Mirco Baldacci / Giovanni Agnese
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
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Mirco Baldacci / Giovanni Agnese
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
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Marcos Ligato / Ruben Garcia
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
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San Marino driver Mirco Baldacci was delighted to place his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX on the podium in the standings for the Production Car World Rally Championship category of Corona Rally Mexico, which finished in Leon this afternoon.
This was Baldacci’s first ever round of the PWRC. He has previously competed in the Junior World Rally Championship. Despite no testing before the start of the central American rally, Baldacci and co-driver Giovanni Agnese, became one of the talking points of the rally as they progressed through the tricky, high-altitude stages with both pace and precision.
The reigning Production Car World Champion Toshi Arai won the event in his Subaru, with new championship leader Nasser Al-Attiyah taking second spot in a similar car. Hard on their heels, however, came the charging Baldacci.
"This is a fantastic result for me and for everybody involved with this car and team," said Baldacci. "I was a little bit concerned before the event, not having tested the car, but then when the rally got going, the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is so easy to drive, everything came naturally. The roads were really tough, especially on the second run at the stages – where a lot of the very big rocks had been pulled out into the road, but it was nothing the Mitsubishi couldn’t handle. The car was really reliable and fast. I was also really pleased with the speed I was showing. Basically, our pre-event test was two runs at the shakedown stage and then Friday morning in the competition. After that, we just got on and drove the car. I could see the times getting better, which is very encouraging for the rest of the season."
Argentina’s leading rally driver Marcos Ligato also clinched a solid points-paying finish in sixth position. The Tango Rally Team driver, who also uses a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX, benefited from having his nation’s leading tennis player David Nalbandian with him in Mexico this week. Ligato was happy to head south, back to his homeland with points in the bag after what he admitted had been a very tough rally. Czech Republic driver Stipan Vojtech was right behind Nalbandian in seventh place after another strong run in his Lancer Evolution.
Corona Rally Mexico provides World Rally Championship competitors with a unique challenge: height and heat. All of the competition took place at an average of 2,000 metres, with the highest stage running up over 2,700 metres – which can make for incredibly tough going for both man and machine. Added to that altitude were temperatures of more than 30 degrees. Combine those two factors and it’s easy to see why the competitors were pleased to see the finish.
In the overall standings, Sebastien Loeb won the rally for Citroen, with Subaru’s Petter Solberg taking second place and Manfred Stohl (Peugeot) in third. This result leaves Loeb out front in the drivers’ championship race, five points clear of Ford man Marcus Gronholm who was eighth after going off the road on day one.
The next round of the Production Car WRC means another transatlantic trip for the European competitors, as they ready themselves for Rally Argentina on April 27-30. The Cordoba-based rally will be one of the best-supported rounds of the series this season.
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