Rally Mexico first joined the WRC calendar in 2004. Its debut, officially the 1st Corona Rally Mexico, formed the third round of the 2004 World Rally Championship and was held from 12 to 14 March around León in the state of Guanajuato.
The event was a major step for Mexican rallying because it brought the championship to a new country and introduced crews to fast gravel stages at high altitude. Some stages climbed above 2,700 metres, where thinner air reduced engine performance and placed extra demands on turbocharged World Rally Cars.
Markko Märtin and co-driver Michael Park won the inaugural WRC edition in a Ford Focus RS WRC. François Duval finished second, while Carlos Sainz completed the podium after a demanding three-day event featuring 15 special stages and roughly 394 competitive kilometres.
Mexico’s arrival was part of a broader expansion of the 2004 calendar, which also introduced Rally Japan. The rally remained a regular WRC fixture for many years, although its inclusion varied during later calendar changes. The year 2004—not 2003, 2005 or 2006—was its formal WRC debut.