Peugeot Sport drivers Markko Martin and Marcus Gronholm set the pace during the shakedown session ahead of this weekend’s Corona Rally Mexico.

Peugeot Sport drivers Markko Martin and Marcus Gronholm set the pace during the shakedown session ahead of this weekend’s Corona Rally Mexico.


The Estonian’s 307 WRC set the fastest time, followed closely by his Finnish team-mate in a similar car, as the drivers prepared for the start of the event later on Friday. Reigning champion Sebastien Loeb was third-quickest on the Tunamanza shakedown stage in his Citroën, with Petter Solberg’s new Subaru Impreza fourth.


Conditions for the previous days' recce and the slow, twisty shakedown were hot and sunny, but after heavy rain in the run-up to the event, all the drivers have noted that the stages have had the loose top layer of gravel and dust washed away, leaving the much harder base surface exposed.


That will lessen the traditional disadvantage that the championship leaders face as they lead the field onto the stages on Friday - they will no longer lose time by sweeping the road for their rivals. It has, however, thrown up concerns about the durability of the tyres that teams have brought, which had to be nominated several weeks ago. Most teams would have planned for more loose gravel, which would have called for softer tyres.


Current championship leader Toni Gardemeister could only manage the 12th-fastest time on the shakedown. The Ford ace was expected to struggle on this event compared to his rivals, as he had never competed in Mexico before. German Armin Schwartz showed the promise of the all-new, 2005-spec Skoda with the seventh-fastest time, behind Subaru rookie Chris Atkinson, who could be one to watch on this event. It's only the Australian's second event in the WRC class, but he has showed impressive form in the Group N class on loose-surface events, reported.


Loeb, Mitsubishi's Harri Rovanpera and Gilles Panizzi and Skoda's Jani Paasonen may be permitted to make penalty-free precautionary engine changes after damaging their cars during the shakedown. As is the case in Formula One this year, new regulations stipulate that competitors’ engines have to last two events.


The four drivers all hit rocks embedded on the road on the Tunamanza test stage this morning. As they all suffered damage which could require an engine change before the start of competitive running, however, all four are believed likely to avoid the 20-second penalty which comes as a result of an engine change during each two-event cycle. Mexico is paired with next month's New Zealand Rally in this case.

It is understood that a financial penalty will be applied in the absence of a time penalty due to the unexpected nature of the incidents, and the engine change rule is likely to be clarified before the next event in New Zealand.

Original article from Car