BFGoodrich and Mexico Rally

After the asphalt of the Monte Carlo Rally and the snow and ice of Scandinavia, the transatlantic crossing to Mexico marks the inaugural dirt fixture of the season. Loose surface events account for more than half of the 2007 WRC's sixteen rounds and will keep crews busy until the end of August. Accordingly, Rally Mexico will serve as an early form guide and is especially eagerly awaited this year since it will see two new cars - the Citroën C4 WRC and the Subaru Impreza WRC2007 - make their gravel debut.

Situated about 400km north of Mexico City, León is the world's leather footwear capital. The city centre is a maze of small shops brimming over with shoes, boots, moccasins and slippers. This weekend, however, the trend on the streets is for lead-soled shoes...

The lead itself can be found a short drive across the Silao Plain in Guanajuato, a picturesque mining town boasting UNESCO World Heritage Site status. In its underground labyrinth of tunnels first dug out by the Conquistadors some 500 years ago, gold and silver is also to be found, and that's more what the WRC stars will be looking for.

Rally Mexico is the first gravel encounter of the 2007 campaign. Its extremely compact format (stages account for 43% of a total route length of 849.55km) takes crews into the Sierra de Lobos and the Sierra de Guanajuato near León. The wide, beckoning, technically-challenging tracks through these mountains take competitors to altitudes of more than 2,000 metres. But while the stages of the Rally Mexico are a delight for the drivers, they are less tailored to the needs of the turbocharged engines which suffer from a lack of oxygen.

The Rally Mexico is also a challenge for tyres which have to provide first class traction and flawless lateral grip through the long fast corners. And although the local gravel roads are not all that aggressive, the high temperatures and long loops could lead to high wear rates.

Indeed, every one of the groups of stages totals more than 60 competitive kilometres, and Saturday afternoon's 81.40km loop of five tests with the same tyres is seen by BFGoodrich's technical staff as a particularly big challenge. "The lifespan of a WRC tyre is between 60 and 80km," explains BFGoodrich's chief technician Patrick Letort. "So 81km is very close to the tyres' limits. Also, this loop is scheduled for Saturday afternoon when the temperature is likely to be at its highest (the forecast is for around 25/30°C). Also, the stages will already have been used during the morning and therefore promise to be rougher. This will be a true test of the g-Force Gravel's resistance to wear."

BFGOODRICH AND RALLY MEXICO

Tyre: g-Force Gravel

g-Force Gravel '9': medium compound (temperatures between 15 and 25°C, used for first passes)

g-Force Gravel '9+': hard compound (hard-wearing surfaces and/or high temperatures, used for second passes)

'Land to sea' ratio: approximately 40%. Additional grooves can be added in case of mud or a top-coating of loose gravel.

Features: a relatively compact pattern to favour contact between the tread blocks and the ground for optimal grip and traction. A mousse insert allows drivers to if they pick up a puncture.

Size: 215/65/15

Tyre quota for priority drivers: a maximum of 60 tyres, of which 33 may be used. Only one type of pattern is authorised (except for 12 'wildcard' tyres)

THE RALLY MEXICO IN BRIEF

Host city: León (situated 400km north of Mexico City)
Total route length: 849.55km
Total competitive distance: 366.06km
Number of stages: 20

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

DRIVERS: 1, M. Grönholm (24 points). 2, M. Hirvonen (20). 3, S. Loeb (18). 4, H. Solberg (11). 5, P. Solberg & D. Sordo (8). 7, C. Atkinson & D. Carlsson (6). Etc.

MANUFACTURERS: 1, BP-Ford WRT (44 points). 2, Citroën-Total WRT (28). 3, Stobart M Sport Ford (16). 4, Subaru WRT (15). 4, OMV Kronos Citroën (14).

Corona Rally Mexico - Western bound, gravel ahoy!