Corona Rally Mexico 2008
This weekend it is all ready for the third event in the 2008 WRC, Rally Mexico. Rally Mexico is the first gravel rally this year, and also the first long haul event. Teams are already settled down in the city of Leon, about 400k’s north of Mexico City. Leon is the 5th biggest city in Mexico with 1,2 million inhabitants. The total population of Mexico is 101 million people.
Rallyheadquarter and servicepark are based indoors in the Poliforum Expo Centre, and the stages are running up in the mountains of Sierra de Lobos and Sierra de Guanajuato, with peaks rising towards 2700mts above sea level. The stages are fast, but they don’t flow naturally with the landscape. The stages also changes quickly from fast to slow, making it difficult for the drivers to find the needed rhythm with the car. The high altitudes makes it hard to breath for the engines, and reduces power.
354k’s of special stages are to be competed trough the weekend. And with only 477k’s of roadsection, Rally Mexico is the most compact rally on the calendar. Swedish Rally had 1100k’s of roadsection. It is the organizer them selves that decide about the roadsections, but every event need to have at least 350k’s of competitive route.
Petter and Phil are already settled in in Leon and ready to start the rally. – Mexico is a rally that we really enjoy, and we also have good results here in the past. We will definitely be fighting for the podium! Sebastien Loeb won Rally Mexico in 2007 and 2006, but Petter and Phil won in 2005. They had to retire in 2007, and ended 2nd in 2006.
Itinerary
Friday, 29. February
0828 SS1 Alfaro 1 22,96km
0951 SS2 Ortega 1 23,83km
1039 SS3 El Cubilete 1 18,87km
Service – Poliforum
1302 SS4 Alfaro 2 22,96km
1425 SS5 Ortega 2 23,83km
1513 SS6 El Cubilete 2 18,87km
1633 SS7 Super Special 1 2,21km
1638 SS8 Super Special 2 2,21km
Saturday, 1. March
0824 SS9 Ibarrilla 1 29,90km
0947 SS10 Duarte 1 23,27km
1038 SS11 Derramadero 1 23,28km
Service – Poliforum
1312 SS12 Ibarilla 2 29,90km
1435 SS13 Duarte 2 23,27km
1526 SS14 Derramadero 2 23,28km
1641 SS15 Super Special 3 2,21km
1646 SS16 Super Special 4 2,21km
Sunday, 2. march
0828 SS17 Leon 16,09km
0856 SS18 Guanajuatito 22,30km
1019 SS19 Comanjilla 17,88km
1134 SS20 Super Special 5 4,42km
Service – Poliforum
1300 Finish Podium
Optimistic about this one – GO PETTER!
Good luck in Mexico Petter and Phil!
See you Sunday on te PODIUM!!!!
LOVE.
Elda.
Good Luck Petter & Phil
We will be routing for ya.
Safe Rally and we wish you
both a podium finish.
Love
Jayne
All the best Petter and Phil. This one’s for you!
Carolyn.
Good luck! I am hoping for a podium!
Petter and Phil all the best for mexico.
you go for the podium .
we support you both for that.
go ! go ! go ! petter and Phil !
I wish you a good and fast rally mexico!!!!!!!!!
Hi Petter and Phil !
You got the fastest time at the shakedown.
Great! (o^-’)b
I always support you from here in Japan!
(^-^)/~~
Hey Petter, 2 subarus joint quickest at shakedown its been a while since we’ve seen that… Promising start to the rally and on wrc.com there is a photo of you and Chris at press conference, also been long time since we’ve seen that. We are ready for more of the same, so good luck in Mexico Petter, we’re behind you all the way… xxxxx