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January 21, 2004BFGoodrich® Tires Wins Third Straight Paris-Dakar Rally; Tires Key To Winning World's Premier Rally Event Dakar, Senegal BFGoodrich Tires scored its third straight victory and fifth out of six of the past nine Paris-Dakar Rally races. Driving a Pajero outfitted with BFGoodrich tires, Stéphane Peterhansel recorded a hat-trick for the world's most successful off-road racing tire manufacturer. Dakar is one of the most challenging and respected off-road events in the world and this year's rally was voted one of the most difficult in its 26 year history. Competitors fully understand and appreciate the role of tires in the overall performance of a race vehicle and BFGoodrich Tires used its extensive off-road experience to successfully complete nearly 11,000km of demanding terrain taking home the top 10 positions. Mitsubishi recorded its fourth successive win on the 26th Telefonica Dakar, as Peterhansel became the second competitor in history to win the rally in both the car and bike categories. Peterhansel is the only competitor other than Hubert Auriol to win this marathon event on a bike and a car. Speaking from the podium, Peterhansel, a 38-year-old Frenchman said: "For my first win on a bike, I had to wait four years and for my first win with the car it took six, but it's a completely different feeling. Hiroshi drove a perfect race but it was my turn this time." 
Like his teammate, Hiroshi Masuoka also started to drive for a Mitsubishi 1-2 finish rather than victory, knowing that Peterhansel had too large of a lead to challenge. The Japanese two-time Dakar champion arrived at the finish with a huge smile and said: "I'm very happy to finish. It has not been easy, Mauritania was difficult but we drove a good race. The car was excellent, the tyres were strong and we finished with only one puncture to our record! BFGoodrich tires are exceptional. They are excellent on all types of surfaces — rock, mud and sand. We got an excellent result for Mitsubishi."Beginning in Clermont-Ferrand, France on January 1, 2004, this year's Dakar rally took racers through some of West Africa's most challenging terrain. The first days of the race provided teams with an opportunity to evaluate the rally. Driving and navigational skills were tested to the limit once crews entered Mauritania where physical conditioning and stamina became key as the stage length increased. The race then proceeded to Mali, Burkina Faso and Senegal where rocky trails and a scorching Sahel desert awaited the teams before reaching the banks of Lac Rose and the rally finish. Racers competing in four-wheel drive vehicles raced on BFGoodrich Baja T/A tires including the rally-specific Baja T/A® Rock and Baja T/A Sand. The Baja T/A Rock (235/85R16) is the 2002 and 2003 Dakar winning tire. Highly adaptable and designed for overall durability, the Baja T/A Rock tires is designed to perform equally well on both hard ground and on sand. The Baja T/A Rock is also available in a wider dimension (245/80R16) designed specifically for more powerful vehicles. The Baja T/A Sand, with its distinctively open tread pattern and soft compound is designed for use on predominately sandy terrain. During the race, teams switched between the two tires to enhance performance during certain stages of the race. 
Racers driving two-wheel drive vehicles raced on the BFGoodrich Baja T/A Rock, Baja T/A KR and Baja T/A Mud. The Baja T/A Rock is the same tire used by the four-wheel drive vehicles while the Baja T/A KR (35/12.50R17) was designed specifically as a rear tire for the two-wheel drive vehicles. The Baja T/A Mud (35/12.50R15) was developed exclusively for the rear wheels of the rally cars and was used during stages that featured predominately muddy terrain.BFGoodrich® Tires combines technological expertise with vast motorsports experience, delivering a high-performance tire for every type of vehicle from ultra-high performance tuner vehicles, sports cars and SUVs to the hottest sport trucks, pickups and rock-crawling rigs in the world. For more than 30 years, BFGoodrich Tires has used motorsports as a proving ground. Success on the street begins with winning on the track and BFGoodrich Tires is involved in every type of racing, including oval, road, drag, desert and extreme rock-crawling. With 18 consecutive Baja 1000 wins, the most victories in rock-crawling history, and an unmatched record on pavement, BFGoodrich Tires has proven the only records it breaks are its own. Visit BFGoodrich Tires online at: www.bfgoodrichtires.com. Final Paris-Dakar Race Results
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