Second for Tänak exceeded his dreams. As championship leader, the Toyota Yaris driver opened the roads in Friday’s first leg and faced the worst of the conditions, conceding big chunks of time ploughing a clean line through thick gravel.
He started the final leg, in which temperatures again topped 30°C, 2.2sec adrift of Evans. He overhauled the Welshman in the opening test to eventually end 19.2sec ahead. The pair were the only topline drivers to avoid problems in the gruelling conditions.
Thierry Neuville and his Hyundai i20 were both off-colour en route to fourth. The Belgian fought illness during the rally and struggled for pace in the high-altitude stages. He dropped to third in the championship standings behind Tänak.
Kris Meeke finished fifth, his best result since joining Toyota Gazoo Racing. With a huge time advantage over sixth-placed Benito Guerra, the Ulsterman drove slowly through today’s initial stages to ensure his tyres were in the best condition to chase a Wolf Power Stage win, only to be denied by Ogier.
He ended almost 9min 30sec clear of home hero Guerra, who won WRC 2 in a Skoda Fabia. Marco Bulacia finished seventh and second in the support category, holding off Jari-Matti Latvala, who limped his Yaris through the final stage with a broken radiator.
Dani Sordo and Ricardo Trivino completed the leaderboard.
The championship returns to Europe later this month for the opening all-asphalt fixture. The Corsica Linea - Tour de Corse is based in Bastia on 28 - 31 March.
Final Overall Classification – Rally México
| 1 | S. Ogier | J. Ingrassia | Citroën C3 WRC | 3:37:08.0 |
| 2 | O. Tänak | M. Järveoja | Toyota Yaris WRC | +30.2 |
| 3 | E. Evans | S. Martin | Ford Fiesta WRC | +49.9 |
| 4 | T. Neuville | N. Gilsoul | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | +1:27.0 |
| 5 | K. Meeke | S. Marshall | Toyota Yaris WRC | +6:06.2 |
| 6 | B. Guerra | J. Zapata | Škoda Fabia R5 | +15:35.5 |
| 7 | M. Bulacia | F. Cretu | Škoda Fabia R5 | +18:51.5 |
| 8 | J.M Latvala | M. Anttila | Toyota Yaris WRC | +18:55.9 |
| 9 | D. Sordo | C. del Barrio | Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC | +22:44.1 |
| 10 | R. Triviño | M. Martí | Škoda Fabia R5 | +26:21.7 |
2019 FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers’ Standings
After round 3
| 1 | O. Tanak | 65 |
| 2 | S. Ogier | 61 |
| 3 | T. Neuville | 55 |
| 4 | K. Meeke | 35 |
| 5 | E. Evans | 28 |
| 6 | E. Lappi | 20 |
| 7 | S.Loeb | 18 |
| 8 | J.M Latvala | 14 |
| 9 | A. Mikkelsen | 12 |
2019 FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers’ Standings
After round 3
| 1 | Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team | 86 |
| 2 | Citroën Total World Rally Team | 78 |
| 3 | Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team | 77 |
| 4 | M-Sport Ford World Rally Team | 45 |
More rally news:
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