WRC: Rally Mexico 2013

Steve · Feb 27, 2013

The Mexico rally is nearly upon us. One interesting aspect of this one is there cannot be a repeat winner this time around. None of the previous winners is entered!

Rally Guanajuato Mexico (WRC.com)

Round 3

07 - 10 Mar 13

Categories:WRC, WRC-2, WRC-3

Based:Leon

Surface:Gravel

Most Recent Winner:Sebastien Loeb (2012)

Website:Rally Guanajuato MÃ©xico 2013 - 7 al 10 de Marzo - LeÃ³n

Mexico hosts the first gravel event, with a couple of exciting new stages for 2013. In total there will be 23 stages over a competitive distance of 397 kilometres. The monster Guanajuatito stage will again be the longest of the rally, increasing in length very slightly to 54.9 kilometres.

Following the traditional 1.5-kilometre Guanajuato Street Stage in the Mexican city - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - on the evening of Thursday 7 March, crews will also tackle a new 2.16-kilometre test through Guanajuatoâ€™s Bicentennial Park, which was built two years ago between the cities of Guanajuato, Leon and Silao to celebrate 200 years of Mexican independence.

In other changes, the introduction of the new 31 kilometres El Chocolate test on Friday 8 March brings the dayâ€™s competitive running to 161 kilometres, while the Derramadero stage has been more than doubled in length to form the eventâ€™s Power Stage on Sunday 10 March. Meanwhile, the Leon Street Stage will be included on Friday and Saturday, while the Super Special Stage at Leonâ€™s racing circuit will be pressed into action on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

â€œEvery 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,â€ a statement issued by the event read.

But while the format has undergone several tweaks, the rock-strewn tracks, high ambient temperatures and altitudes will continue to provide the main challenge for the WRC crews on their first of two visits to the American continent during the season.

Added to the WRC schedule in 2004, the Leon-based event is famed for its spectacular ceremonial start in the city of Guanajuato, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, itâ€™s the Sierra de Lobos and Sierra de Guanajuato mountains that will continue to host the bulk of the stage action. The high-altitude tests make for spectacular viewing with a mixture of mountain peaks and flat open valleys. The altitude has its downside, however, as the engines struggle to breathe in the thin air and suffer a drop in power of approximately 20 per cent. The road surface is dry and sandy, but with rocks getting pulled onto the stages caution is very much the watchword.
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Steve · Feb 27, 2013

Citroen testing for Mexico ... in France. In addition to the money saved by not flying out to test in each distant rally location, I think there are series restrictions on the amount of testing each team can do outside Europe. So, teams look for places that can simulate the right conditions. I think I saw other teams testing in similar areas in Portugal.

Steve · Feb 28, 2013

Sometimes that plan doesn't work out so well. Here's the view from Novikov's co-driver seat when he hit Southern Spain to test for Mexico.

Steve · Feb 28, 2013

A different winner in Mexico (best-of-rallylive.com)

28/02/2013 1:25 pm

Whatever the outcome of the 2013 Rally Mexico, we will see a new winner on the eventâ€™s list of winners, since neither Martin, Solberg, Loeb, RovanperÃ¤, Pons, Ferreyros nor Ligato will be at the start of its 10th running as a WRC round.

So, whose names will appear on the list of Rally Guanajuato Mexico winners after those of SÃ©bastien Loeb and Daniel Elena? Indeed, it is very probable that the competition will be quite open next week in the absence of the Frenchman who has won this event for the past six years.

On top of that, the Franco-Monegasque pair hasnâ€™t missed a world class fixture since the 2006 Rally of Turkey, which works out at exactly 84 rallies!

Nature doesnâ€™t like vacuums, however, and there are plenty of crews who would be more than happy to follow in the footsteps of the nine-time world champions. Their numbers include SÃ©bastien Ogier who some already believe will dominate this season â€“ and those to come â€“ following his assertive showings in Monte Carlo and Sweden with the new Polo R WRC. The situation seems a little less comfortable for Finns Jari-Matti Latvala (VW) and Mikko Hirvonen (CitroÃ«n) who will need a top result soon to boost their confidence and get back into the title race. With Loebâ€™s shadow no longer hanging over him, Dani Sordo (CitroÃ«n) would also like to claim his maiden WRC victory, while Mads Ostberg (Ford) will be keen to do the same for the first time since his surprise win in Portugal last spring following Hirvonenâ€™s exclusion.

