The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team heads to Rally Mexico (March 12-15) – the first true gravel event of the season – aiming to continue its impressive start to the 2020 FIA World Rally Championship and achieve another top result. Elfyn Evans travels to Mexico leading the drivers’ championship for the first time after his win on Rally Sweden, with team-mate Sébastien Ogier (a five-time winner of Rally Mexico) just five points behind, while Kalle Rovanperä is fresh from his record-breaking maiden podium on the previous event.
2020 Yaris WRC
After the winter conditions of Rallye Monte-Carlo and Rally Sweden, Rally
Mexico provides a considerable contrast for the teams and drivers. It is
usually one of the warmest events of the season, with ambient temperatures that
can reach 30°C, and is also the highest round on the calendar, with the route
climbing to 2737m above sea level. At such altitude, the thinner air reduces
engine power by as much as 20 per cent.
As usual, the rally will start in colourful Guanajuato on Thursday evening,
where fans will be treated to double the action with two competitive runs
through the city’s streets and tunnels. There will be a total of 10 stages on
Friday, including a loop of three gravel stages run twice. The morning is
followed by a new test at Guanajuato Bicentennial Park, and the afternoon
completed in host city León by two runs around the local racing circuit and a
short street stage. Two more laps of the racing circuit plus a different street
stage adjacent to the service park round out Saturday’s action, after another
three repeated gravel stages. There are three more stages to end the rally on
Sunday, with El Brinco hosting the Power Stage finale.
Quotes:
Tommi Mäkinen (Team Principal)
“It has been a brilliant start to the season for the whole team and, of course,
we hope to keep it going in Mexico. It is a rally where we know that the
altitude and the high temperatures can make it tough for the cars. We have worked
very hard and improved a lot in this area since we started: We already saw
there last year that we had no issues with the cooling, and the speed was very
good too. So I am feeling confident that we can go there and have another
strong rally with our three crews, who have all settled in to the team
incredibly well so far.”
Sébastien Ogier/ Julien Ingrassia
Sébastien Ogier
(Driver car 17)
“It’s always a great feeling every year to go to Rally Mexico. I have so many
good memories there: It was my first WRC event back in 2008, when we started
with a win in the Junior category, and since then we’ve had a lot of good
results there. I have had the chance to do two days of testing in Spain
recently, and I think the first feeling with the car on gravel is really good.
After two events where we had some good pace but didn’t manage to claim a win
yet, this will definitely be the target in Mexico. With more mileage in the car
now, I start to feel more and more comfortable in the Yaris WRC. Being third on
the road is not a bad starting position, and our plan will be to try to fight
as hard as we can for the victory.”
Elfyn Evans/Scott Martin
Elfyn Evans (Driver
car 33)
“It’s obviously been a great start to the year with the team, and I’m looking
forward now to the first gravel event of the season. In a way, Mexico is quite
like the first two rallies of the year, in that it has its own specific
challenges that we have to try and adapt to. And this year, it’s another new
surface for us to get used to with a new car. But we found a good feeling in
the first two rounds, and we hope to do the same in Mexico. Leading the
championship does mean we will be opening on the road on Friday, which will not
make it easy for us, but we almost have to forget about that and just focus on
the job in hand.”
Kalle Rovanperä/Jonne Halttunen
Kalle Rovanperä
(Driver car 69)
“The pre-event test in Spain was the first time for me on gravel in the Yaris
WRC, but I was getting used to the feeling more and more. We tried a few
different setup options and I think we found a good compromise. I competed on
Rally Mexico two years ago, and the main difficulty there is the high altitude,
which means you need to adapt your driving style. Sweden was of course a very
nice rally for us, but I think that Mexico could be one of the trickiest events
for me this year with my experience, and we will have to see how it goes.”
Map Rally Mexico 2020
(Please visit www.wrc.com for
the latest.)
The statistics (Rally Mexico):
| Year | Sébastien Ogier | Elfyn Evans | Kalle Rovanperä |
| 2019 | 1 | 3 | – |
| 2018 | 1 | DNF | 15 |
| 2017 | 2 | 9 | – |
| 2016 | 2 | – | – |
| 2015 | 1 | 4 | – |
| 2014 | 1 | 4 | – |
*Kalle Rovanperä entered with R5 only prior to 2020
What happened last year?
Ott Tänak claimed the team’s first Rally Mexico podium finish in second
overall, moving up from third place on the final day to increase his and the
team’s championship leads. Kris Meeke briefly led the rally before a puncture,
and finished fifth overall. Jari-Matti Latvala was eighth having restarted the
rally on Saturday.
Rally Mexico 2019
