Rally Mexico
The Corona Rally Mexico is a round of the FIA World Rally Championship.
The Corona Rally Mexico entered the championship schedule in 2004 and is currently the only North American event in the WRC series. The event's itinerary is based in the state of Guanajuato. The stages take place in the environs of cities of León, Silao and Guanajuato; rally headquarters being located at León.
The Organising Committee won the Inmarsat Star of The Rally Award in 2004, the first time it happened.
History
The origins of Corona Rally Mexico
Rally America, today known as Corona Rally Mexico, was created in 1979 through a big spirit of co-operation by the two largest clubs in Mexico: Club Automovilístico Francés de México (CAF) and the Rally Automovil Club (RAC). Both clubs have a long history of friendly and not-so-friendly competition, so their collaboration was a big step forward for rallying in the country. It was originally hosted in the State of Mexico and ran continuously until 1985.
After an absence of six years, the event ran again in 1991 and followed the route of El Paso de Cortes, between two of Mexico's largest volcanoes. Following the cancellation of the 1992 edition of the event, the CAF opted for a different concept: a short rally with a high percentage of special stages. The result was the very successful 1993 edition that was held in Valle de Bravo under the direction of Gilles Spitalier. The rally was awarded the ‘Rally of the Year’ title by the National Rally Commission.
The Organising Committee then took over the running of the Rally de las 24 Horas, the CAF’s flagship event, and, for this reason, Rally America was not staged again until 1996, when the internationalization of the project began.
The CAF and its new promoting partner, AdSport, moved the event to the US border in Ensenada, Baja California, for two years where it started to atract international entries.
In 1998, the organizers decided to rename the event and move it to Leon, Guanajuato. With a long-term business plan focusing on inclusion in the FIA World Rally Championship in place, the event ran again in 1999 and 2000, stepping up a gear each year. From 2001 to 2003, the organizers went for observation by the FIA, successfully running the event on each occasion.
The 2003 Corona Rally Mexico - the 17th in the history of the rally - proved to be the crucial turning point. New facilities at the Poliforum Expo Center were groundbreaking in the sport and this, combined with one of the most compact routes ever, put the event firmly in the frame for World Championship status. A total of 45 crews representing 11 countries crossed the start ramp during one of the most spectacular opening ceremonies seen in the sport.
Corona Rally Mexico made its debut in the expanded 16-round FIA World Rally Championship in 2004, running successfully as the third round of the series and implementing a raft of regulation changes introduced by the FIA for the season. In 2005, the event again ran as the third round and was the first full gravel event of the year, attracting 44 crews representing 17 nations. For the first time in their series, the FIA Junior World Rally Championship contenders also ventured outside Europe, Corona Rally Mexico being the second event in its eight-round series.
Winners
External link
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