Abu Dhabi: Norwegian Mads Ostberg of Team Abu Dhabi closed the gap on compatriot Andreas Mikkelsen in second position in the Rally of Sweden to bag the bronze medal on Sunday.
Pushing hard, the Norwegian claimed his first stage win with Citroen on Torntorp 2 and repeated the feat on the ‘power stage’ to collect the three bonus points. He secured his first podium finish in the DS3 WRC, ending the rally just 5.9 seconds shy of second spot.
After starting the day in sixth position, Kris Meeke lost seven minutes when he went off and got stuck in a snow bank on special stage 18. The Northern Irishman nonetheless managed to finish the rally in 10th position, scoring eight points for the Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team in the process.
Once again one of the first on the road, Shaikh Khalid Al Qasimi had to deal with especially slippery conditions. Careful to avoid making any mistakes, he finished the event in 16th place.
“We have made a lot of progress since Friday,” Ostberg said in a press release. “I’m pleased to finish on the podium in Sweden for the fourth year running. The three points from the ‘power stage’ are a nice bonus. I feel more and more confident in the car, which is promising for the next few events. We have learned a lot and now I can’t wait to tackle the gravel rallies.”
Shaikh Khalid said he was also satisfied with his performance. “I tried to be more aggressive today,” he said. “Things went well from the second stage onwards. We had a few hairy moments but we made good progress. On the ‘power stage’, I preferred to ease off a little and not make a mistake, so I could be sure of reaching the end without any problems.”
