Kris Meeke wins Rally Mexico after late drama

Meeke headed into the final stage of the four-day event with a 37-second lead, but came within inches of throwing away the win after he lost control of his car in the final kilometre.

The Northern Irishman got caught out by a bump in the road and found himself in a spectator car park, spending the best part of 20 seconds frantically finding a way back on to the course.

But despite losing a hefty chunk of time following the bizarre off-track excursion, Meeke and his co-driver Paul Nagle miraculously completed the stage to finish the event 13.8 seconds clear of Frenchman Sebastien Ogier.

The win marked Meeke’s fourth in the World Rally Championship and the first for Citroen this year.

The 37-year-old is now sixth in the standings after the opening three rounds.

“I’m a lucky boy. After a jump, I took a bump. It’s certainly one way to finish a rally but we didn’t need that,” said a shocked Meeke, who revealed that he punctured his left front tyre during the bizarre incident.