Abu Dhabi World Rally Teams set for Mexico Rally

Mads Ostberg and Kris Meeke gear up for action

Abu Dhabi — After the icy tarmac and frozen, snow-covered gravel of the first two rounds of the season, the World Rally Championship makes a dramatic change of scene in Mexico. The European winter is already long forgotten! As it crosses the Atlantic, the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team sets off on a long series of six consecutive gravel rallies, lasting until August.

And yet the DS 3 WRCs will be facing very specific conditions in Mexico. Far from the more typical courses thrown up by the WRC calendar, the León-based rally is contested exclusively at altitudes in excess of 1,800 metres above sea level.

Combined with high temperatures, often above 25°C, the conditions deprive the drivers and their cars of much-needed air. Tiring for the body, this lack of oxygen also results in a significant loss of engine power and difficulties in cooling the brakes.

Thanks to the upgrades made to the DS 3 WRCs during the off-season affecting the engine, transmission, chassis and suspension, and aerodynamics, Mads Ostberg and Kris Meeke will have considerably quicker cars at their disposal than last year.

Fourth in Monaco, Mads Ostberg also scored points on the Swedish snow. For his fifth appearance in León, the Norwegian can call upon his extensive knowledge of the surface. Having won five stages in 2014 in the DS 3 WRC, Mads had led the rally between SS3 and SS6.