Rally México’s (equal) most successful co-driver is back in Guanajuato this week. He already has six México wins to this name – now he wants a seventh.
But this time he’s not going back to dictate direction from the passenger seat. He’s at the wheel, chasing glory while being told where to go, not doing the telling.
Julien Ingrassia knows a thing or two about being successful in Guanajuato. And that’s why he’s the subject of our Girardo Picture of the Week.
When the international rally circus rolls into central México, the locals put on an epic show. There’s only one place to be on the eve of the rally: downtown Guanajuato.
Above ground is a sea of color: the vibrant buildings may fade into darkness but to compensate, the city lights up in a multicolor sea of ebullience, the crowd entranced by the power and noise of rally cars.
Below the city lies a network of tunnels. And in that darkness, there is also light: the glow of brake discs, the occasional blue flame from an exhaust and the dazzle of headlights.
Ingrassia and Sébastien Ogier won their six Rally Méxicos as a pair in a pair of three-peats. The first was pure Volkswagen domination; the second was even more impressive, achieving it with three manufacturers in as many years.
They’d missed out on 2017 victory despite Kris Meeke making a detour through a car park on the rally’s final stage: 2018 made amends for that near miss.
Ingrassia used to visit México for work: he was there to chase wins with Ogier. He’s still going to rock up to Guanajuato to compete. But perhaps this time, he’ll be spending a bit more time looking at the vibrant party happening above ground, rather than being focused solely on traversing the tunnels beneath.
