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				Corona Rally Mexico
				Production Car World Rally Championship Rd.2 12 to 14 March 2004

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Production Car World Rally Championship (PCWRC) Rd.2, Information World Rally Comes to Mexico Rally Preview Event News 11 March 2004
World Rally Championship (=WRC) makes its first visit to Mexico this weekend in Round 3 (Round 2 of Production Car World Rally Championship=PCWRC) of the 2004 FIA World Rally Championship. The winner of last year's Rally Mexico (a test event for inclusion into the WRC) was Marcos Ligato. Now driving an Impreza, he will join the other Subaru favourites fighting for a top position in the PCWRC; Alistair McRae, Toshi Arai, Mark Higgins and Niall McShea. Both Nasser Al Attiyah and Joakim Roman will be keen to improve on their performance in Sweden. Local driver Roman had experienced car set-up and tyre problems in the Swedish Rally and as a result, had failed to capitalise on his local knowledge of the event. Nasser Al Attiyah, coming directly from a top ten finish in the Paris-Dakar rally, was driving on snow for the first time and managed a very credible performance, netting two PCWRC points. Already Corona Rally Mexico has established a tradition with its spectacular ceremonial start in Guanajuato City, located approximately 50km from Leon, on the 11th of March. In total, the 2004 Corona Rally Mexico consists of 15 special stages; with six being repeated, giving a total of 394.43 competitive kilometers overall. Leg One on Friday covers 108.03 competitive kilometres over four special stages, one of which is repeated. Kicking off the action is not only the highest stage of this event, but of the whole 2004 FIA World Rally Championship season. The 29.06 kilometre run from Ortega to La Esperanza peaks at 2,737 metres. It is also one of the fastest stages on the event. The second leg is by far the longest and includes 154.34 competitive kilometres run over six stages. Every one of the stages is longer than 23 kilometres, providing a long and arduous day of competition for the crews. Sunday's closing day of competition takes in five stages, two of which are repeated, and cover a total of 132.06 competitive kilometres. The day kicks off with the longest stage of the rally; Ibarrilla-Mesa, at over 30.47 kilometres. The finish of the 2004 Corona Rally Mexico takes place in Leon at 14:30 hrs. The character of the rally is unique - with a third of the event consisting of rather slow and twisty stages. The rest of the event is either fast or very fast. Without a doubt, it will be one of the drivers' favourite rallies of the year. The fast stages have a good flow and are generally smooth and in great condition. All the Subaru drivers are keen to get a good idea of the event's character from last yea's winner, Marcos Ligato. He is sure to start the event with the confidence boost of knowing the rally's pace and character. The PCWRC competition will be tough here in Mexico as the high altitude greatly affects engine power. All the drivers have reported a great drop in power as the average altitude on the stages is over 2,400 metres. Add to this the great selection of stages, and it will very much come down to driving skills, commitment and car handling. With two of the top Subaru runners, Ligato and Higgins, not scoring points in Sweden, they will be tempted to push to the limit in their aim for top positions on the event. One can expect them both to be attacking in a most determined fashion. Toshi Arai will be keen to put his small but costly error in Sweden behind him, and Alistair McRae is expecting to lift his pace to match series leader Jani Paasonen. Starting his PCWRC challenge in Mexico is Niall McShea. Niall is expected to be a front runner in the series but is anxious to start the season off very carefully. He is aiming to increase his pace throughout the year rather than making an all-out attack early on in the series. At this stage nobody can predict who the winner will be on Sunday night.... Driver Comments: Toshi Arai - Car #31 "It's going to be a really tricky rally with mixed character and surface throughout the event on all the stages. There is no one stage that has one particular type of character. There'll be some slow and some fast places, some wide and some narrow. Some of the stages have extremely slow sections; of a sort of 'switchback' character. My strategy here is a little more cautious than I might have anticipated. I'm not planning on leading this event from the front." Niall McShea - Car #34 "I am determined to come to this event and stamp my initials on the championship. I want everyone to know I'm here. I feel very happy with my first experience of the car during the test. Like Toshi, I have now revised my settings after the recce and realise the rally is a bit rougher and twistier than has been generally said." Marcos Ligato - Car #35 "I've had a very good test, though I did have an accident with a cow! In my attempt to avoid the animal, I hit a tree, causing some damage to the car. Luckily, I managed to do my test before this unfortunate incident, and I am satisfied as we now have all the car settings where they need to be. Both I and Mark Higgins have had a very good test and the cars are where they should be now." Joakim Roman - Car #37 "My test was shorter than expected as my car arrived here late. The boat from Europe blew an engine which had to be repaired enroute, causing the delay. While my test was short, I am happily surprised because it does seem to be smoother; though it's a very technical event. I hope it will reward my driving style more than Sweden did." Alister McRae - Car #39 "I tested alongside Toshi. We concentrated mostly on engine-mapping as we are quite concerned on getting all those settings absolutely correct. I will adjust my car after seeing all the stages from the recce as all the other drivers are doing. I'm looking forward to this event. It's my first gravel rally with the car and I'm feeling quite confident." Nasser Al-Attiyah - Car #44 "I am very excited to be here. The more open parts of the rally are where I am very confident. I am looking forward to improving on my points-scoring position of the first round."