WRC detours: not your regular car park doughies

15 March 2017

World Rally Championship drivers aren’t known for doing things half-arsed and crowds are drawn by the balls to the wall style of driving. The off the road incidents are almost always hairy but as Kris Meeke learned on the final stage of Rally Mexico, it can be a walk, or should we say drive, through the [car]park.

Yep, the Northern Irishman went off the road during the power stage after building up a lead of over 40s and had to manoeuvre through parked cars before getting back on the road to claim the win in the most dramatic of finishes — claiming Citroen its first WRC victory of the year.

He was sitting back in eighth after Thursday’s opening super special but quickly took the lead after Hyundai and Toyota all struggled on the opening days and a spin at a key moment for Sebastien Ogier — a second consecutive event upset for the Frenchman — meant he couldn’t challenge for the victory.

Meeke claimed victory with a 13.6s lead over Ogier, although Ogier remains in the top spot for championship standings on 66 points, and Meeke is in sixth on 27 points.