skoda Fabia R5) +13:14.0