Volkswagen Motorsportâ€™s preparations for the yearâ€™s first gravel round included a test Mexico last November, ahead of a week in Portugal at the end of 2012. Meanwhile, CitroÃ«n-Total Abu Dhabi WRT was in Portugal, near Almodovar, last week for two days in good weather with Mikko Hirvonen and Dani Sordo, plus another day in rain with Chris Atkinson. Qatar M-Sport WRT travelled to the south of Spain for its gravel test with Mads Ostberg, Nasser Al-Attiyah, Evgeny Novikov and Thierry Neuville. All four were given an opportunity to sample the extra durability of the latest â€˜hardâ€™ (H2) and â€˜softâ€™ (S2) compound Michelin Latitude Cross tyres.

With the exception of 2009, the visit to Mexico has recently tended to be the first gravel clash of the year. A sequence of six rounds will now take us to the first â€˜clearâ€™ asphalt event in Germany at the end of August. Even though it takes places at high altitudes (more than 2500 metres), and even though some experts prefer to wait until Portugal, Mexico often provides a good idea of the championshipâ€™s pecking orderâ€¦
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Steve · Mar 6, 2013

How VW prepared for WRC altitude sickness (WRC.com)

06 Mar 13

One of the biggest technological challenges of Rally Mexico is how best to modify the engines to cope with altitudes nudging 3,000 metres.

As the air thins out, the 1.6-litre turbo engines fitted to all World Rally Cars lose around a quarter of their performance.

The turbocharger plays a key role. As well as the loss of high-altitude performance caused by a lack of oxygen and reduced air pressure in the inlet charge, the thinner air allows the turbine to spin so fast that it could burn itself out.

Ever since Mexico made its WRC debut in 2004, each manufacturer has developed engine settings to minimize power loss in this unique event. Ahead of its Mexico debut this week, Volkswagen is the most recent to look into the problem.

Last November, before its competitive debut, Volkswagen was free of the WRC restrictions that prohibit testing outside Europe and was able to run the Polo R in Mexico.

As well as this on-stage testing, the manufacturer also completed trials in its climate and altitude chamber in Germany to accurately simulate the challenge ahead.

â€œThe altitudes encountered at the Rally Mexico affect the engine more than any other part of the Polo R WRC,â€ explained Dr. Donatus Wichelhaus, Head of Engine Development at Volkswagen Motorsport.

â€œOn the one hand the air pressure and oxygen content of the air decrease the higher you go. On the other hand, the air resistance in the turbocharger also decreases, resulting in higher revs per minute than at any other rally. In order to guarantee its stability, whilst at the same time losing as little performance as possible, we have run various simulations to prepare for Mexico.â€

Volkswagen says it has developed a detailed engine map for Mexico that limits loss of performance without endangering the stability of the turbocharger.

But there are limits to what can be achieved, and Wichelhaus estimates that at the rallyâ€™s highest point, the 2669 metre summit of Fridayâ€™s El Chocolate stage, the Polo R will lose about 28 to 30 per cent of its output compared to Rally Sweden.
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Steve · Mar 8, 2013

The Shakedown video.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6CH2apjtu8]Shakedown - 2013 WRC Rally Mexico - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Mar 8, 2013

SS3: Early exit for Latvala (WRC.com)

08 Mar 12

SS3, El Cubilete 1 (21.91 kilometres)

Stage description:
This stage was first used in this direction last year. Fast, with plenty of high speed straights, it climbs to 2247 metres. It starts on a smooth, wide road but after 1.7km the surface changes from gravel to cobble stones. The cobbles run for 10kms before the surface reverts to gravel all the way to the finish.

How the action unfolded:

Volkswagenâ€™s Jari-Matti Latvala is out of Fridayâ€™s competition on Rally Mexico after his car struck a rock just 500 metres into the opening stage.

Reports suggest the rock had been flicked into the middle of the road by another car before Latvalaâ€™s Volkswagen Polo R hit it, breaking a front suspension wishbone.

Fridayâ€™s opener turned out to be a mixed affair for Volkswagen, with the squadâ€™s second driver Sebastien Ogier taking the stage win to extend his overall lead of the rally. â€œIt was okay, a clean drive, but Iâ€™m not quite happy with the car set-up yet,â€ said Ogier.

