Mexico : OMV Peugeot Norway - Leg 2
On day two the Corona Rally Mexico was once again dominated by the duel Petter Solberg (Nor/Subaru) versus Sebastien Loeb (Fra/Citroen). But behind these two the OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team with Manfred Stohl/Ilka Minor and Henning Solberg/Cato Menkerud is on its way to a top result.
The Austrian lies in excellent third place after 14 of 17 special stages, his Norwegian OMV teammate Henning Solberg in fifth place. And Bozian Racing is the team of the moment, having two cars within the top 5.

Getting the feeling
The set-up changes during the final service of day one have paid off. Manfred Stohl felt much more comfortable on the second day of the Rally Mexico even though it`s still a far cry from being optimal.

There also was a moment of shock for the 33-year-old OMV driver prior to entering the course in the morning. On leaving the service the column gear shift suddenly didn`t work. Stohl turned back, a sensor was quickly exchanged and the problem was solved – just in time for passing the exit control. Stohl: “That was a piece of luck. But it didn`t really bother me. On the course things definitely worked better. But right now I`m still not sure what else to change. The harder tyres in the afternoon were a change for the better. Now it is paramount to secure third place.“

A place that Citroen rookie Daniel Sordo (Spa) has also set his eyes on, even though he is already 32,2 seconds behind prior to the last leg. An even bigger moment of shock than in the morning was in store for the OMV driver on special stage 13. About two kilometres into the stage 10 to 15 cows were suddenly blocking the road. Stohl approached at full speed in fifth gear, tried to brake but still hit one animal and damaged the right front side of his Peugeot. Stohl: “My guardian angel was looking down. Normally it means the end of the rally when you hit such an animal.“

Fifth place would be a good result
Normally Henning Solberg would have no reason to be discontent with fifth place – a very good result. Then again, there is the trouble with the brakes. After about 15 kilometres into a special stage braking power starts to decrease rapidly. And at the end of the stage the handbrake is at the end of its tether as well. Solberg: "Unfortunately we still haven`t found a solution. I`ll have to resign myself to securing the result since I`m too far behind Sordo to attack. I do hope that the brake problems are due to the altitude in Mexico and are not specific to gravel rallies. All in all I`d be very happy with fifth place. Luckily I`m far enough ahead of sixth place."

Eleven manufaturer`s WRC points are possible
Valuable points in the manufacturer`s WRC would also be a positive side effect of this excellent result. Such a point cushion would be even more valuable since the OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team has not entered the manufacturer`s ranking for the next two WRC rallies in Spain and Corsica. At the moment this would mean eleven additional points to the current ten points. “I`m very happy with the current performances and we`ll do our best to get the chaps across the finishing line and solve the small problems we have. Therefore I`m also very confident in regard to the coming WRC races," explains Jackie Bozian, Team Manager of the OMV Peugeot Norway World Rally Team.

“Royal” stage on Sunday
Three special stages are scheduled for Sunday, among them the “royal” stage of the Rally Mexico with a length of 37,99 kilometres. The final stage will be the superstage in Leon. The SS-length of the final leg measures 60,42 kilometres. The finish will be reached at 12:30 (local time) in Leon.

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