SS11 0717hrs Ibarrilla – Mesa 1 (30.47km)
With a slender rally lead of 14.4 seconds Markko Martin couldn’t afford to relax and was immediately on the attack at the start of the final day. Although he set the fastest time through the 30km section, second placed Carlos Sainz was right behind him with a time just 0.2 seconds slower. Subaru’s Petter Solberg was another man with a mission. After a remarkable salvage effort on Leg two, that saw the Norwegian move from 13th to fifth place overall, Solberg now had the fourth place of team-mate Mikko Hirvonen in his sights. Petter’s third fastest time on the stage reduced the gap between the pair from 1 minute 0.9 seconds to 49.9 seconds. The longest stage of the event presented crews with a fast up hill sprint before a series of downhill bends and twisty, undulating narrow section. After the finish, crews stopped for a refuel before moving to the start of SS12.
Fastest Time: Martin (Ford) 18:34.6

SS12 0814hrs Alfaro – Nuevo Valle 1 (27.85km)
As the battle for first place intensified, this time it was Carlos Sainz who was fastest and the Spaniard blasted through the test to finish 2.8 seconds faster than event leader Martin. But it wasn’t enough to snatch the top spot and at the finish, 11.8 seconds remained between the pair. Martin was second fastest, while Solberg negotiated the windy hard packed gravel road that ran through the town of Nuevo Valle de Moreno and village of Alisos to finish fourth fastest. Conditions remained bright and clear for the competitors and there were no leading retirements. After the finish, crews moved directly to the start of SS13.
Fastest Time: Sainz (Citroen) 16:18.7

SS13 0857hrs Derramadero – Comanjilla (15.42km)
Tense moments for Citroen’s remaining driver in the event’s closing stages. The Derramadero – Comanjilla test, the shortest of the event, saw Carlos Sainz’s hopes of taking overall second on his first Mexican event all but disappear when he half-rolled his Xsara near to the start. He was able to continue, but dropped more than a minute to the leaders and fell to overall third. At the finish he lay 49.9 seconds behind Duval, who was promoted to the coveted silver spot as a result of the Spaniard’s misfortune. Recording an average speed of 105kph, Petter Solberg was back to his winning form and clinched his ninth stage win of the event as he continued his charge to catch team-mate Hirvonen. At the finish the gap between the Subaru duo had been reduced to 24.1 seconds, with two stages still to run.
Fastest Time: Solberg (Subaru) 8:46.2

Driver Quotes - Service G – After SS13

Petter Solberg:

The guys up ahead are obviously driving for a win. My point of view is to keep steady with good speed, to try and keep it together and get good some points. Carlos made a mistake, so anything can still happen. I’m just going to carry on now as I’ve done this morning.

Mikko Hirvonen:

That was a really steady run. I’m driving now to finish the rally and get more experience of both the car and the event. I’m trying to alter my technique a little so that I am less hard on the tyres. Looking at them now in service I’m happy that I seem to have made an improvement over yesterday.

SS14 1118hrs Ibarrilla – Mesa 2 (30.47km)
A repeat of the longest stage of the rally saw Marcus Gronholm top the time sheet for the first time in Mexico. As the tension mounted on the penultimate test, Gronholm was on a charge. Having changed the anti-roll bars and altered the diff settings on his Peugeot 307 in the preceding service, the Finn was fastest by a margin of 14.2 seconds. With the possibility of a Ford one-two finish, event leaders Martin and Duval relaxed the pace a little, but for Solberg there was still work to be done. The 30km Ibarilla-Mesa test gave Petter the opportunity he needed to catch his younger team-mate Mikko Hirvonen and move into fourth place overall by a margin of 0.1 seconds.
Fastest Time: Gronholm (Peugeot) 18:04.9

SS15 1215hrs Alfaro – Nuevo Valle 2 (27.85)
Martin was fourth quickest to win the event by a margin of 42.5 seconds. The event marked his first WRC win of 2004, the third of his entire WRC career (he won in Finland and Greece in 2003), and promoted him to the lead of the 2004 Drivers’ Championship, which he shares with Sebastien Loeb on 20 points. His Ford team-mate Duval was sixth fastest to take overall second and achieve his highest ever WRC finish. Sainz was third for the same position overall, while Solberg and Hirvonen brought their Subarus home in fourth and fifth place respectively.
Fastest Time: Gronholm (Peugeot) 16:00.2