Citroen Abu Dhabi enjoy ‘perfect’ day to occupy top two places at Rally Argentina

Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle secured three stage wins in their DS 3 WRC as they ended day one of Rally Argentina leading the overall standings.

Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi in action during day two of Rally Argentina. Photo courtesy: Citroen Abu Dhabi

The second day of Rally Argentina was dominated by the Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, with Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle leading the overall standings, and Mads Ostberg and Jonas Anderson in second.

After the shakedown was held on Wednesday afternoon, most of Thursday was devoted to a road section to San Luis for the opening test, a city-centre super special stage.

The 51.99km Agua de Oro to Ascochinga test was expected to provide the first real insight as to the pecking order of the teams. However, the difficulties of the route decimated the WRC field.

Despite the tough conditions that saw Sebastien Ogier retire and Andreas Mikkelsen and Thierry Neuville lose ground, Meeke set the fastest time to move into the overall lead, with Østberg grabbing fourth place.

Slowed by a puncture on SS3, Meeke saw his lead cut in half, whilst Mads Østberg moved up to third overall.

After the thirty-minute midday service period, Meeke continued to forge ahead. Particularly quick on the long stage, he extended his advantage over second-placed Jari-Matti Latvala and Østberg, who consolidated third.

Even quicker on Villa Bustos to Tanti 2, Meeke ended the first leg — the longest of the rally — with a lead of over a minute on Mads Østberg. The Norwegian moved ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala into second place on the final stage of the day.

“We knew that it would be an incredibly difficult day, even the most experienced drivers had problems,” Meeke said. “For us, on the other hand, the DS 3 WRC was perfect. Although the road surface was very rough, I felt really comfortable in the car and the times were good.”

Ostberg revealed that the Citroen Abu Dhabi team’s plan was being executed perfectly and said they are aiming to carry on in a similar fashion for the remainder of the rally.

“We are sticking to the plan we had before the start of the rally,” Ostberg said. “The aim is to drive at our own pace, without taking any risks. It’s great to finish in second position after this difficult first leg. It augurs well for the rest of the rally, especially with our teammates in front of us. We have to keep going tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, nn their first competitive outing of the season in the DS 3 WRC, Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi and Chris Patterson lie eighth overall.

“It was very rough. I decided to be cautious on the first loop to get my bearings,” Sheikh Khalid said. “I tried to increase my pace a little bit after that. This afternoon, I went with soft tyres. It was more difficult on the last twenty kilometres, but that was part and parcel of our strategy.”

STANDINGS AFTER DAY Two

1. Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle (DS 3 WRC) 1:44:47.8

2. Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson (DS 3 WRC) +1:08.4

3. Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (Volkswagen Polo R WRC) +1:23.5

4. Dani Sordo/Marc Marti (Hyundai i20 WRC) +1:54.2

5. Elfyn Evans/Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +1:59.7

6. Martin Prokop/Jan Tomanek (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +3:27.4

7. Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai i20 WRC) +5:06.2

8. Khalid Al Qassimi/Chris Patterson (DS 3 WRC) +6:01.8

9. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari/Marshall Clarke (Ford Fiesta RRC) +6:46.3

10. Yurii Protasov/Pavlo Cherepin (Ford Fiesta RRC) +8:43.3

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