Rally Mexico 08 - 11 Mar 12

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08 - 11 Mar 12

Mexico hosts the first gravel event of 2012 with new stages, more competitive kilometres, a remote service halt and a monster 55-kilometre test on the final morning of the rally just some of the exciting changes to the itinerary.



But while the format has undergone several tweaks, the rock-strewn tracks, high ambient temperatures and altitudes will continue to provide the main challenge for the WRC crews on their first of two visits to the American continent during the season.

A new addition to the WRC schedule in 2004, the Leon-based event is famed for its compact route and spectacular ceremonial start in the city of Guanajuato, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The start regularly attracts thousands of fans that will again get to savour an extra treat this year with the Guanajuato Street Stage.

Measuring a little more than one kilometre in length, the stage will run through tunnels and high wall-lined cobbled streets. Guanajuato will also provide a remote service during Friday’s opening day, a first for Rally Mexico.

But it’s the Sierra de Lobos and Sierra de Guanajuato mountains that will continue to host the bulk of the stage action. The high-altitude tests make for spectacular viewing with a mixture of mountain peaks and flat open valleys. The altitude has its downside, however, as the engines struggle to breathe in the thin air and suffer a drop in power of approximately 20 per cent. The road surface is dry and sandy, but with rocks getting pulled onto the stages caution is very much the watchword.

Like Guanajuato, Leon will also host a street stage on a temporary course close to the indoor service park at the city’s Poliforum. A superspecial at Leon’s racing circuit will be also used five times.

The route changes have increased the total competitive distance from the 364.81 covered in 2011 to 430.37 in 2012 with the number of stages rising from 22 to 25.

Aside from the various route changes, another intriguing prospect will be the San Jose de Llanos qualifying stage. Scheduled for the morning of Thursday March 8 the fastest WRC drivers over the 4.75-kilometre all-gravel test will be able to select their starting positions for Friday’s loose-surface stages as part of a regulation change for 2012.

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ESPN put the last rally on without entering it on the listings. Followed it on WRC Rally radio and iRally app.

Come on the DS3's!!!!

Only seven months to Rally GB, woohoo!

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Following the Monte-Carlo asphalt and the snow and ice of Sweden, the dusty gravel tracks of Rally Guanajuato Mexico provide the next test for crews contesting the 2012 FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia.

But just when WRC regulars thought the Leon-based round couldn’t get any more demanding, organisers have added to the task with the inclusion of a 55-kilometre monster test on the final morning of this hugely popular rally.

The expanded Guanajuatito stage is not the only change for 2012, however, with new stages and a greater overall distance all included, not to mention the world championship’s first Qualifying Stage on gravel.

Scheduled for the morning of Thursday March 8 the fastest WRC drivers over the 5.18-kilometre timed stage will be able to select their starting positions for Friday’s loose-surface stages. With running order likely to help determine the outcome of the event, the Qualifying Stage promises to be an exciting spectacle.

While the rally’s format has undergone several tweaks, the rock-strewn tracks, high ambient temperatures and altitudes will continue to provide the main challenge for the WRC brigade on their first of two visits to the American continent during the season.

A new addition to the WRC schedule in 2004, the rally is famed for its compact route and spectacular ceremonial start in the city of Guanajuato, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The start regularly attracts thousands of fans who will again get to relish an extra treat this year with the DC Shoes Guanajuato Street Stage.

Measuring a little more than one kilometre in length, the stage will run through tunnels and high wall-lined cobbled streets.

The road surface on Rally Mexico is dry and sandy, but with rocks getting pulled onto the stages caution is very much the watchword.

The route changes have increased the total competitive distance from the 364.81 covered in 2011 to 407.87 in 2012 with the number of stages rising from 22 to 24.


Who’s going to win?

Victory for Sebastien Loeb would make it six wins in Mexico for the Citroen Total World Rally Team star. And a maximum haul of points would be the perfect fillip for the eight-time world champion following his troubles on Rally Sweden when he could only muster sixth overall following an off.

Mikko Hirvonen moved to within seven points of team-mate Loeb with his second-place finish in Sweden. While the Finn has never really sparkled in Mexico he will nevertheless be looking to carry on the momentum generated in Scandinavia.

On this rally last year

Citroen’s Sebastien Loeb made it five wins in succession in Mexico but only after then team-mate Sebastien Ogier crashed out on the final morning while leading. The fact Ogier was in a rally-winning position when he hit trouble owed much to his ability behind the wheel but also to the problems that struck Loeb on day two when a 50-second penalty incurred for starting stage 15 late while he and co-driver Daniel Elena raced to fix a broken gear selector pin that had left his DS3 WRC stuck in third gear. Mikko Hirvonen finished runner-up with Jari-Matti Latvala, in a second Ford, third following a puncture on day one. An electrical glitch restricted Petter Solberg to fourth in his privateer Citroen. Mads Ostberg, who finished fifth, was also delayed by a puncture. Ken Block’s challenge faltered when his car broke prior to the start of the Guanajuato street stage on Thursday night, while Dennis Kuipers dropped out of the top 10 when he rolled into retirement on day two.

