Choosing the right compound at the right timeSebastien Loeb dominated the French round of the World Rally Championship in his BFGoodrich-shod Kronos Citroen, but according to the defending champion, no win is easy.
"This year's Tour de Corse wasn't easy," The Frenchman
began. "First of all, I had to push very hard to keep
Marcus Gronholm at bay. Secondly, I had to make sure I 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]."
Indeed tyre selection at Rally Corsica is harder than the normal.
"We always feared the trip to Corsica because it really is the toughest event of the year for tyres," explained Aimé Chatard, Manager of BFGoodrich's Rallies Programme. "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!"
E.A. Source BFGoodrich