Ford Fiesta RS driver Mads Ostberg was second fastest, five seconds slower than Ogier, and also feeling he had some set-up work to do. â€œThe car is over-steering a lot so Iâ€™m having to work all the way, I need to make some adjustments, I canâ€™t drive it like this,â€ he explained.

Thierry Neuville, also in a Fiesta, was third quickest, 2.1sec off Ostbergâ€™s pace. The Belgian said he had adopted a cautious approach after encountering a lot of loose rocks in the road.

Citroen team-leader Mikko Hirvonen was fourth fastest, and frustrated with an opening stage time that was 10.4sec slower than Ogier. â€œI had a bad start on the tarmac section. I was not driving well and lost a load of time on the cobbles. Okay, we need to catch up now,â€ he said.

Evgeny Novikov had a terrible start to the day when his Ford Fiesta stopped mid stage with an electrical problem. The Russian dropped more than seven minutes before tweaks to his carâ€™s ECU brought it to life again and he could complete the stage.

Chris Atkinson was seventh fastest and arrived at the stage end with his Citroen DS3 sporting a cracked front bumper and a damaged left-hand front wheel. â€œWe clipped a rock in the inside of a corner. It felt like a puncture but it looks okay,â€ he explained.

After the two Super Specials on Thursday night, El Cubilete was Benito Guerraâ€™s first â€˜properâ€™ stage in a World Rally Car and the Mexican completed it in the ninth fastest time. â€œThat was fun to drive but running third in the start order thereâ€™s still a lot of dirt on the road and itâ€™s tricky to find the lines of the guys ahead and get traction,â€ said the Citroen DS3 driver. â€œThe second pass should be much better.â€

Running first on the road, Michal Kosciuszko reported an intermittent lack of power from his Mini JCWâ€™s engine.
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Latvala drama raises fears for Ogier (Racer.com)

March 08, 2013

Volkswagen will be monitoring the suspension components on Rally Mexico leader Sebastien Ogier's car following the retirement of Jari-Matti Latvala's sister Polo R WRC on Friday morning.

Latvala retired on just the third gravel corner of the rally after hitting a stone on the Cubilete test. The impact broke the track control arm on the VW, leaving the front-right wheel moving forward and backward in the wheel arch.

"I saw the stone very late," said Latvala, "so I tried to take it in the middle of the car. The stone flicked up and hit the TCA and broke it.

"The team have looked at the part now and they say they have to reinforce this, it's not strong enough. This is not something we have seen in testing. I think that now the team will be looking at the TCA on Ogier's car and changing them at every service to monitor the wear on them."

Latvala will return to the Leon-based event under Rally 2 regulations on Saturday. He says his focus will be on finding the limit of the Polo.

"I still don't know where the limit is," he said. "And now, in a way, some of the pressure is gone for me and I can relax and focus on the driving. Last time in Sweden I could not do this because I was in the race.

"Of course, I am disappointed. This has been a bad start to the year, but hopefully all the bad luck has come at once and now I we can move on. I told the team when I came in: 'I know my reputation is bad, so I want you to look at the onboard!'

"There wasn't anything we could do this time. My co-driver [Miikka Anttila] is normally really calm, but he was swearing a lot when this happened. I didn't swear, I was just too shocked that we had stopped."

This article originally appeared in Autosport.com
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Steve · Mar 8, 2013

SS7: Ogier leads in Mexico at Friday midpoint (WRC.com)

08 Mar 12

SS7 Street Stage Leon (1.23 kilometres)

Stage description:
Located right next to the service park in Leon, the Street Stage is a short tarmac sprint largely comprised of straights and hairpins. Drivers need to keep their driving neat because of the kerbs and lampposts that line the road.

How the action unfolded:

Volkswagenâ€™s Sebastien Ogier holds the lead of Rally Mexico at the midpoint of Fridayâ€™s competition, the Frenchman returning to service in Leon after SS7 with a 12.9 sec advantage over Ford Fiesta driver Mads Ostberg.

Ogier began todayâ€™s second leg in fourth after Thursday nightâ€™s two sprint tests, but converted this into a 5.3sec lead after a convincing stage win on the opening El Cubilete.