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Nice one WTF can't wait till Rally GB

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New Citroen signing Mikko Hirvonen says Rally Guanajuato Mexico will provide the first major form indicator of this season's FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia.

With the Leon-based round the first of eight consecutive events on gravel, Hirvonen says the final results on Sunday afternoon will be eagerly anticipated.

“Most of the WRC is now held on gravel, so it will be interesting to see a real pecking order between the drivers and the teams taking shape,” said the Finn, who signed for Citroen from Ford ahead of the 2012 season. “As far as I’m concerned, I hope I can set some fastest stage times. But I realise that we are fighting against all the other teams together so we have to get a good overall result for Citroen.”

Hirvonen bagged his first podium of 2012 with second place on Rally Sweden last month. The result put him seven points behind team-mate and championship leader Sebastien Loeb, who is chasing a sixth-straight victory in Mexico.

“I’m excited at the prospect of competing in this rally with Citroen because the team has always achieved good results in Mexico,” said Hirvonen, runner-up to Loeb in Mexico last season. “I’m all the more enthusiastic for the fact that the testing I did on gravel went very well. I had an excellent feeling with the car.”

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Mexico is 6 hours behind us so most of the action will be going on when folk get in from work. Try listening on World Rally Radio on the internet or via iRally app

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It's ok! Hirvonen made it to Mexico!

After claiming second and third place respectively in the qualifying stage, Mikko Hirvonen and Sébastien Loeb will begin Rally Mexico from strong starting positions.

Rally Mexico got underway this morning with the qualifying stage. Five-time winner of the season’s only North American rally and last year’s winner, Sébastien Loeb began the day by setting the fastest time on both runs in this morning’s free practice.

An error at the start of the qualifying run meant the man from Alsace missed out on the best time, but he was nonetheless pleased to be third fastest: “Third is not as good as first but starting from 12th position is a decent result. I have the feeling that our rivals have made a lot of progress compared with previous years, so I’m expecting to have a real fight on my hands to win here. We’ll have to push right from the word go. It’s also nice to think that we won’t have to put up with the strategies seen in recent years. It wasn’t very satisfactory to see drivers slow down at the end of the day in order to be in a better position on the road the next day.”

Second in the qualifying stage, Mikko Hirvonen chose to start in 13th place. The Finn says he can’t wait to start his first gravel rally in the Citroën DS3 WRC: “We used the shakedown to make a few more minor adjustments to the setup and I’m pleased with my feeling for the car. We’ll have to push right from the start, because all the potential winners have a good starting position. The Mexican stages are very technical, you can go straight from a very quick section to a very twisty section. There are also a lot of corners with crests and that makes it even harder to read the road.”

Thierry Neuville produced a fine performance in qualifying to finish seventh, in what is the Citroën Junior WRT driver’s first gravel rally in a WRC. “I prepared carefully for this event during testing and I have been impressed by the capacities of the car. I feel it is a fairly ‘forgiving’ car, which is no bad thing for a beginner like me,” quipped the young Belgian. “I felt comfortable here straight away, on the first run. The course has plenty of tricky sections, but it seems quite natural to me. My experience on gravel means that I start this rally with more confidence than the earlier rounds.”

Meanwhile, Nasser Al-Attiyah set the morning’s ninth best time. The Qatari continues to take it step by step: “Everything went well this morning. I still need some time to feel totally confident but I improved my time on each run. Although I feel very comfortable on this surface, I’m not expecting it to be an easy rally. There are a lot of tricky sections and we’ll have to manage the 42 and 54 kilometre stages as well as possible.”

The rally continues in the early evening with the ceremonial start organised in the streets of Guanajuato. As soon as they step off the podium, the crews will set off for SS1 on the paved underground streets of the mining city.

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Audio replay of qualifying available now http://www.irallylive.com/ir_pod.htm?00000083

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Lets hope they don't meet these three, lol.

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Haha! I love that film!

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Loeb fastest in practice but then not fastest in qualifying for the second rally running. Is he playing a psychological game in making the others choose their starting position first so they can't copy him?

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Qualifying vid. Todays stages started and it's all over the place. Neuville the Citroen new boy performing well. Mikko and Seb ok.

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Hirvonen leads from Latvala and Loeb. Solberg drops to 13th after a puncture loses him 55 secs.

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Say a prayer:

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Now if they had a 'goo' kit they would be off in minutes