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. Their team-mates in the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, Mads Ostberg and Jonas Andersson, finished the event’s longest leg right behind them in second position.
On their first competitive outing of the season in the DS 3 WRC, Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi and Chris Patterson lie eighth overall.
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 run offered the Citroën Total World Rally Team crews the chance to get their rally underway before tackling Friday’s long stages.
The 51.99-kilometre long Agua de Oro/Ascochinga test was expected to provide the first real clues as to the pecking order of the crews.
However, the difficulties of the route decimated the WRC field. Sébastien Ogier retired, whilst Andreas Mikkelsen and Thierry Neuville lost ground.
“It was very rough," said Al Qassimi.
"I decided to be cautious on the first loop to get my bearings. 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.”
Despite the tough conditions, Kris Meeke set the fastest time to move into the overall lead, with Mads Ostberg grabbing fourth place.
“We knew that it would be an incredibly difficult day, even the most experienced drivers had problems," said Meeke.
"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.
"I just focused on my own driving. For the time being, everything is going well, so there’s no need to change anything!”
Slowed by a puncture on SS3, the Northern Irishman saw his lead cut in half, whilst Mads Ostberg moved up to third overall.
After the thirty-minute midday service period, Kris Meeke continued to forge ahead.
Particularly quick on the long stage, he extended his advantage over second-placed Jari-Matti Latvala and Mads Ostberg, who consolidated his third place.
Even quicker on Villa Bustos/Tanti 2, Kris Meeke ended the first leg – the longest of the rally – with a lead of over a minute on Mads Østberg.
“We are sticking to the plan we had before the start of the rally," said Ostberg.
"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 team-mates in front of us. We have to keep going tomorrow.”
The Norwegian moved ahead of Jari-Matti Latvala into second place on the final stage of the day.
Today’s leg features four timed stages, contested over a total of 131.2 kilometres.
An early start awaits the crews – Parc Ferme opens at 6.20am, with service periods in Carlos Paz at 12.31pm and 6.57pm. The running order will be the same as today.