The Polo R driver lost the position on the next stage, however, when a fastest time from Ostberg moved him up to first. Ostberg took another stage win on SS5, but Ogier responded on the 30km El Chocolate test, completing it 13.7sec quicker than his rival to retake the lead.

The Frenchman rounded off the morning loop with a win on the short Street Stage in Leon. â€œOkay, we havenâ€™t had the best road position but weâ€™re leading the rally now, so we can be happy with that,â€ said Ogier.

â€œConsidering the grip we had we have done a good job. Mads is going really well, heâ€™s just behind. We have to work hard this afternoon to keep him there.â€

Ostberg wasnâ€™t always comfortable with the handling of his Fiesta RS but remains confident that he can catch Ogier. â€œIâ€™ve been struggling with the set-up all the way but the times were good,â€ he said.

â€œItâ€™s difficult to have a car that works well on both fast and slow corners here. We had a good run on the long one [SS6] but near the end I hit a rock and thought I had a puncture because the car felt strange. I slowed a bit but I think it was just the tyres overheating.

â€œIâ€™m happy that we are still in the fight, weâ€™ll refill our water bottle now and get out there again. I think I can match Ogierâ€™s pace. After what we have done this morning itâ€™s definitely possible,â€ he added.

Mikko Hirvonen is third, 5.3sec behind Ostberg in his Citroen DS3. The Finn was frustrated with his driving on Fridayâ€™s opener but improved as the day progressed and was Ogierâ€™s closest rival on the El Chocolate stage.

Fiesta RS driver Thierry Neuville is fourth, 7.9sec behind Hirvonen and satisfied with his morningâ€™s work. Without the benefit of split times in his car, the Belgian felt he had judged his pace well - with just one exception: â€œI lost 13 seconds on Las Minas [SS4] because I thought I needed to save my tyres more than I did,â€ he explained. â€œBut weâ€™re still in the fight with Mikko and Mads. We can go faster, but I donâ€™t know if we should go fasterâ€¦â€

A disappointed Dani Sordo is fifth, 39sec adrift of Neuville and at a loss to explain how his Citroen team-mate Hirvonen was 30-seconds quicker than him through SS6.

Nasser Al Attiyah is sixth, with Ken Block seventh in his Hoonigan Racing Division Fiesta RS. â€œMy last event was Finland last year, so itâ€™s taken me a while to get familiar with the car again,â€ said Block. â€œIâ€™m driving a bit too much sideways because of the loose stuff on the road, but Iâ€™m hoping the conditions will be cleaner for the repeat.â€

Reigning P-WRC champion Benito Guerra is eighth on his first event in a World Rally Car. â€œIâ€™m learning a lot and Iâ€™m satisfied with my first morning in the Citroen,â€ he said. â€œIâ€™m still aiming to be the leading private driver here, and that means we now have Ken Block in our sights. Weâ€™re going to try to be progressive in our learning and increase our speed as we go on.â€

WRC 2

After the opening seven stages, Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari holds a healthy 1m.49.7sec lead of the WRC 2 category

Making his season debut in Mexico, the Qatari driver took the lead on Thursday nightâ€™s Super Special and has held it ever since, winning all but one of the tests so far in his state-of-the-art Ford Fiesta RRC.

Behind him, the fight is between a field of Group N specification cars. Armin Kremer is second, at the wheel of a Subaru Impreza WRX, with Nicolas Fuchs 9.1sec further back in third in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX.

Yuriy Protasov was third overnight but dropped more than three minutes on Fridayâ€™s opener with a left-hand front puncture. He lost more time on SS6 when his Subaruâ€™s power steering failed.
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Steve · Mar 8, 2013

Need videos. In the meantime, here's the Friday wrap.

Friday WRC wrap: Ogier takes charge (WRC.com)

09 Mar 13

Sebastien Ogier completed the second day of Rally Mexico with a 33.0sec lead in his Volkswagen Polo R. The Frenchman won seven of the 11 stages on the car's gravel debut to ease clear of Mads Ostberg's Ford Fiesta RS.

Ogier held a narrow advantage after last night sprint stages and built on that in todayâ€™s two longest tests. He won the morning passes of the 21.91km El Cubilete and the 30.57km El Chocolate and repeated the feat this afternoon.

