Competing in a Skoda Fabia R5, Østberg set the fastest time on 14 of the rally’s 15 special stages. The only blemish on Østberg’s record came on the 13th stage, where he finished almost a minute off the pace.
Østberg ultimately clinched the victory with a comfortable margin of over two minutes ahead of the Italian Andrea Mabellini. Mexican Alejandro Mauro finished third in the gravel rally.
Østberg received huge applause from the Mexican crowd as he crossed the finish line in the city of León.
“It was fantastic to be back here; it’s a nice event,” Østberg, who has competed in Mexico eight times, enthused.
“It’s such a long way from home, but it still feels like I know everyone. It’s a great feeling,” the Norwegian continued.
In conjunction with Rally of Nations, a team competition was also contested. Østberg and the Swede Dennis Rådström had to settle for second place, as Mexicans Mauro and Ricardo Cordero claimed victory with a narrow four-point margin over the Scandinavian team.
Former Finnish rally driver Harri Rovanperä found somewhat better pace on Sunday in his Toyota GR Yaris. Rovanperä ultimately finished ninth in the overall standings, 26 minutes behind Østberg.
Rovanperä’s Toyota encountered its own problems over the weekend.
“We had to run the first four stages with only two-wheel drive, and on top of that, the rear shock absorber was broken on three of them. We had issues with the brakes, and the engine was lacking power,” Rovanperä messaged to RallyJournal.com.
“On Saturday afternoon, we pushed hard, and I’ve never had so many moments before. The worst thing was that the rear brakes kept locking up first, causing the car to go into a ‘giant slides’,” Rovanperä added, with cry-laughing emojis.
Rovanperä and the German Nikolaus Schelle finished 11th in the team competition. Schelle had to retire from the rally on Sunday.
