The WRC event rotation system meant Mexico was absent from last year's calendar, but it returns in 2010 amid a year long fiesta to mark the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution and the 200th anniversary of its independence.

The rally is a relative newcomer to the WRC calendar but has proved a popular addition since its debut in 2004, with a compact series of well-organised, high-speed gravel stages through the Sierra de Lobos and Sierra de Guanajuato mountains and the plains around the cities of Guanajuato, Leon and Silao.

The high-altitude stages make for spectacular viewing with a mixture of mountain peaks and flat open valleys. The altitude has downsides, though, as the engines struggle to breathe in the thin air and suffer a drop in power of about 20 per cent. The road surface is dry and sandy, but rocks can get on the road, so drivers have to balance high speeds with caution.

SINGLE RALLY MODE
DAY 1:AUSTRALIA EXPERT
DAY 2:AUSTRALIA INTERMEDIATE

SHAKEDOWN: AUSTRALIA SS4

TIMES DUE SUNDAY, MARCH 7 AT MIDNIGHT.

Good luck!

Tannat