â€œWhen you think about the road position we had, to lead tonight by more than 20 secondsâ€¦well, itâ€™s been a good day,â€ said Ogier. â€œWe didnâ€™t expect this. Itâ€™s the first time on gravel but it looks like the car is also good here.â€

Ostberg was the only driver to challenge Ogier. The Norwegian won two stages in both the morning and afternoon loops, despite never feeling at ease in the other tests.

â€œItâ€™s been an up and down sort of day,â€ said Ostberg. â€œDifficult to explain, but Ogier has done something very special. We can only be happy with what we have done, but itâ€™s disappointing to lose contact with him.â€

Mikko Hirvonen and Thierry Neuville dueled over third place throughout the day, which covered 11 stages and 160.75km, mostly in the rolling mountains east of Leon.

Although the young Belgian reduced the deficit to Hirvonen to just four-tenths of a second, the experienced Finn pulled clear in the El Chocolate test to end 25.1sec ahead in his Citroen DS3.

â€œItâ€™s been a mixed day,â€ said Hirvonen. â€œI donâ€™t know myself why I wasnâ€™t on the pace on all the stages. Some were good, but on others the speed wasnâ€™t there.â€

Neuville was happy to reflect on an impressive debut on gravel in the Fiesta RS. â€œIt was a good day. I couldnâ€™t feel the car in the last long stage because it was so rough. I donâ€™t know the carâ€™s limits and I didnâ€™t want to damage it on the first day,â€ he said.

Behind the first four drivers, large gaps opened across the rest of the top 10. A lacklustre Dani Sordo is fifth in the second Citroen Total Abu Dhabi car, 1min 33.0sec behind Neuville, with Nasser Al-Attiyahâ€™s Fiesta RS in sixth, another 44.0sec adrift.

The top 10 is completed by Ken Block, Benito Guerra on his debut in a World Rally Car, Martin Prokop and Chris Atkinson.

Prokopâ€™s co-driver, Michal Ernst, struggled with illness for much of the day, while Atkinson incurred a 3min 30sec penalty when he stopped to repair broken steering after hitting a rock.

The only major retirement was the Polo R of Jari-Matti Latvala who hit a rock in the driving line just 400 metres into the opening stage. The impact broke the front right suspension arm and he will restart tomorrow under Rally 2 regulations.

Evgeny Novikovâ€™s hopes ended when a rock punched through the floor of his Fiesta RS in the opening stage and damaged the ECU. He stopped to replace it and lost more time in the next test when a loose connection on the unit halted him again. The Russian lost 12 minutes.

The WRC 2 support category is led by Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, his Ford Fiesta RRC 2min 24.3sec ahead of Nicolas Fuchs. The Qatari has been beaten on only one stage.

â€œEverything was fine apart from the last long stage this afternoon,â€ he said. â€œI was told to raise the suspension but I didnâ€™t listen and the car was touching the road everywhere. In some places I was on the limit, and in others I was cautious.â€

Fuchs, driving a Mitsubishi Lancer Eco IX, moved ahead of Armin Kremerâ€™s Subaru Impreza this afternoon and holds a 1min 36.7sec advantage. Ricardo Trivino is fourth in another Lancer.
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There are a couple short videos up on WRC.com. Better than nothing but I do mean short.

Steve · Mar 9, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HWS9H6nQJk]Leg 1 - 2013 WRC Rally Mexico - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

RallyMini370 · Mar 9, 2013

Thanks Steve. Ken Block is hanging in there at 6th and the Mini is doing better. Even J Montalto from Costa Rica is 15th. This rally has one of the biggest after rally parties that last for days.....I'll make there one day to either compete or watch.

Steve · Mar 9, 2013

SS16: Ogier in a class of his own at Saturday midpoint (WRC.com)

09 Mar 13

After a clean run through the short Leon Street Stage, Sebastien Ogier returned to the city's service park with a commanding rally lead of more than one minute.

The Frenchman was fastest on both of the morningâ€™s gravel tests, to more than double his overnight advantage and remain on track to take the Polo Râ€™s maiden WRC victory on gravel tomorrow.

Ogierâ€™s task was made a lot easier on the road section after SS14, when his closest rival, Ford Fiesta RS driver Mads Ostberg, retired with clutch and alternator related problems.

