The Barwa Ford driver was classified 7th overall in the rally and 1st in the S2000 class, but was announced shortly after the event that he will not get to retain his position. As it appears, his car's fuel cell ventilation did not conform to the current technical regulations of the SWRC.
“Following technical scrutineering, the stewards ruled that car #23 driven by Nasser Al-Attiyah was excluded from the SWRC in Guanajuato Rally Mexico due to the fuel cell ventilation failing to conform to technical regulations,” red a statement from the Rally Mexico organizers.
As a direct consequence of his disqualification, his main rivals in the S2000 class Martin Prokop and Juha Hanninen, both classified behind him in the North American event, will now move up a position in the overall standings, to 7th and 8th respectively. In the process, Prokop was also credited with the win in the S2000 class.
Consequently, Munchi's Federico Villagra was promoted to 9th place in Mexico and will get to score 2 points, while another S2000 competitor Ott Tanak will get to enjoy the last point in play after initially having ended the rally in 11th place. Tanak was actually one step away from disaster on Saturday, when he crashed out of the rally, but eventually returned to action under superally rules and will also take home a 3rd place in the S2000 class.
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