initcode.html
 |
|
 |
December 29, 2004 BFGoodrich® Tires Prepares For 2005 Dakar Rally
Greenville, SC 
On December 31, while many will be busy putting the finishing touches on New Year's celebrations, BFGoodrich® Tires will be preparing to win its fourth consecutive Dakar Rally.
During the sixteen-day rally, BFGoodrich Tires partner teams will compete on a classic yet challenging route that will take them on a winding journey from Spain to Morocco, Mauritania and Mali before the final competitive stages through Senegal. While sand promises to be a key feature of the 2005 course, performance on the rocky tracks and vast, rock-strewn deserts will play a large role in determining who wins. The mixture of contrasting surfaces will be the biggest challenge for tires during the 8,956 km rally, just over 60% of which (5,431 km) will be against the clock. Amongst the numerous regulations changes introduced this year, a number of them will have a direct impact on how tire performance is optimized. A single tire type for factory teams The principal rule modification in the 2005 Dakar Rally stems from the desire of the three officially-entered manufacturers* – Mitsubishi, Nissan and Volkswagen – to use just one type of tire for the entire competition instead of the two traditional types used in the past, one for rocky, hard-wearing surfaces and the other designed for sand. The change is aimed at achieving cost savings and facilitating logistics. These manufacturers have nominated a single type of product – which is the same for everyone – for the duration of the rally. The tire that these three manufacturers – all partners of BFGoodrich Tires – have chosen is the BFGoodrich Baja T/A Rock (dimension: 235/85R16) which made a contributed to victory in the 2004 Dakar Rally. "Given the variety of types of ground they will come across, it would still be preferable for competitors to be able to choose between two types of tyre whose construction and overall philosophy differ significantly with a view to optimising performance over the different terrains encountered en route to Dakar," says Aimé Chatard, Rally-Raid Programme Manager for BFGoodrich® Tires. "For 2005, it has been decided to switch to a single type of product and it is true that the BFGoodrich Rock has repeatedly demonstrated its ability to cope with the variety of ground types faced during mixed legs. Even so, this tire requires extreme rigor from the crews who must take time to adapt the pressure of their tires as a function of the terrain." Indeed, to optimise how the vehicle's weight is born by the tires and in order to allow them to 'surf' over sandy portions without digging in, it is always preferable to run a 'flexible' construction and a low pressure (as low as 1.3 bar, or even 0.8 bar if the vehicle is stuck in sand) in order to enlarge the contact patch, which is the part of the tread in contact with the ground. Tire management: A key to victory On the other hand, for maximum protection against outside aggression (rocks, sharp stones, ruts, hard-wearing ground, etc.), and also to prevent durability-sapping heat build-up over those portions covered at sustained high speeds, it is imperative to maintain correct tire pressure (around 2.3 bar). "For some years, the teams have benefited from a fairly sophisticated device that has enabled them to adjust tire pressures without getting out of the car," continues Chatard. "And even that system required unfailing discipline from the crews who still had to make the necessary adjustment each time they moved on from one type of terrain to another. However, one of the other main changes to the regulations this year concerns the outlawing of this type of aid. Crews are therefore going to have to stop and get out of their car to adjust the pressure of their four tires. "When doing this, they will certainly have the impression that the seconds are ticking away very quickly. Taking the time to properly adjust pressure can mean avoiding future more costly delays on the course. In this rally, every second is precious, but so are the tires." 
Marathon legs: Tire Management Key On Long Distances The need for judicious tire management also concerns another potentially crucial situation: the marathon legs. Two marathon legs are planned for the 2005 Dakar rally and this year, in addition to all outside assistance being forbidden during the overnight stops, it will not be possible to supply the competitors with fresh tires. Competitors will have four tires for the first day plus four new tires – on condition that they are carried onboard the vehicle – for the second part of the marathon legs. That is unless they did not have to use any spares the previous day. "It is certain that intelligent management of the team's tires at all times could well prove decisive again, and the Dakar Rally is an exercise in which driver/co-driver partnerships excel," says Chatard. Building A Dakar Legacy Entering the 2005 Dakar Rally, BFGoodrich Tires is pursuing its fourth consecutive win. 2003 was a landmark year for BFGoodrich Tires with Stéphane Peterhansel driving his Mitsubishi Pajero to a first-place finish and partner teams clinching the top 10 four-wheel vehicle spots. "The new rules present us with some new challenges and we believe that the Baja T/A Rock and our teams are prepared for this event," says Chatard. "We are looking forward to this new challenge because now more than ever, tires will play a key role in deciding the winners." BFGoodrich Tires is no stranger to off-road racing success. Most recently winning its 19th straight overall championship in the SCORE Baja 1000, the brand has developed its off-road motorsports program to include everything from rally and desert racing to the fastest growing form of off-road motorsports, rock crawling. (*) Even though it is not an official works team, BMW has chosen to be consistent with BFGoodrich® Tires' other factory partners – Mitsubishi, Nissan and Volkswagen – by using a single tire type throughout the Dakar Rally. BFGoodrich Tires continues to be the preferred choice of many non-official teams. As in the past, they will be authorized to choose their tires for each leg according to the predominant type of 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 19 consecutive Baja 1000 wins, the most wins 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. |
 |
|
| All press releases for: 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 | |
