World level motorsport returns to Argentina for the second time in three months. Following the remarkably successful and popular Dakar event on its first time in South America comes the 29th Rally Argentina. The curiously unbalanced new 12-round rotation format of the FIA's world rally championship is playing tricks this year. Before the start of this weekend's Rally Argentina, round 5, one-third of the 2009 season has already been held! Furthermore this event will be one of only two "long haul" (rallies held outside Europe) rally this year. In these days of widespread world economies, there is an encouragingly good entry of 59 cars (56 started last year), with nine world championship entries, 12 PCWRC - including two guest drivers - and three Juniors.

In addition to Citroen Total, BP Ford Abu Dhabi, Citroen Juniors and Stobart VK team entries, once again there is a single WRC Munchi's entry, for Federico Villagra. Main driver change in the WRC sector concerns the Citroen Juniors. This event was never on the programme for Evgeniy Novikov so for this event their regular third entrant Sebastien Ogier will be registered for this event. The FIA however have ordered that he will not carry the now-vacant competition number 8, but the number 12 which he has carried on the three previous events this year. As this event counts for both the JWRC and the PCWRC, the PCWRC cars will again carry three digit competition numbers. The only non registered World Rally Car driver on this event will be Petter Solberg, once again in his Citroen Xsara.

For JWRC drivers Argentina will be a points bonanza, so long as the drivers qualify as finishers. Burkart and Kosciuszko come from Suzuki Sport Europe, Alessandro Bettega has his Super 1600 on this event instead of the usual Clio R3 car, for logistic reasons. The two PCWRC championship leaders Armindo Araujo and Patrik Sandell have nominated Argentina as one the two events they will miss, so top drivers actually present in Argentina will be joint third placed Eyvind Brynildsen and Martin Prokop. There are various driver changes in PCWRC. Mark Tapper Motorsport has assigned their championship entry to Luciano Bernardi (no relation to the French driver Nicolas Bernardi!) while the nominated driver for the Errani Team this time is Stefano Marrini. In the joint Autotek/JM Engineering entry it is the turn for the Autotek driver Spyros Pavlides. On this event the regular PCWRC drivers can expect a strong challenge from two internationally veteran Guest drivers, 2002 FIA Group N Cup champion Gabriel Pozzo and Marcos Ligato.

Certainly Rally Argentina is expected to witness the toughest Group N battles in the 2009 world championship on account of the strong local entry. The national rally series in Argentina goes from strength to strength, with strong rivalry between Mitsubishi and Subaru teams. Many of the regular national championship drivers have world championship experience. Rally Argentina does not qualify for this year's national series but all of the top national drivers are expected to take part on the world championship event with their regular cars, except Villagra who drives a World Rally Car. The Tango team has entered eight Mitsubishis, headed by Ligato. Top Subaru drivers drive cars prepared by the Barattero team, including Pozzo and Claudio Menzi, who have entered seven. Former ISC manager Felipe McGough is the promoter of the national series.

The event is based again at Villa Carlos Paz, the lakeside resort town some 35km west of the country's second largest city Cordoba. The rally is more compact than usual on account of the decision not to use the group of stages 100km south of Cordoba, and instead to run twice the high altitude stages in the Traslasierra hills to the west. Once again the traditional stages up to the Punilla valley north of Villa Carlos Paz feature strongly. These Traslasierra stages are some of the most historic and emotive in the championship, including the legendary Guilio Cesare and El Condor sections used twice. This year they will be the highest stages in the championship, stretching up to 2000 metres above sea level. Despite its more compact nature, the event has retained its "long distance" factor as it is still only around 100km shorter and still expected to be the longest of the year.

Other special changes since last year include a new shakedown location, sited immediately to the west of Villa Carlos Paz. There will be no official ceremonial start as the rally will start on early Thursday evening with a superspecial held inside the Cordoba Stadium. This will feature a simplified course without a flyover bridge. Instead of the traditional figure-of-eight route, the two cars on the course at the same time will start simultaneously from different parts of the route, with three laps per run. The superspecial will be held on three separate days: the third time will be at the end of the rally, when the top ten cars being sent in reverse order.

3mmm
photo 1: Strange landscape in Argentina
photo 2: Nice girls never missing
photo 3: Hirvonen is practicing in Messi's country