► Dramatic end to 2017 Rally Mexico
► Kris Meeke crashes into car park
► Yet recovers to take the win
How’s this for a dramatic conclusion? With the finish line almost in sight at the 2017 Rally Mexico, Kris Meeke carried nearly a 40sec lead over the chasing Sebastien Ogier when he plunged off the road and through a hedge, ending up in a spectator car park.
Disoriented, the Irish WRC star slid around parked cars before spotting a gap in the hedge and bursting back onto the stage in time to cross the line and take the new Citroen C3 WRC’s first ever win, by 13.8sec from Ford’s Ogier.
‘I think I might end up telling this story hundreds of times,’ Meeke later said. ‘I'm annoyed with myself for making that mistake. The car went wide after a big impact and we were very lucky. I quickly looked to get back on the road because I knew we could still win.’
Watch the events unfold in the video above. In particular, keep an eye out for the reaction back at Citroen’s base camp…
Watch Kris Meeke powerslide a Citroen Dispatch panel van
