RALLYE DE FRANCE -
FIA World Rally Championship (Round 5 of 16)
BFGoodrich tyres dominate on asphalt
- Successive wins for BFGoodrich tyres on WRC asphalt in Catalunya and Corsica.
- Seven BFGoodrich drivers monopolise the top seven places in Corsica.
- A 23rd world class win for S ébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (Citroën/BFGoodrich)
Sébastien Loeb, his co-driver Daniel Elena, the Kronos Total Citroën team and
BFGoodrich tyres earned themselves a place in the Rallye de France-Tour de Corse
record books today by claiming victory in the 50th running of the Mediterranean island
classic. As in Spain a fortnight ago, Marcus Grönholm and Dani Sordo joined the
Frenchman on the all-BFGoodrich podium. The result also means that BFGoodrich
tyres have now won every round of the 2006 World Championship organised so far.
Two weeks after Sébastien Loeb's win in Catalunya, Corsica was Marcus Grönholm's chance for
revenge and the early part of the rally was effectively an extremely close contest between the two
former World Champions. But in the end, the Frenchman was able to pull irresistibly clear with every
stage, extending his 20-second lead after Day 1 to 40 seconds by Saturday evening before controlling
his rival from in front. Indeed, Loeb was in imperial form throughout the weekend in Corsica.
As in Spain, Marcus Grönholm (Ford/BFGoodrich) was forced to settle for 2nd spot which hands him
eight additional Drivers' championship points. Meanwhile, a breathtaking scrap developed in his wake
for 3rd place between Citroën/BFGoodrich's Spaniards Dani Sordo and Xevi Pons, Finland's Mikko
Hirvonen (Ford/BFGoodrich) and rising Frenchman Alexandre Bengué (Peugeot/BFGoodrich).
Although Bengué succeeded in finishing Leg 1 on the podium with his privately-entered Peugeot 307
WRC, Spanish youngster Dani Sordo profited from a perfect run over the tighter and twistier roads of
the Cinarca region north of Ajaccio to steal provisional 3rd. A score of one fastest time and three
second-bests from a possible four put him clear of Hirvonen who also enjoyed a good second day.
After securing his first WRC podium finish on home ground at the end of March, Sordo
(Citroën/BFGoodrich) went on to collect a second bronze medal this afternoon in Corsica.
While six BFGoodrich runners monopolised the top six places in Catalunya, seven BFGoodrich drivers
finished inside the top-seven in the French round. The g-Force Profiler has effectively dominated all
the asphalt encounters of the early part of 2006 and has helped the firm's factory and privately-entered
partners to figure consistently at the sharp end of the leaderboard. Until the WRC's next port of call on
sealed surfaces in Germany in August, the series returns to gravel in Argentina where Petter Solberg
is likely to join Sébastien Loeb and Marcus Grönholm in the fight for supremacy.
Sébastien Loeb (Kronos Total Citroën/BFGOODRICH): "This year's Tour de Corse wasn't easy.
First of all, I had to push very hard to keep Marcus Grönholm at bay. Secondly, I had to make sure I
Sunday April 9, 2006
made the most of the tyre package I selected for this weekend's event. I chose it with the thought that
the weather could have been a little poorer, but in the end it proved hot and sunny throughout. Even
so, my BFGoodrich tyres were once again competitive and durable, especially during the first loop on
Saturday for which I voluntarily chose a slightly softer compound in order to save my stock of medium
compound tyres. That choice even enabled me to claim the best time over the most aggressive stage
of the rally [Vico, 34km]."
Aimé Chatard (Manager of BFGoodrich’s Rallies Programme): "We always feared the trip to
Corsica because it really is the toughest event of the year for tyres. Tyres for the asphalt of the island
have to stand up to higher constraints than their counterparts in any other form of motor sport. At the
end of the long 34km stage, you could see by their faces just how drained the drivers were by the
effort they had to produce. Well it's exactly the same for the tyres. When analysing their 'marks',
temperature (more than 120°C) and pressure, BFGoodrich technicians are able to get a very accurate
picture of how much the tyres suffer. And in Corsica, they suffered very much!"
TYRES USED
BFGoodrich g-Force Profiler ’2’ and ’2+’: BFGoodrich runners principally used the medium
compound (2) g-Force Profiler for the morning loops and the harder compound (2+) g-Force Profiler
for the afternoon when temperatures were higher. Drivers registered for the Manufacturer 1 & 2
championships had to nominate their tyres on the Monday prior to the start when the weather
forecasts were talking in terms of unsettled weather. This led certain drivers to take the possibility of
damper conditions into consideration and they consequently had to manage their tyre stocks with
extremely care.
BFGOODRICH NEWS
FOUR CORNERS… The Tour of Corsica is the most demanding asphalt rally for tyres which are
exposed to enormous constraints from the start to finish of every stage. A 'sports' road tyre, of
whatever brand, but of the same dimension (225/40x18), would stop responding to the driver's
instructions via the wheel after only four corners if it was run on a WRC car in Corsica! The amount of
roll would be such that the driver's only option would be to slow down. The g-Force Profiler used in
rallying allows the WRC drivers to cover 60km of stages at full song!
EXTREMELY USEFUL MOUSSE! Thanks to the mousse insert fitted between the rim and the tyre of
WRC tyres, Sébastien Loeb was able to win Stages 1 and 7 despite picking up a puncture on both
occasions.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIFFERENTIALS… BFGoodrich technicians did not note any
abnormal wear this year on the cars fitted with passive differentials on the first runs through the
stages. In the more soiled conditions of the second runs, however, the rate of wear recorded was a
little higher than in 2005.
A BIG BRAVO TOO… to the production g-Force Profiler tyres that the WRC drivers used – and
appreciated – during their recce for this year's Tour de Corse. This work in the wings also played its
part in the final result.
JWRC… Victory for Frenchman Brice Tirabassi (Citroën C2) in the Junior World Rally Championship
ahead of Umo Aava (Suzuki). BFGoodrich is a partner of the JWRC.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS DRIVERS: 1, Loeb, 46 pts. 2, Grönholm, 35 pts. 3, Sordo 20
pts. 4, Stohl, 13 pts. 5, Solberg, 10 pts. 6, Bengué 9 pts. Etc.
MANUFACTURERS: 1, Kronos Total Citroën, 59 pts. 2, BP-Ford WRT, 56 pts. 3, Subaru, 38 pts.
4, OMV-Peugeot Norway, 21 pts. 5, Red Bull Skoda, 11 pts. 6, VK-Stobart, 10 pts.
Next round: Rally Argentina (April 28-30) |
