WRC – How Latvala prepared for the Mexico rally

From snow to gravel. For the third meeting of the year, the World Rally Championship heads to Mexico, where dusty high-altitude stages with high temperatures await the drivers. Enough to contrast radically with the first two rallies of the season on snow-covered surfaces, in Monte-Carlo and in Sweden.

A change that represents a real challenge, as Jari-Matti Latavla explains. “Altitude is one problem, heat is another, and jet lag is another, especially when you're traveling from a cold, snow-covered country like Finland in winter.”, enlightens the Volkswagen driver. “I will try to arrive in Mexico early to give my body time to acclimatize. Maybe I'll even do a few more saunas before leaving. There is a way to simulate the Mexican heat: in the sauna I wear the hood that I normally wear under my helmet. And then I make sure to put plenty of water on the coals?.

If this is the first time that the Volkswagen Polo R WRC will race on a dirt event, the Finn feels ready. “We were in Mexico at the end of last year, where I did my only gravel test in this car and I believe I am optimally prepared. Besides, I was very fast here in 2012. I hope I can do it again this time?.