The Sonora Rally in Mexico marks the first time that the World Rally-Raid Championship travels to the Western Hemisphere. Scheduled for 23–28 April, it is the third round of the 2023 season and kicks off a two-race stretch in the Americas followed by the Desafío Ruta 40 in Argentina.
The stage for the 2023 edition is set with a caravan on 21 April from Heroica Nogales to Hermosillo, intended as a mass transit of vehicles from the United States as Nogales is situated along the border. After a days of technical inspection and final shakedowns, the Prologue will take place in Hermosillo on 23 April; Hermosillo is the capital and largest city of the eponymous municipality in the state of Sonora.
Stage #1 will take the field from Hermosillo to Puerto Peñasco, whose Hotel Playa Bonita Resort will be one of two bivouacs for the rally. The city is located in the Gran Desierto de Altar, one of the hottest areas of the greater Sonoran Desert due to the nearby Gulf of Mexico bringing in warmer temperatures inland. Puerto Peñasco will host a loop for Stage #2 before teams head northward to San Luis Río Colorado.
Also a bivouac city with the hub being at a baseball stadium, San Luis Río Colorado sits on the border with Baja California, the latter a popular off-road hotspot with events like SCORE International’s Baja 1000; many competitors from the U.S. and Mexico have competed in both the 1000 and Sonora Rally. San Luis Río Colorado will oversee the final two stages, both loops. The city has been involved with the Sonora Rally since the race’s inception.
Registration will close on 14 April. Like at other rounds, the rally will be a mixture of W2RC-eligible entries and those not competing for points, the latter classified under the “National” label. The Adventure Raid category, a navigation-based event that travels at a slower pace, is also available and will follow the same route as the main rally under the guidance of Chris Collard.
The W2RC’s T4 class and National Enduro are part of the Road to Dakar programme in which 2024 Dakar Rally admission will be given to the best performing competitor in each class with no prior Dakar experience; David Pearson earned the invite in 2022. Malle Moto, a Rally2 subcategory for riders without outside assistance, will return with backing from High Desert Adventures co-run by friend of The Checkered Flag Ace Nilson.
Skyler Howes, fifth in the W2RC RallyGP standings, is the defending winner.
