The season’s first gravel rally in Mexico, tests the rally cars with high temperatures and high altitude
Rally Mexico was first held as a WRC event in 2004. Of all the rallies on the WRC calendar, this one has a relatively short history, but it is immensely popular, and has become an unmissable event for WRC. The core of the rally takes place in the city of León in the state of Guanajuato, in the center of Mexico. Even the center of the city is at an altitude of 1,800 meters and above, while the rally’s SS extend from the city to reach altitudes over 2,700 meters. This forces the drivers and cars to race in thin air, which can reduce engine power by up to 20%. Also, although it is March, temperatures rise to over 30 degrees Celsius, and there is little rain, making the gravel roads bone-dry. The SS are comparatively flat, but to win in Mexico, it is necessary to overcome the challenges of thin air and high temperatures.
Mexico is the first gravel rally of the season, and is one of the toughest contests for leading drivers. In the case of this year’s course, on the second race day, which is the first gravel stage, start positions are based on the drivers’ championship and the top driver starts first. The dry gravel SS are conducted on slippery road surfaces covered with loose gravel, so the drivers starting earlier are unable to extend their lead time, due to a lack of tyre grip. Consequently, in these dry conditions, the drivers driving later are actually at an advantage.
Host country
- Country:
- Mexico
- Schedule:
- 3/7 (thu) - 10 (sun
- Service Park:
- León
- Surface:
- Gravel
- SS:
- 21 （SS Totals:313.87km）
- Totals:
- 1021.12km
Information
- Capital:
- Mexico City
- UTC:
- -6
- Population:
- 100 million 2,701
- Language:
- Spanish
- Average temperature in Mar:
- 18.1℃/maximum temperature 26.6℃
- mm
- °C
- °C
ITINERARY
-
Time Dist Location Shakedown 3/7 SD 10:00 5.31 Llano Grande -
Time Dist Location DAY1 3/7 SS1 20:08 1.14 Street Stage GTO -
Time Dist Location DAY2 3/8 SS2 10:18 31.57 El Chocolate 1 SS3 11:16 17.28 Ortega 1 SS4 12:59 1.11 Street Stage León 1 SS5 15:17 31.57 El Chocolate 2 SS6 16:15 17.28 Ortega 2 SS7 17:18 10.72 Las Minas SS8 18:58 2.33 V-Power Shell Stage 1 SS9 19:03 2.33 V-Power Shell Stage 2 -
Time Dist Location DAY3 3/9 SS10 8:23 25.90 Guanajuatito 1 SS11 10:11 32.27 Otates 1 SS12 11:08 8.13 El Brinco 1 SS13 14:31 25.90 Guanajuatito 2 SS14 16:29 32.27 Otates 2 SS15 17:38 8.13 El Brinco 2 SS16 19:03 2.33 V-Power Shell Stage 3 SS17 19:08 2.33 V-Power Shell Stage 4 SS18 19:51 1.11 Street Stage León 2 -
Time Dist Location DAY4 3/10 SS19 9:03 24.38 Alfaro SS20 10:11 25.07 Mesa Cuata SS21 12:18 10.72 Las Minas Power Stage
Past results
2018
-
- 1
- Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia
-
- 2
- Dani Sordo/Carlos del Barrio
-
- 3
- Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle
-
- 8
- Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila
-
- 11
- Esapekka Lappi/Janne Ferm
-
- 14
- Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja
Highlight Movie
2017
-
- 1
- Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle
-
- 2
- Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia
-
- 3
- Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul
-
- 6
- Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila
-
- 7
- Juho Hänninen/Kaj Lindström
