Red Bull Motorsports
WRC
Is this the craziest finish in WRC history?
You won't believe how close Rally Mexico 2017 winner Kris Meeke came to binning it on the final stage of the event.
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Kris Meeke's Power Stage off in Mexico
Rally driver Kris Meeke nearly crashes a spectator car park at the Rally Mexico.
Scrambling around a car park was definitely not part of Kris Meeke's final stage strategy for Rally Mexico.
Meeke was holding a 37.2-second lead over Sébastien Ogier going into the last stage of the rally, and looked set to be cruising to his fourth World Rally Championship victory. But 750 metres from the finish, his Citroën C3 WRC hit a compression which flung him off the road and into a spectator car park – only narrowly missing one of the parked cars in the process.
The accident seemed to scare the overalls off Meeke's co-driver Paul Nagle, who yelled at his driver…
There then followed some extraordinary O.J. Simpson-in-the-white-Bronco-style scenes, as the WRC helicopter picked up Meeke scrabbling through the car park like a frightened rabbit and desperately looking for a way back onto the stage.
Both Meeke's Citroën team and his fellow WRC drivers couldn't believe what they were seeing…
But just as Citroën team principal Yves Matton was getting ready to draw up Meeke's P45, the Northern Irishman re-found the stage, got back up to speed and crossed the finish line 13.8 seconds to the good over Ogier, with a bit of the stage-lining tape adorning his C3's wing for good measure. A happier Citroën team…
It's certainly one way to finish a rally… We didn't need that but we're OK
"I’m not particularly delighted with myself, but we’ve won the rally, so I’m happy," Meeke told reporters after the stage end. "I had no idea I’d won when I crossed the line but quickly people started shaking their fists and then I knew. I’m sure Yves Matton will shake his fist at me later for a different reason!"
We think 'squeaky bum time' has a new meaning.
Watch the onboard footage from Kris Meeke's car in the video below…
Three other crazy rally endings…
1. Jari-Matti Latvala, Rally Poland 2009
With just one Mickey Mouse super special stage left to run at Rally Poland 2009, rally leader Jari-Matti Latvala stuffed his Ford Focus into the Armco barrier, damaging his suspension and handing the victory to team-mate Mikko Hirvonen. Much, much sobbing ensued.
2. Carlos Sainz, Rally GB 1998
Just 500 metres were standing between Carlos Sainz and his third world title in 1998 when his Toyota Corolla decided that it had enough. Cue the Spaniard chucking his helmet through the rear window, and Tommi Mäkinen being phoned – midway through an interview back at his hotel after retiring from the rally – to be told that he'd won the championship.
3. Sébastien Ogier, Rally Spain 2015
One of the safest pair of hands to ever drive a rally car, onlookers were staggered when Sébastien Ogier, 50 seconds up on team-mate Andreas Mikkelsen, hit a barrier on the Power Stage at Rally Spain in 2015.
