Finns impressed by stronger Michelin tyres during pre-event testing
Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team stars Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala hope that the punctures that held them back on Vodafone Rally de Portugal last month will be a thing of the past on the Jordan Rally this week.
Both Finns suffered tyre failures during the Faro-based gravel event and with punctures also decimating Citroen driver Petter Solberg’s hopes of success in the Algarve, French firm Michelin has responded by introducing a stronger version of its Latitude Cross gravel rubber for round four of the world championship.
The WRC’s tyre regulations allow the two official tyre suppliers, DMACK and Michelin, to introduce one new tyre construction - its joker - during the course of the season. The uprated version of the Latitude Cross features a more robust construction, which Michelin says won’t infringe on performance.
After covering 567 kilometres of testing on rough gravel roads in Spain last week, Latvala said: “It was one of the longest and hardest tests I have ever completed, but I’m really happy with the outcome. We even tried driving with a flat tyre to replicate what could happen if we puncture during a stage, and I was also encouraged by that.
“We worked with the tyres and the set-up of the differentials and suspension on rough roads,” Latvala continued. “I had a very positive feeling with Michelin’s new tyres. Initially they felt slightly heavier, but once they warmed up the feeling was the same as the older ones and the performance was as good.”
Credit: World Rally Championship (www.wrc.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment