Run in the Sierra de Lobos and Sierra de Guanajuato mountains, the rally climbs to a height of 2’700 metres above sea level, where the thinner air deprives the engines of oxygen, which can result in a potential power loss of up to 20 per cent. Ambient temperatures of up to 30°C add additional stress to the machinery. Teams take special measures to ensure the reliability of their cars, and the drivers must adapt their driving styles to the conditions.
 
With three different manufacturers sharing the podium in both of the opening rounds – and two different crews on the top step - it has been a thrilling start to the season, and Rally Mexico promises to add another exciting episode to the story. Ten World Rally Car drivers will battle it out on the Central American stages, with Dani Sordo making his debut on the championship this year in the Hyundai i20 Coupé driven by Sébastien Loeb in the opening two events of the season. As part of his preparations for Rally Mexico, the Spaniard, who finished second in Mexico in 2018, competed – and won – Rali Serras de Fafe in Portugal last weekend, the opening round on gravel of the Iberian FIA European Rally Trophy.
 
In the FIA WRC 2 Pro category, Poland’s Lucasz Pieniazek (M-Sport) will pilot a Ford Fiesta R5 car, alongside four FIA WRC 2 entrants: Benito Guerra from Mexico, Marco Bulacia Wilkinson from Colombia and the Heller brothers, Pedro and Alberto, from Chile.
 
All of the stages can be watched live on WRC All Live on WRC+, with three stages additionally broadcast live on television: SS12 and SSS15 (El Brinco) and the rally-ending SS21, Las Minas Power Stage.

THE 2019 ROUTE
 
The Rally Mexico route features only minor changes compared to 2018. The event traditionally holds its stunning opening stage in the colourful town of Guanajuato on Thursday evening, where the crews take on the city’s narrow streets and former mining tunnels. Friday includes two runs over the rally’s epic “El Chocolate” test, the season’s highest point at more than 2’737m. Both Friday and Saturday’s itineraries feature a street stage in León and two runs around the city’s racing circuit. Saturday is the longest day of this year’s rally, with an extended Otates, the longest stage of the rally with 32.27 kilometres. The day also includes El Brinco, where the famous jump has been replaced by a man-made ramp in a dry reservoir which should contribute to a spectacular finish. On Sunday, the penultimate Mesa Cuata stage is new, using the opening half of El Chocolate before turning towards Guanajuato, where the Las Minas Power Stage will finish.

RALLY DATA
 

MEDIA ACCREDITATION
 
The Accreditation Centre is located in the Media Centre in Léon, in the Expo-Feria building of the fairgrounds in Rally Campus. The opening hours are :
 

 
RALLY MEXICO TIMETABLE AND MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES ORGANISED BY THE FIA
 

FIA PRESS CONFERENCE ATTENDANCE
 

MANUFACTURER ENTRIES, RALLY MEXICO
 

FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP CLASSIFICATIONS
 
The provisional classifications for all the WRC Championships is available on the following link:
https://www.fia.com/events/world-rally-championship/season-2019/standings