Argentina : BFGoodrich - PreviewAfter a frenzied start to the 2007 season, World Rally Championship regulars enjoyed a month's break after Portugal before the series resumes this weekend in South America. The route of the forthcoming Rally Argentina will take competitors
from the famous River Plate 'Estadio Monumental' Stadium in Buenos Aires to the sierra of the Córdoba region before a grand finale in Córdoba's Estadio Chateau Carreras.
After visiting both the Olympic Stadium in Athens and Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in 2005, then the Château Carreras Stadium in Córdoba last year and the Estadio de Algarve last March, this weekend will see the WRC showcased in the legendary River Plate Stadium, the hallowed arena where national hero Mario Kempes sliced through Cruyff's Oranges in the 1978 Soccer World Cup to put the first golden star on the Albiceleste jersey.
What with the growing use of soccer and rugby stadia, an F1 circuit in Monaco, a hippodrome in Sweden and the former Olympic ice-skating rink in Norway, modern rallying, like a cuckoo in spring, seems to have no qualms about squatting the nests other international sports, even if that does entail - as it does this weekend - a lightning round trip from the giant cuckoo clock of Villa Carlos Paz's town centre to the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, 750km distant...
True Rally Argentina aficionados - those who camp out in the mountains with only glowing braseros for warmth and who swallow down their barbecued asados with best Mendoza red - will still get the chance to see their heroes in action from Friday morning after the caravan returns to its quarters on the shores of Lake San Roque Lake in Villa Carlos Paz. The route will then twist its way through the local sierra and pampas, visiting stages like Ascochinga, Santa Rosa de Calamuchita, Mina Clavero and El Condor that have collectively forged the event's legend.
Indeed, the Rally Argentina features a bit of all the traditional challenges associated with gravel fixtures. Certain stages are very fast, others are narrower, technically demanding or rough, not to mention the many impressive jumps and dozens of fords. The surface also tends to vary from leg to leg, with the prospect of slippery mud in the La Cumbre region if it rains, then sandy ground in the lower-lying land around Santa Rosa de Calamuchita and rockier terrain in the mountains that tower over Mina Clavero...
"With this broad mix of conditions, tyres need to be versatile, strong and durable, three qualities that characterise the g-Force Gravel that won this event in 2006," observes BFGoodrich Rally Manager Matthieu Bonardel. "At the same time, the tyre and car package needs to be a perfect match, with the tyres working in total harmony with the suspension."
BFGoodrich and the Rally Argentina
Tyre: g-Force Gravel
g-Force Gravel 8: soft compound (used in wet conditions and/or low temperatures)
g-Force Gravel 9: medium compound (temperatures between 15 and 25°C, used for first passes)
g-Force Gravel 9+: hard compound (hard-wearing surfaces and/or high temperatures, used for second passes)
'Land to sea' ratio: approximately 40%. Additional grooves can be added in case of mud or a top-coating of loose gravel.
Features: a relatively compact pattern to favour contact between the tread blocks and the ground for optimal grip and traction. A mousse insert allows drivers to continue without stopping if they pick up a puncture.
Size: 215/65/15
Tyre quota for priority drivers: a maximum of 55 tyres, of which 35 may be used. Only one type of pattern is authorised.
Press Release BFGoodrich
