Round 3 of WRC | Rally Guanajuato, Mexico - is Next!!

Rally Mexico is just couple of days away, for the first round in 10 years with master Loeb. His younger compatriot and VW Polo R WRC driver is keen to win after his debut win with VW Motorsport, but surely seems hesitatant to reveal his inner feelings. It is also true that Ogier is not in any position to yield to any sort of early pressure, after that good margin he has from his full-time rally rivals. His new team-mate Jari Matti-Latvala was almost on the verge of taking the 3rd place last year, if not for that crazy high speed crash, after distracted Evgeny Novikov's crashed Ford Fiesta RS WRC. Citroen Racing's new No.1 driver Mikko Hirvonen is almost desperate in need of a top-most finish, if he wants to be in the race for the crown. But the question, is he sure enough with his drive in the Citroen DS3 WRC? If that was not enough, Chris Atkinson is back on Khalid Al-Qassimi's DS3 WRC, after he opted out of this round. Mads Ostberg is the new no.1 driver for the Fiesta RS WRC from the stable of the new-partnership enty, Qatar M-Sport WRT.

However the speculation is knit, all it matters is who crosses the finish line fastest, with least mistakes and penalties!

Citroen DS3 WRC - Mikko Hirvonen / Jarmo Lehtinen

Both the Tyre suppliers for this rally have are said to have come up with a newly designed tread pattern and even better rubber compound, both in soft and hard spec, again for wet and dry conditions. 

The event was included as a part of the WRC programme from 2004 and this year is the 10th in running in the top level sport. Ceremonial start is held in the city of Guanajuato, a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Main highlight of this rally is the altitude factor kicking in a matter of few stages, making it not an easy feeling for both the men and their machines. And not to forget the unexpected boulder on the apex or on the drifting side of the stage sections.

Qatar M-Sport WRT - Recce cars

This year's rally rounds up with a total of 23 stages with a total of 397 km. It starts with the traditional Guanajuato Street stage for the opening Spectator Special, on Thursday evening for the spectators. The longest and fastest Guanajuato Stage will be a little bit longer this time to a max of 54.9 km. More documents related to rally for spectators can be found here.

Volkswagen Motorsport - Stable

An official document from the event organisers stated, “Every year, the organisers of Rally Guanajuato Mexico strive to incorporate more original and imaginative locations along its route to provide further thrills for drivers, teams, spectators, and the media alike, and take advantage of the endless array of bounties offered by the State of Guanajuato, and this year will be no exception.”

Although the format has undergone several tweaks, the rally is totally different from the [super-frozen] rallies seen early this year. This one is over rock-strewn roads, pitched with high ambient temperatures and varying altitudes that continues to challenge the WRC crews on their first visit to the American continent this season.