The g-Force Profiler, a name to remember!
• Four WRC wins from four and on four different types of surface for BFGoodrich
tyres
• A one-two finish for Kronos Total Citroën/BFGoodrich with Sébastien
Loeb/Daniel Elena and Dani Sordo/Marc Marti
• BFGoodrich privateers take front stage
Three weeks after his triumph in Mexico, Sébastien Loeb (Citroën/BFGoodrich) was in
winning form again during the fourth round of the 2006 World Championship in
Catalunya this weekend. The two-time World Champion finished clear of Spaniard
Dani Sordo (Citroën/BFGoodrich) and Finland’s Marcus Grönholm (Ford/BFGoodrich).
On the Catalan asphalt, the BFGoodrich g-Force Profiler was fastest over all sixteen
stages and BFGoodrich runners monopolised the top-six positions in the final
standings.
Unbeaten on asphalt since the end of 2004, Sébastien Loeb was determined to continue his run this
weekend in the mountains of the Costa Daurada. Even so, it was Marcus Grönholm who emerged as
the early pacesetter with his new Ford Focus WRC06/BFGoodrich. The winner of January's icy Monte
Carlo and February's snowy Swedish Rally was fastest over the first three stages, pulling out a 10s
gap over Loeb. In his defence, the Frenchman was slowed by brake problems but he readily admitted
that he always thought he was going to have a serious fight on his hands in Spain.
That battle failed to materialise however when Grönholm’s turbo failed on SS5, relegating the Ford
driver to 10th overall by close of play Friday evening. The same stage saw the Finn's team-mate Mikko
Hirvonen drop from 3rd overall with an identical problem. Their combined misfortunes left the three
Kronos Total Citroën/BFGoodrich cars with a commanding lead out front ahead of Subaru's Petter
Solberg and the weekend's fastest privateer Alexandre Bengué (Peugeot/BFGoodrich).
Meanwhile, Marcus Grönholm found himself in the same situation as Sébastien Loeb on the Monte
Carlo Rally, i.e. faced with the prospect of having to drive flat out in the hope of salvaging some points
at the end of the event. Two fastest times in the course of the second day saw him close to within a
handful of seconds of the podium despite the highly soiled stages produced by the preceding cars
copiously indulging in corner cutting. Indeed, these tricky conditions caused the demise of 3rd-placed
Xevi Pons (Citroën/BFGoodrich) who slid off the road. Alexandre Bengué consequently found himself
with a foot on the provisional podium, although he was ultimately dislodged with two stages to go by
the charging Grönholm who posted the best time on 10 of the weekend's 16 stages.
The season's first asphalt encounter produced a number of pleasant surprises from competitive
privateers, including the Czech Republic's Jan Kopecky (5th) and Belgian François Duval (6th). The two
Skoda Fabia WRC/BFGoodrich drivers succeeded in beating the factory Subarus of Petter Solberg
(7th) and Stéphane Sarrazin (8th).
The 2006 Rally Catalunya was unfortunately marred by a tragic accident which caused the death of
the co-driver of the N°54 Citroën, Jörg Bastuck, who was hit by another competing car while changing
a wheel during SS2 following a minor off. Everyone at BFGoodrich would like to express their
condolences to his family and friends.
Sébastien Loeb (Kronos Total Citroën/BFGOODRICH): "The early part of the rally was quite difficult
and I really had to push hard to keep up with Grönholm. But when he was slowed by mechanical
problems I was able to control from in front. I possibly went for too hard a tyre choice for Friday's
second loop of stages. After that, though, I was totally satisfied with my medium compound g-Force
Profiler 2s. The Mousse system enabled me to finish two stages during Leg 2 when it was difficult to
avoid all the stones."
Aimé Chatard (BFGoodrich Rallies Programme Manager): "Everyone was a little concerned about
the weather but in the end we had blue skies and relatively high temperatures all weekend. Ground
temperatures even reached 33°C on Saturday afternoon. The BFGoodrich drivers had three types of
tyre available but at the end of the day they could have done the entire rally with just one type, the g-
Force Profiler 2 (medium compound). That speaks volumes for the competitiveness and durability of
our asphalt tyres. We could well face tougher conditions when the championship resumes in two
weeks time in Corsica."
BFGOODRICH TYRES USED
g-Force Profiler 2: This medium compound tyre was used by all BFGoodrich runners at the beginning
of Leg 1 with the exception of François Duval and Alexandre Bengué (2-) who chose a softer option to
favour added grip early in the stages as they took time to settle in. The g-Force Profiler is ideally suited
to a temperature range of between 10 and 25°C. Its pattern can be slightly re-cut with a view to
helping the tread reaching its ideal working temperature more quickly. The BFGoodrich tyres used by
the WRC competitors are equipped with a mousse insert which allows them to continue at rally speed
even if air is lost. This system proved particularly valuable during Leg 2.
BFGOODRICH NEWS
AN EASY RALLY? From the tyre point of view, the 2006 Rally Catalunya was made relatively easier
by the consistently pleasant weather. Tyre choices didn't pose any real problems, although certain
drivers had placed the emphasis a little too much on soft compounds in their individual quotas. They
had anticipated some rain and had consequently favoured soft compound g-Force Profilers.
CORSICA & ARGENTINA. Priority drivers had to nominate their tyre choices for the forthcoming Rally
Argentina on March 17 and the containers left for South America by ship this week. Tyres for the Tour
of Corsica will be nominated on Monday April 3.
JWRC The winner of the Junior World Rally Championship classification was Martin Prokop (Citroën
C2) ahead of Bernd Casier (Renault Clio) and Kris Meeke (Citroën C2) who finished 3rd after staging a
dramatic fight back. BFGoodrich is a partner of the JWRC.
CHAMPIONSHIP CLASSIFICATIONS (BFGoodrich partners in bold)
DRIVERS 1. Loeb, 36 pts – 2. Grönholm, 27 pts – 3. Sordo 14 pts – 4. Stohl, 11 pts – 5. Solberg,
10 pts – 6. Gardemeister, Carlsson 6 pts…
MANUFACTURERS 1. Kronos Total Citroën, 44 pts - 2. BP-Ford WRT, 42 pts – 3. Subaru, 31 pts
4. OMV-Peugeot Norway, 21 pts – 5. VK-Stobart, 10 pts – 6. Red Bull Skoda, 8 pts.
Next round: Rallye de France-Tour de Corse (April 7-9)
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