Mexico : Ford World Rally Team - PreviewFIA World Rally Championship leader BP-Ford journeys to Mexico next week bidding for an early season treble as the series moves for the first time onto the gravel roads which are the dominant surface of the year. Rally Mexico (8 -
11 March) is the first of nine gravel events in the 16-rally championship and as such this round of the 2007 campaign will offer the best guideline to date for the season ahead.
Victories for the Ford Focus RS World Rally Car on consecutive weekends last month on the snow and ice of Sweden and Norway propelled the team into a 16-point advantage in the manufacturers' standings. Sweden victors
Marcus Gronholm and Timo Rautiainen have opened a four-point lead in the drivers' championship over team-mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen, winners in Norway.
Based in Leon in the centre of the north American country, the rally is the highest in the championship. Most speed tests are over 2000m and the first leg climbs to more than 2700m on hillsides awash with cacti and water crossings. The altitude takes its toll on cars, the thinner air meaning engines 'run out of breath' and can lose up to 30 per cent of their usual power.
The special stages are mainly fast and flowing, some using roads built specifically for the rally. They comprise hard-packed gravel as well as a sandier surface.
Their smooth nature means tyre wear is not excessive. However the durability of BFGoodrich's rubber fitted to the Focus RS cars will be important as the competitive distance between tyre changing regularly exceeds 70km and goes up to more than 81km on the second leg.
Gronholm has finished all three previous WRC events in Mexico, his best result being second in 2005. "There is nothing unusual about the rally, it is quite a normal gravel event," he said. "The surface is quite smooth and there are good combinations of fast and slower sections. The main aspect of this rally is the altitude. There is quite a significant power loss in the mountains and at the highest parts the engine feels 'dead'. But that is the same for everyone and we can't do anything to change it."
As championship leader, Gronholm will be first to tackle the stages on Friday's opening leg. Hot weather and little recent rain mean the roads could be covered in slippery loose gravel and this is something he also experienced in 2006.
"It wasn't so bad last year so I'm not worried about it. In fact I'm happy because to start first means I'm leading the championship and that's the best place to be! In some places it was tricky but generally it wasn't a big problem. It will only have an effect on Friday morning because the afternoon stages are repeats," added the 39-year-old Finn, who enjoyed a family ski holiday in Norway after the previous round there.
Hirvonen has an unblemished finish record from his two previous starts in Mexico and is full of confidence after victory in Norway. "I'm eager to get started but I admit I don't know what to expect," he said. "After beating Marcus and
Sebastien Loeb in a straight fight in Norway, I'm unsure what will happen in Mexico. I'm not expecting to challenge them both on gravel immediately. I think it will take a few more rallies to get onto their pace, but there again you never know.
"After such a long break since our last gravel rally, it was a great idea to have a test this week. The last two rallies were on snow, which required a different driving style. It takes a while to get back into the rhythm of driving on gravel and so the test was perfectly timed to do just that. I have a good base set-up for gravel events anyway but the test helped confirm that.
"Mexico isn't the most difficult rally in the championship but it can be surprisingly rough. On the recce the roads seem smooth with no big stones or awkward bumps, but at rally speeds I am always surprised how rough it feels," added the 26-year-old Finn.
Ford World Rally Team
