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One-two finish for the DS 3 WRCS in Argentina!

The Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team claimed a one-two finish in Carlos Paz! This was Citroën Racing's tenth win at Rally Argentina.
It was the team's 29th one-two finish in the World Rally Championship and the first such result achieved by current driver line-up, Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle and Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson.
Leaders from the second stage until the end, Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle celebrate their maiden WRC win. Mads Østberg and Jonas Andersson now lie second in the World Championship standings.
Citroën Racing really does love Rally Argentina. The French team has now won ten of its last eleven appearances in Carlos Paz. This victory, built from the outset by Kris Meeke, has been the perfect way to launch the DS brand in South America.

Having already set the joint fastest time in Wednesday's shakedown, Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle only missed out on winning the first stage by 0.2 seconds. Having grabbed the lead after the treacherous SS2, the DS 3 WRC crew then controlled perfectly from the front on what is an incredibly difficult event.

Kris Meeke maintained his lead to the end to take his first ever win in the World Championship. In doing so, he claimed the first win by a British driver since Colin McRae prevailed at the 2002 Safari Rally. Kris becomes the 74th driver to win a World Championship race and the fourth most successful Briton, after the late Colin McRae (25 wins), Richard Burns (10) and Roger Clarke (1). Paul Nagle is only the second Irish co-driver to win a WRC round after Ronan McNamee in 1989. For Citroën Racing, this is their 94th WRC win and their 29th one-two finish, both of which are new records!

As in Mexico, Mads Østberg and Jonas Andersson collected a large haul of points as runners-up. After four rounds of the 2015 season, they now lie second in the World Championship standings, having also secured a bonus point in the Power Stage.

Thanks to the maximum points scored in this one-two finish, the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team now lies second in the Manufacturers' standings.

Next up is Rally de Portugal on 21-24 May. This year, the base for the event - still held on gravel - moves to Matosinhos, to the north of Porto.

QUOTE, UNQUOTE

Yves Matton (Citroën Racing Team Principal): "This tenth win in Argentina goes way beyond the goals we had set. We haven't had a one-two finish in the WRC since 2012 and our last win goes back to a little over a year ago. Argentina has been a happy hunting ground for Citroën Racing for years, in rallying and in track racing. Our strength has been the reliability of the DS 3 WRCs. This year's Rally Argentina was exceptionally difficult and our drivers managed the race with a lot of intelligence."

Kris Meeke: "Everything was fine until we got the end of the last stage. Once we had crossed the line, I was overcome with emotions. It'll take time for it to really sink in. I didn't start the rally aiming to fight for the win. I just wanted to have an error-free rally. The seven-week break really helped me. From the shakedown onwards, I felt full of confidence. It was a really difficult race but the DS 3 WRC is a solid and reliable car. All the other guys had problems and we secured a one-two finish. Mads had a fantastic rally as well. I have to thank Yves Matton, who believed in me. He gave me a great opportunity and he has been supportive throughout. This is just the first step in me thanking him for that support. I hope there will be others. This one is for Colin McRae."

Mads Østberg: "It's a fantastic result for the whole team, which is obviously very encouraging for the rallies to come. We came hoping to fight for place on the podium, but finishing with the two DS 3 WRC first and second is a great performance. The DS brand has given us a huge amount of support, so I'm pleased we have been able to bring home a result like this!"

Khalid Al Qassimi: "During this rally, I had to focus on learning about the 2015-spec DS 3 WRC, which is new to me. On my first appearance here, I drove at 50%, sometimes at 75% so I'm pleased with the result. I'm even more pleased about the performance of my team-mates. This one-two finish also shows the total commitment of the team, who have worked incredibly hard. They deserve it."

HOW THE ACTION UNFOLDED

SS11 - El Condor - Copina 1 (16.32km) - For the first pass on El Condor, Dani Sordo set the fastest time, ahead of Sébastien Ogier and Mads Østberg. With the sixth fastest time, Kris Meeke maintained a comfortable overall lead.

SS12 - Power Stage El Condor (16.32km) - On course to score points, Thierry Neuville and Andreas Mikkelsen both ripped off a tyre at the same point and had to retire. Sébastien Ogier took the maximum three bonus points by winning the Power Stage, ahead of Dani Sordo and Mads Østberg. Kris Meeke clinched the overall win, finishing ahead of Mads Østberg and Elfyn Evans.

FINAL PROVISIONAL STANDINGS

1. Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle (DS 3 WRC) 3:41:44.9
2. Mads Østberg / Jonas Andersson (DS 3 WRC) +18.1
3. Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +3:27.4
4. Martin Prokop / Jan Tomanek (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +6:26.1
5. Dani Sordo / Marc Marti (Hyundai i20 WRC) +10:46.7
6. Khalid Al Qassimi / Chris Patterson (DS 3 WRC) +11:19.9
7. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari / Marshall Clarke (Ford Fiesta RRC) +16:02.6
8. Diego Dominguez / Edgardo Galindo (Ford Fiesta R5) +18:48.2
9. Gustavo Saba / Diego Cagnotti (Skoda Fabia Super 2000) +21:20.6
10. Federico Villagra / Diego Curletto (Ford Fiesta) +25:19.6...

FASTEST TIMES

Kris Meeke and Sébastien Ogier, 3 - Andreas Mikkelsen and Dani Sordo, 2 - Jari-Matti Latvala, 1. One stage cancelled.

LEADERS

SS1: Sébastien Ogier
SS2 to SS12 (finish): Kris Meeke

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

1. Sébastien Ogier 84 points
2. Mads Østberg 51 points
3. Andreas Mikkelsen 47 points
4. Elfyn Evans 41 points
5. Kris Meeke 35 points
6. Thierry Neuville 35 points
7. Dani Sordo 30 points
8. Martin Prokop 26 points
9. Jari-Matti Latvala 19 points
10. Ott Tanak 12 points...

1. Volkswagen Motorsport 103 points
2. Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team 85 points
3. Hyundai Motorsport 85 points
4. M-Sport World Rally Team 73 points
5. Jipocar Czech National Team 32 points...