â€œOkay, It was a great morning for us but I feel a bit disappointed for Mads, he deserved better than that,â€ said Ogier. â€œThis morning he did a really good job and itâ€™s a shame for him. We were okay, and on the second one I really backed off but still we were fastest. Now we just want to get to the end, avoid all rocks and try to save the car as much as we can. Weâ€™ll be very safe.â€

Ostbergâ€™s exit promoted Citroen team-leader Mikko Hirvonen to second. But faced with a 1m08.4sec gap to Ogier, the Finn acknowledged there was little chance of catching him through driving alone.

â€œWe started the day with Ostberg in our sights, and I tried to attack in the first stage but when we heard he was out that took the pressure off,â€ said Hirvonen.

â€œMy pace was okay in the first stage but Ogier was amazingly fast. After we heard about Ostberg we havenâ€™t pushed. Unfortunately now we are concentrating on just holding the place. Itâ€™s not so difficult. But of course anything can happen.â€

Ford Fiesta RS driver Thierry Neuville began the day fourth but returned to service in third, despite struggling for much of the morning with broken steering. â€œItâ€™s been a very stressful morning for us,â€ admitted the Belgian.

â€œWe caught the inside of a wheel in a hairpin on the first stage and opened the steering. It got worse and something broke on the long stage that locked the steering and caused us to spin. After that we had to be neat, with no sliding all the way through.

â€œIâ€™m very disappointed for Mads, he was doing a great job. But for me of course itâ€™s good and I win one place. Now we need absolutely to finish. We canâ€™t catch the guys ahead,â€ he added.

Despite more frustration with his own driving, Dani Sordo is fourth, 1m 38sec behind Neuville, while Nasser Al-Attiyah is 39sec further back in fifth.

â€œNot an easy morning but our times are really good,â€ said Al-Attiyah. â€œStill a long way to go and a difficult afternoon ahead Iâ€™m sure with lots of rocks.â€

Ken Block is sixth in his Hoonigan racing division Fiesta RS, with Benito Guerra seventh in his privateer Citroen DS3.

Chris Atkinson holds eighth in his Citroen DS3 and hopes to make further progress up the leader board. But that wonâ€™t be easy from his start position of third on the road. â€œOkay, the road position is hurting us but the times are pretty good,â€ he said.

â€œItâ€™s difficult to push too hard because that takes us off the swept line but weâ€™re about 0.6 sec per kilometre off Mikkoâ€™s pace and he has a much better road position. Weâ€™re chipping away. Okay, itâ€™s frustrating after our problems yesterday but we can still get some good points if we carry on like this.â€

WRC 2

Ford Fiesta RRC driver Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari continues to dominate the WRC 2 category of Rally Mexico.

The Qatari won both of the morningâ€™s gravel stages to return to Leon after SS7, 3m.22.4sec ahead of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo of local hero Nicolas Fuchs.

After battling with brake problems for much of the morning, Ricardo Trivino is third, 5m 48.5 behind his compatriot in another Group N Mitsubishi.

â€œOkay, Itâ€™s a good lead but itâ€™s been very tough out there,â€ said Al-Kuwari. â€œFor the whole loop I have a problem with the handbrake and no launch control. But itâ€™s okay, now we are focused on getting to the end. We have to be cautious.â€

Armin Kremer, who had been third overnight, retired after his Subaru Impreza succumbed to suspension damage on Saturdayâ€™s opening stage.

â€œThere was no way he could continue,â€ team manager Manfred Stohl told wrc.com. â€œHe hit nothing, there was no mistake from him. We'll fix the car now and he should be fine to restart tomorrow.â€

â€œItâ€™s his first time here and he was second in Group N and third in WRC 2 but the luck wasn't on our side, which is disappointing.â€
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Ostberg: â€˜My biggest disappointmentâ€™ (WRC.com)

09 Mar 13

Mads Ostberg described his retirement from second place in Rally Mexico this morning as the biggest disappointment of his career.

The Norwegian stopped on the road section after the opening stage with a broken alternator on his Ford Fiesta RS. He claimed four stage wins yesterday and was the only driver capable of matching leader Sebastien Ogier.

â€œItâ€™s the biggest disappointment Iâ€™ve ever had in rallying,â€ he said. â€œIâ€™ve been disappointed previously but never this bad. Itâ€™s very frustrating after fighting for a good result.

â€œI canâ€™t believe itâ€™s the third rally in a row where weâ€™ve had technical issues and Iâ€™m not happy with that. I hope this will change now,â€ he added.

