The World Rally Championship (WRC) crosses the Atlantic for its third round. The Rally Mexico 2019, first gravel race of the season, starts tomorrow, the 7th of March. The teams say goodbye to the cold, the ice and the snow of Rally Monte Carlo and Rally Sweden and hello to the heat and the gravel of the North American country.

The Mexican race will climb to an altitude of over 2,600 meters and will be characterised by the flying dust and the high temperatures. Those harsh conditions will test the mechanics of the vehicles – 20% power loss due to lack of oxygen- as well as the fitness of their drivers for another year. Endurance is the keyword for both, cars and athletes alike.

At this, the first test on gravel for the teams, each will gauge their adaptability to a surface that it is to dominate the 2019 WRC calendar. After the Rally Mexico, we will have a pretty clear appraisal of the teams, vehicles and driver’s level of performance.

The favourites of Rally Mexico 2019

After winning the Swedish Rally, Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja (Toyota) arrive in Mexico as leaders in the standings, and as the great favourites for the title. The Estonian couple will try to defend their position at the wheel of their Yaris WRC. 

The pair from Toyota find themselves at an extraordinary performance level, encompassed by the very positive response of the Japanese rocket. They cannot, however, get too confident at this point in time. In Mexico, Tänak and Järveoja will start with the added disadvantage of opening the track.

Their greatest rivals will be Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia, onboard the Citroën C3 WRC. After their Swedish debacle, where they finished in twenty-ninth position, they are anxious to uncork the champagne again.

History, if nothing else, is on their side, having won in Mexico 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2018. The Ogier-Ingrassia duo will defend their title in a scenario where they feel very comfortable and are always extremely competitive. They are third in the standings at just 17 points from the lead, a distance they are very keen to shorten.  

Another couple to watch out for is that of the Korean team. The powerful line-up of Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul has to be another of the candidates to dispute the victory. 

They are currently second in the standings and were sub-champions last year so they won’t fight for anything less than the top step of the podium in Mexico. The Belgian couple and their machine are in great form. The other i20 Coupé will be occupied by teammates Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jaeger.

Debuting this season in Mexico with the team from Alzenau will be Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio taking over from Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena. The Spanish duo will seek to improve on the second place achieved by Hyundai in Mexico in 2018.

For their part, Kris Meeke and Jari Matti , winners in 2016 and 2017 respectively, are also expected to provide some action in this Rally Mexico 2019.

Rally Mexico 2019 route

The Rally Mexico 2019 starts on tomorrow with the urban stage in Guanajuato; a first contact for the participants and an unforgettable experience for the fans. The inaugural stage comprises a  route along the Alhóndiga de Granaditas.

The most gruelling part of the Rally, however, starts on Friday with a total of eight specials including the climb to El Chocolate (31.57 km). This stage will take the participants to a height of 2,650 meters above sea level, the highest in the whole of the WRC. Later on, drivers will proceed to Las Minas (10.72 km) and the Leon Racetrack were the Super Special SSS Autodromo Shell V-Power 1 and 2 will take place.

Saturday begins with the tenth special in Guanajuatito (25.90 km). Later, the teams will tackle Otates, the longest stretch (32.27 km) of the race, before continuing the fighting at El Brinco (9.45 km). In the afternoon session, they will go back to Guanajuatito, Otates and El Brinco before returning to the city of Leon.

Then, the time will come to dispute the Super Specials SSS Autodromo Shell V-Power 3 and 4. The day will conclude with a night Street Stage in the town. The last day will consist of the Alfaro (24.38 km) and Mesa Cuata (25.07 km) stages as well as the Power Stage at Las Minas, which will crown the winner of the Rally Mexico 2019.

In summary, the Rally Mexico 2019 will be made up of 21 stages and 1,303.49 kilometres (313.87 of which will be timed) over four intense days, from the 7th to the 10th of March.

Rally Mexico 2019 Images: Rally Mexico & WRC.com