The ground breaking Rally of Nations, held as a gap-year activity by the organisers of the world championship Rally of Mexico, was won by a two-car team of drivers from Spain, even though Austrian drivers Manfred Stohl and Andreas Aigner individually finished first and second in overall results. The three day event was run for organiser-supplied Group N or locally entered two-wheel drive cars, using gravel stages from the WRC event, with additional downtown asphalt street stages on the first two days in the headquarters town Leon itself. From over the Atlantic teams came from Austria, Sweden, Finland, Germany, France and Britain, while from the Americas Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay ,USA and Mexico itself were represented. Teams in trouble included Sweden (Andersson lost a wheel and Sandell’s engine failed), Finland (steering trouble for both Gardemeister and Rovanpera) and Britain, (McShea clutch and Morrow went off the road on the first stage). French driver Tirabassi retired on day 2 with engine failure.

Spanish driver Sola punctured when leading and then lost his brakes but restarted of day 2. The rally really turned around on stage 6, suddenly changing from Spanish domination into an Austrian fiesta. Meanwhile in the German team Gassner lost time with a puncture on the first morning but climbed steadily back until he was just behind teammate Wallenheim. Apart from the usual times taken on stages, the Rally of Nations concept was based on financial incentives, with USD 500 going to the driver winning each stage, USD 5,000 to the winning team each day and USD 50,000 going to the overall winning team. The drivers’ awards were as follows: Manfred Stohl USD 15,500, Xevi Pons and Dani Sola each USD 2500, Andreas Aigner USD 1500, Toni Gardemeister USD 1000, Didier Auriol and Brice Tirabassi USD 500 each. The rest got nothing...!

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foto 1: Stohl
foto 2: Pons

Drivers classification
1 Stohl/Minor             Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX Austria   2h57m38.7s
2 Aigner/Weissenbruber    Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX Austria   2h57m43.1s
3 Auriol/Giraudet         Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX France    2h59m14.6s
4 Pons/Haro               Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX Spain     2h59m43.3s
5 Wallenwein/Kopczyk      Subaru Impreza N12       Germany   3h05m04.0s
6 Gassner Jnr/Wustenhagen Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX Germany   3h07m40.4s

Nations classification:
Spain 1067,5 points; Austria 939,5; France 714,0; Germany 542,5; Sweden 442,5; Mexico #2 320,0; Finland 240,0; USA#2 191,5; Mexico #1 127,0; Italy 130,0.