RALLY ARGENTINA
START DATE: 08.05.2014
END DATE: 11.05.2014
CATEGORY: WRC3
WRC2
WRC
STAGES: 14 (405 KM)
DISTANCE: 1571 KM
WEBSITE: www.rallyargentina.com

Route
Based in the lakeside resort of Villa Carlos Paz, 700km north-west of Buenos Aires and 30 minutes from Cordoba city.
Visits three different areas of Cordoba province – Punilla Valley on the first leg, Calamuchita Valley during the second leg and finally the Traslasierra mountains.
Starts with a Thursday evening super special stage on the edge of Carlos Paz which draws huge crowds and is well-liked by drivers. It will be used again on Saturday.
Long stages throughout, including Friday’s 51.88km test from Ascochinga across the Sierras Chicas mountains to Agua de Oro.
Sunday’s final leg provides a sting in the tail with four stages in the stunning but rocky mountains.
Challenge
The contrast between the fast stages of the gentle Calamuchita Valley, rugged roads in the plains of the Punilla Valley and rocky, narrow mountain tracks.
Sandy gravel roads become heavily rutted for the second pass and moving out of the ‘rails’ can pitch a car off the road.
Many river crossings in the valleys which become wide and deep in wet weather.
Early autumn weather in the southern hemisphere brings a risk of fog and ice in the mountains.

Car spec
Gravel suspension.
Drivers raise the ride height to cope with rutted roads for the second pass of stages.
Hard and soft compound tyres available.
History
First run in 1980 in Tucumán province in the north, when it was known as Rally Codasur.
The 1982 edition was cancelled due to the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina.
Moved to Bariloche, in the south, in 1983 but found its home in Cordoba in 1984.
Argentines are passionate soccer fans and in 2007 a stage was held at the River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires while Cordoba stadium, home to Talleres, has twice hosted stages and the finish.
What’s new for 2014
The winner! Nobody on the entry list has won the rally before.
Sunday’s classic Giulio Césare – Mina Clavero will be run downhill from the top of the mountain into the Traslasierra valley for the first time since 2002.
Don’t miss
Few vantage points can compare with a place perched high on the roadside rocks at the start of the high altitude El Condor stage. Keep an eye out for the soaring condors too.
Just as dramatic is the stunning moonlike vista of the nearby Giulio Cesare test.
Soak up the crackling atmosphere by joining tens of thousands of enthusiastic Latin American fans at one of the big jumps or in the vast open pampas. It’s fiesta time!
(copy from wrc.com)