Loose surface roads are the dominant terrain in the series, hosting 10 of the 15 rounds, with Rally Mexico being the benchmark for the season ahead.

The Ford Focus RS World Rally car claimed a clean sweep of the podium positions in Sweden earlier this month with BP Ford Abu Dhabi on the top two steps. Combined with second place on the season-opener in Monte Carlo in January, the reigning world manufacturers’ champion travels to the third round with a 10-point lead.

Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen are six points clear in the drivers’ table with Sweden winners Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila tied in second.

Ford is a major sponsor of the rally, which is based in León in the center of the country. It is the first of three consecutive rounds outside Europe and is also the highest in the championship.

Most speed tests are run in altitudes over 2,000 meters and the first leg climbs to more than 2,700 meters on hillsides awash with cacti and water crossings. The altitude takes its toll on cars as the thinner air means engines "run out of breath" and can lose up to 30 percent of their usual power.

The special stages are fast and flowing and average speeds last year topped 96 kph. They are mostly hard-packed gravel, although some are sandier, and organizers worked closely with local authorities to build stages for the rally that also opened up new link roads for isolated villages.

Hirvonen, whose best finish in his three previous starts was third last year, will be first in the start order on the opening day courtesy of being championship leader for the first time in his career.

"First on the road isn’t the best place to be in Mexico because there will be loose gravel and stones on the road surface," said the 27-year-old Finn. "It’s better to be further down the order where the roads will be cleaner but I don’t mind putting up with that if it means I lead the championship. I really don’t want to start first on Saturday or Sunday though, and it will be interesting to see if tactics come into play at the end of the first day as drivers try to obtain a better start position for the rest of the weekend."

"Technically the roads are a mix. About 50 percent is quite straightforward and the rest is more difficult. There are also plenty of stones on the edge of the road. In the past, with puncture-resistant mousse in the tires, that wouldn’t have been a problem but now it’s something I have to think about more carefully. The altitude is the most difficult aspect because the higher the stages, the less power there is and sometimes when you need the power, it isn’t there," added Hirvonen.

Latvala became the youngest driver in history to win a WRC round in Sweden last month on only his second outing with the BP Ford Abu Dhabi team.