Argentina : BFGoodrich - FinishSebastien Loeb took his third straight win of the season yesterday in Argentina and now enjoys a three point advantage over rival
Marcus Gronholm who finished in the runner-up position ahead of Mikko Hirvonen.
BP-Ford WRT
Grönholm
and Hirvonen opted for soft compound g-Force Gravel tyres for Saturday morning and stayed with the same choice for the afternoon, as well as for Sunday's stages, after trying the 'extra soft' variant during Thursday and Friday evening's super-specials.
Citroën-Total WRT
Loeb chose the same tyres as Grönholm for Saturday, although their 'cuts' differed slightly. For Sunday's damp conditions and cool temperatures, however, the Citroën pair opted for 'extra soft' compound g-Force Gravels. The times of Sordo and Loeb indicate that it was a judicious choice.
Subaru WRT
The same choice as the other teams on Saturday for Solberg and Atkinson. Chris then went for the 'extra soft' compound for Sunday's action (two 3rd-fastest times).
Sebastien Loeb, Citroën/BFGoodrich
"The Rally Argentina is an event I enjoy because it has a bit of everything, from fast, wide stages to twistier roads, with surfaces ranging from rough in places to softer, sandier ground elsewhere. We pushed hard all day Saturday before opting for a slightly more cautious approach today.
I didn't have the slightest problem with my tyres. The soft and extra soft compounds gave me good grip in the damp and were very durable over the long loops."
Matthieu Bonardel, BFGoodrich Rally Programme Manager
"This is something of an event apart and the shortened format forced the drivers to adopt a fast pace from the outset. All our runners opted for the soft compound g-Force Gravel for Saturday morning and were pleased with its grip and durability. They then stayed with the same compound for the afternoon's loop. Sunday morning's conditions were very damp and the temperature quite cool, the same conditions as those encountered in 2005.
"Both Citroën drivers and Atkinson switched to 'extra soft' rubber, while the Ford drivers stayed with the 'soft' option. Sordo posted two fastest times this weekend, including one at the end of the 80km loop. It was a fairly 'straightforward' event for our BFGoodrich tyres, but it won't be the same when the championship moves on to Sardinia in a fortnight's time."
BFGoodrich podium
After each round of the World Championship, BFGoodrich rewards the three best-placed privateers with a prize comprised of tyres. The podium in Argentina was Jari-Matti Latvala, Henning Solberg and Manfred Stohl.
Rally Argentina, Statistics
Total route length: 1,048.23km, including 246.16km in stages
Conditions: wet
Tyres used: 'soft' and 'extra soft' compound g-Force Gravels
Source BFGoodrich