In the opening Ibarrilla stage, Ostbergâ€™s Fiesta suffered a leak in a pipe connected to the clutch slave cylinder.

â€œThe pedal wasnâ€™t working but we managed OK,â€ he said. â€œThere were a few places where you need a clutch and I couldnâ€™t use it, so it wasnâ€™t perfect. When I came to the end of the stage I had to put the car into neutral and stop it, and then restart it to be able to go,â€ he said.

â€œOn the road section I had an alarm on my screen for the alternator. Because of the clutch problem, we had to restart the car each time we stopped. But the alternator wasnâ€™t charging and it took about five minutes to empty the battery before the car stopped, he added.

Ostberg was so frustrated that he kicked the Fiesta RS, injuring his right foot.

â€œWhen I retired I was very angry so I kicked the car. The pain is quite big. We will work on that this afternoon and hopefully the foot should be OK to restart tomorrow,â€ he added.
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Steve · Mar 9, 2013

Drama.

Closed gate no barrier to leader Ogier (MaxRally.com)

by Graham Lister / 9th March 2013

Sebastien Ogier still leads Rally Mexico despite a dramatic run through the repeat of the 42.17-kilometre Otates test when his co-driver Julien Ingrassia had to get out of their VW Polo to open a closed gate.

Ogier was 1m21.4s to the good starting Saturday’s final gravel stage. But rather than having his advantage cut following the delay, Ogier’s lead now stands at almost three minutes after Mikko Hirvonen dropped time with a puncture.

“Maybe somebody does not want us to win,” said Ogier. “Somebody had closed a gate and Julien had to go out and open the gate and we had to restart. The organisation is not perfect when this happens. Maybe they should remove the gate.”

Hirvonen remains in second place following his left-rear puncture, which occurred 25 kilometres from the stage finish. The Citroen-driving Finn insisted he hadn’t hit anything although his gap to third-placed Thierry Neuville is down to 7.2s heading to the two superspecials in out-of-town Leon this evening.

Neuville has endured problems of his own this afternoon when his Qatar M-Sport Fiesta developed an overheating issue on stage 17, the result of a fan not being connected. He nevertheless remains on course for his maiden finish in the WRC.

Michal Koscisuzko’s troubled Rally Mexico continued when his Mini John Cooper Works dropped onto front-wheel-drive mode. Koscisuzko, who reported a high engine temperature and a strange noise on the previous Ibarrilla stage, said: “I had only front-wheel drive, something has broken in the diff. We lost a lot of time and almost stopped on a hairpin up hill. I am sure my mechanics can do a good job and repair it but we still have two short stages to go [until service].”

Kosciuszko’s delay means he drops behind Evgeny Novikov and out of the top 10. Meanwhile, Chris Atkinson has closed to within 29.2s of Ken Block in the battle for sixth place. Block reported a moment which “got his heart going” when he slid into a bank.

Jari-Matti Latvala, in the second works Polo, won the stage 15.3s quicker than Neuville.
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Steve · Mar 9, 2013

RallyMini370 said: ↑

Thanks Steve. Ken Block is hanging in there at 6th and the Mini is doing better. Even J Montalto from Costa Rica is 15th. This rally has one of the biggest after rally parties that last for days.....I'll make there one day to either compete or watch.
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The MINI had significant mechanical issues late today, though I suppose they might be able to fix things up my morning.

Block is surprising me but unless something changes pretty radically I expect him to lose that place to Atkinson tomorrow.

Steve · Mar 9, 2013

Ogierâ€™s time reduced after gate incident (WRC.com)

10 Mar 13

Sebastien Ogier's stage time though SS18 (Otates) has been reduced by 40 seconds after he was forced to stop to open a gate that blocked the road.

The clerk of the course examined GPS data and split times from Ogierâ€™s Polo R before deciding on the amount of time to be credited.

The decision makes Ogier the fastest driver through Otates, and gives him an extended rally lead of 3min 29.7sec ahead of Sundayâ€™s competition.
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Steve · Mar 9, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqX5VIpwEa4]Rally Guanajuato Mexico 2013: Ride in the dark - Onboard Hirvonen SS1 - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Mar 10, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XVxrk1PgtQ]Leg 2 - 2013 WRC Rally Mexico - Best-of-RallyLive.com - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Mar 10, 2013

â€˜Guanajuatitoâ€™â€¦ a â€˜hugeâ€™ challenge! (best-of-rallylive.com)

10/03/2013 9:00 am

The Spanish suffix â€˜titoâ€™ means â€˜littleâ€™. But that doesnâ€™t apply to the 54.85km stage â€˜Guanajuatitoâ€™ (SS21) which will doubtlessly be one of the 2013 championshipâ€™s longest.

