March 14, 2006
BFGoodrich® Wins Third-Straight WRC Event - Loeb, Elena, Kronos and BFGoodrich Score Their First WRC Win Together
GREENVILLE, S.C

After finishing second on two occasions so far this year, Citroën/BFGoodrich's® Sébastien Loeb claimed his first win of 2006 by beating Petter Solberg (Subaru) in this weekend's Rally Mexico. The duel between the pair kept spectators on their toes until the end of leg two when the Norwegian driver was slowed by power steering trouble. Manfred Stohl (Peugeot/BFGoodrich) finished on the podium for the third time of his career, while Marcus Grönholm and Mikko Hirvonen gained four manufacturers' points for BP-Ford/BFGoodrich despite both leaving the road earlier in the event.

Following two non-finishes since the start of the year, Petter Solberg (Subaru) had no choice but to attack from the outset in a bid to profit from his ideal starting position (ninth) during the early portion of the rally. While the first competitors on the road were busy sweeping a clearer line for their pursuers, the Norwegian driver set about posting a string of fastest times to pull out a lead of around half a minute over Grönholm and Loeb after the first three stages. Running sixth on the road, the young Finn Mikko Hirvonen (Ford/BFGoodrich) emerged as the only driver able to match Solberg's early pace.

For the second pass, which took place over much cleaner tracks, Sébastien Loeb chose hard compound (BFGoodrich g-Force Gravel 9+) which enabled him to gain back much of that initial deficit to end day one just 10 seconds adrift of the provisional leader, Solberg. Marcus Grönholm left the road, however, on one of the first corners of SS4 and, in doing so, lost his status as the 2006 Drivers' championship's provisional leader. The incident also left his teammate Mikko Hirvonen, then 2nd overall, on his own to defend BP-Ford/BFGoodrich's colors. But not for long.

Practically straight into leg two, the Finish driver's Ford Focus WRC06 rolled out of contention, leaving Solberg and Loeb engaged in a fierce fight that would last until the end of Saturday afternoon when the Norwegian found himself without power steering after clouting a rock. Sébastien Loeb went on to post fastest time over Sunday morning's long test (Leon, 38 km) to clinch his maiden win in the demanding Rally Mexico which has essentially failed to smile on him until this year.

Peugeot 307 WRC/BFGoodrich driver Manfred Stohl finished on a WRC podium for the second time of his career, yet he was fortunate to reach the finish after colliding with a cow in SS13. Dani Sordo, the revelation of 2005, crowned his first ever visit to Mexico and his first outing with the Xsara WRC on the loose with 4th spot. The young Spaniard promises to be a force to be reckoned with in a fortnight's time when the series moves on to the asphalt of Catalonia.

Sébastien Loeb
"I would like to thank everybody at Kronos and BFGoodrich. My tires were very strong all weekend, especially for the second passes, and that enabled me to make up for the time I lost early on as a result of my position on the road."

Frédéric Henry-Biabaud, Michelin Group Competition Director
"Winning here in North America, the brand's home continent, has a special taste for BFGoodrich. The rally was decided in the second passes through the stages which saw BFGoodrich's tires reveal their resistance to wear, consistency and performance potential. A big bravo to Sébastien for his result this weekend. A big bravo too to the Kronos team who gave him a reliable, competitive Xsara WRC. Seb's fight with Petter Solberg was a true thriller and it's a shame it didn't last all the way to the flag. Petter proved this weekend, however, that the competition is well and truly back in the frame."

BFGoodrich Tires Used
g-Force Gravel 9: A medium compound tire used by the majority of BFGoodrich runners for Friday's first loop, either with a 'full cut' or a 'half cut' with a view to clearing the top coating of loose gravel. The three Kronos chose the 'full cut,' while Grönholm for the 'half cut.'

g-Force Gravel 9+: A hard compound tire used by all BFGoodrich runners on Friday and Saturday afternoons and by Loeb on Saturday morning because of the high temperatures and the length of the loop (73 km). This highly consistent tire is also very resistant to wear. Its construction ensures excellent lateral grip and outstanding traction.

BFGoodrich News
ROCKS - Although the 2006 Rally Mexico stages were practically all identical to those used in 2005, all the drivers agree that there was much more surface gravel around this time, notably on leg one. The numerous rocks that littered the stages off-line produced several punctures, but none had any significant effect on times thanks to the tires' mousse inserts.

80-90 PERCENT - At the end of leg one's second loop - i.e. after 73km, with ground temperatures approaching the 50C mark - the wear recorded on the g-Force Gravel varied from 80 to 90 percent as a function of the different car/driver combinations. However, no additional wear was noted following this year's return to non active differentials. High altitudes and less power also playing a part.

HEAT - This year's event saw ground temperatures soar some 10C higher than in 2005, with a peak at 49°C during the Saturday afternoon. It won't be until Greece that WRC runners can expect to find similarly high temperatures.

HARD COMPOUND - The hard compound g-Force Gravel 9+ - the hardest of the g-Force Gravel range - was the most frequently chosen tire this weekend. Would the availability of an even harder compound in the catalog result in a reduction in the phenomenon of wear? The answer is no. A harder compound would result in additional wheel spin and cause the tires to wear even more.

Next round: Rally Spain (March 24-26, 2006)

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Media Contacts:
Mark Burd
864-458-5115
Mark.burd@us.michelin.com