Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle aiming to hit top gear in Mexico

As the World Rally Championship moves to higher temperatures in Rally Guanajuato Mexico in stark contrast to the two rounds in Monte Carlo and Sweden, the Irish crew of Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle in their Total Abu Dhabi Citroen DS3 WRC know they have to stop making the type of mistakes that have already cost them valuable championship points.

“Rally Mexico is a real one-off event,” opined Meeke. “Nowhere else do you get this combination of gravel, altitude (some 2,800 metres above sea level) and high temperatures. The car reacts differently in these sorts of conditions. You have to be more aggressive in the slower sections in order to carry as much speed as possible through the corners.”

Meeke was in strong positions in the opening two rounds only to drop out of contention for a top-four finish and has only picked up 10 points so far. “I was disappointed by my results in the first two rallies, despite winning stages in Monte Carlo and in Sweden. I have to eliminate the mistakes to score points and turn my speed into results. In Mexico, you have to avoid making any mistakes at all, because with the lack of air, you’ve got less engine power and the car is less responsive than usual. I’m going to run my own race and I think our starting position will be an advantage.”