There is talk of there being a 57km stage in Australia this year. However, until that becomes official, â€˜Guanajuatitoâ€™ (Sundayâ€™s first stage in Mexico) could well be the longest of the season. We drove through it on Wednesday morning and it took us almost two hoursâ€¦

It begins behind LÃ©onâ€™s zoo, then climbs steeply to provide an amazing view over Mexicoâ€™s sixth biggest city. From this panorama, a narrow, twisty, gravel-covered downhill track feeds to the village of Media Luna with impressive drops to the left. After 3.2km, it climbs to a plateau where the road is just as narrow but now very fast up to a junction-right at Km11.13.

The going then gets even faster, with several blind crests, up to the junction-left at Km14.99 where the landscape becomes almost desert-like, with a number of isolated villages to the side of the wide, fast track, including â€˜Buenos Airesâ€™ and â€˜Agua Zarcaâ€™. At Km20.06, crews will come across a section they have already done on SS14, including an interesting jump. For the next five kilometres, the going is wide and technical, with some sweeping banked corners that look like tremendous fun!

From the junction-right at Km25.99, the road forms a long loop which begins with a challenging downhill portion with big rocks to either side, as well as some concealed stone walls on the driving line. After a hairpin-left at Km34.51, the stage starts to climb again through â€˜El Sauz Secoâ€™ and â€˜Los Alisosâ€™ before re-joining the road it left 18km previously. This section was also used by SS15.

The last 11 kilometres are fast, wide and undulating on a hard-packed, gravel-strewn surface. After a mountain pass at an altitude of 2,523m, at Km47, the downhill run to the finish is simply stunning as fast corners alternate with wide hairpin bends.

In addition to being long, â€˜Guanajuatitoâ€™ is extremely varied and is cited by many drivers, including SÃ©bastien Ogier, as their favourite stage of the event.
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Steve · Mar 10, 2013

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgGGytlCJC0]Seb Ogier stopped by the gate in Mexico 2013 WRC !!!!!!!!!!!!! - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Mar 10, 2013

He got his wish, gained 36.7sec on Block and moved ahead of him in the overall order.

Surviving Guanajuatito. By Chris Atkinson (MaxRally.com)

by Giles Wade / 10th March 2013

Rally Mexico 2013 concludes this morning with the monster 54.85-kilometre Guanajuatito stage. MAXRALLY got the lowdown from Abu Dhabi Citroen driver Chris Atkinson, currently in pursuit of Ken Block for sixth place, about the challenge ahead.

â€œI only made 10 kilometres of this stage last year when we had a damper fail on us. Hopefully weâ€™ll do a better run this year. It is a tough stage and weâ€™ll try to find a good rhythm and a good pace, not absolutely flat out. Our target is to beat Ken so if we can take 20s or 30s on the stage then Iâ€™ll be happy.

â€œObviously youâ€™re going to be in the car for a long time, about 35 minutes and you just have to tell yourself to concentrate on the pace notes and try not to think how far it is.

â€œIâ€™m quite comfortable in this car and Iâ€™ve had time to drink in the car on some of the stages when before I havenâ€™t felt Iâ€™ve been able to. As well as finding a good rhythm you need to try to relax. We havenâ€™t got a blower in the car but thereâ€™s quite a lot of air so youâ€™re not too hot.

â€œWhile itâ€™s a long stage itâ€™s not that tough and not really a drama. Quite often youâ€™ll do a 10-kilometre, 20-kilometre and a 30-kilometre stage in a row but it just so happens this one links that altogether.

â€œFor sure there are some quite bad dips weâ€™ll take quite easy. The rest of the stage is in quite good condition and we go over some bits of stages we did on Saturday so they should be swept quite a bit.

â€œIn terms of the car, thereâ€™s no special punishment itâ€™s going to take. The car is perfect really, as long as I donâ€t make any mistakes.â€

Guanajuatito goes live at 0858hrs local time.
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