01/11/2009 //
SHAMROCK RALLY OF MOROCCO - BFGoodrich-equipped BMW X3 CCs dominate in Morocco
SHAMROCK RALLYE DU MAROC
Final report
BFGoodrich-equipped BMW X3 CCs dominate in Morocco
Stéphane Peterhansel and Leonid Novitsky steered their BMW X3 CC equipped with BFGoodrich All Terrain+ tyres to a resounding one-two finish on the 2009 Shamrock Rallye du Maroc. Their result is particularly encouraging ahead of next year's Dakar.
The Moroccan event featured a total route length of 2,500km divided into six legs and 1,915km of punishing, physically demanding and technically challenging competitive action. The difficulties included off-road driving, sand dunes and rocky trails, providing perfect practice for the 2010 Dakar.
Indeed, this was the objective of BMW's recently-recruited driver Stéphane Peterhansel and his co-driver Jean-Paul Cottret who claimed six stage wins from six on their way to an assertive victory, more than two hours clear of Russia's Novitsky. The BMW pair was joined on the all-BFGoodrich podium by Jean-Noël Julien driving in a Renault prototype.
"The Moroccan tracks are the toughest of them all for rally-raid tyres," notes Dominique Bravy, the BFGoodrich technician on duty during the Rallye du Maroc. "Our drivers picked up a few punctures – which was inevitable over the rocks here – but they were also quick to acknowledge the robustness and durability of the new All Terrain+ tyre which was being validated here ahead of next January's Dakar."
Final positions:
1, Peterhansel/Cottret (BMW X3 CC/BFGoodrich), 21h 32m 2s. 2, Novitsky/Schulz (BMW X3 CC/BFGoodrich), +2h 24m 25s. 3, Julien/Crespo (Renault Mégane/BFGoodrich), +6h 45m 51s. Etc.