Corona Rally Mexico : BFGoodrich - Finish
After finishing second on two occasions so far this year, Citroen/BFGoodrich`s Sebastien Loeb claimed his maiden win of 2006 by beating the on-form Petter Solberg (Subaru) in this weekend`s Rally Mexico.
The duel between the pair kept spectators on their toes all the way to the end of Leg 2 when the Norwegian 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 harvested 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 (9th) during the early part of the rally. While the first competitors on the road were busy sweeping a clearer line for their pursuers, the Norwegian 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 6th 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 (9+) BFGoodrich g-Force Gravels which enabled him to claw back much of that initial deficit to end Day 1 just 10s 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 team-mate Mikko Hirvonen, then 2nd overall, on his own to defend BP-Ford/BFGoodrich`s colours. But not for long…

Practically straight into Leg 2, the Finn`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…

Sebastien Loeb
"I would like to thank everybody at Kronos and BFGoodrich. My tyres 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 tyres 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."

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