FIA World Rally Championship leader BP-Ford journeys to Argentina next week for an event that generates a special ambience unmatched anywhere else during the season. Rally Argentina (3 – 6 May) is south America’s only round in the 16-event series and while the passionate Latin American fans generate a party mood along the route, drivers face probably the most varied roads of the year.
This sixth round of the 16-rally series never fails to excite. It is surrounded by colour and the atmosphere crackles as an estimated 1.4 million spectators launch a weekend-long fiesta out in the pampas. The scenery is stunning, too, ranging from vast expanses of open plains north of the host town of Villa Carlos Paz to the mountains west of the town where rocky ribbons of road wind through a dramatic moon-like landscape. Add in an opening speed test at Buenos Aires’ iconic River Plate soccer stadium and the recipe is there for a south American sizzler.
Following requests from its customers, Citroën has become the fourth manufacturer to register for the Intercontinental Rally Championship (IRC), the new international motor sport series organised by SRW Events, an operation recently established by Eurosport with a view to organising, promoting and developing international sports events. The next round of the 2007 IRC calendar is the Rally of Turkey (May 11-13).