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28/08/2007 //
POR LAS PAMPAS RALLY - SOUTH AMERICA'S CROSS-COUNTRY MARATHON
2007 FIA CROSS COUNTRY RALLY WORLD CUP
ROUND 4: POR LAS PAMPAS RALLY
AUGUST 28 - SEPTEMBER 5, 2007
PREVIEW
SOUTH AMERICA'S CROSS-COUNTRY MARATHON
The Rally Por Las Pampas is the third round of the 2007 FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup and takes competitors from southern Argentina to the northern tip of Chile via a route totalling 4,116km in length. Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart has entered a single Pajero Evo/BFGoodrich for last year's winner Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard, but Volkswagen/BFGoodrich has chosen to skip the event which it won in 2005.
Also known as the Patagonia-Atacama, the Rally Por Las Pampas can be likened to South America's equivalent to the Dakar. The international event stretches out over nine days and features a route of more than 4,000km across Argentina and Chile. Competitors will cross the Andes Mountains early in the event in order to reduce the risk of being caught out by the southern hemisphere winter at an altitude of 3,500 metres.
"At this time of year, the temperature in the start town San Carlo de Bariloche fluctuates between -4 or -5°C at night to 7°C during the day," points out Dominique Bravy, the BFGoodrich technician who will be present during the event to provide assistance to the American tyre brand's partners. "Competitors will consequently cross the Andes on the first day and practically the entire rally will take place along Chile's Pacific seaboard, all the way north to the Atacama Desert where the thermometer is expected to soar to 40°C!"
The combination of this contrast in temperatures and the trek from wintry Patagonia to the world's most arid desert is sure to put both the crews and their tyres to the toughest of tests in extreme conditions that will vary throughout the nine-day ride. "As on the Dakar, the top teams are only authorised to use a single type of tyre," continues Dominique Bravy. "In South America, that will be the BFGoodrich T/A Rock. Indeed, the Rally Por Las Pampas is an event that calls for an extremely versatile product that is capable of taking the staggering variety of terrains, which vary from narrow tracks to sandy deserts, in its stride. The T/A Rock is ideal for this sort of adventure."
"The final outcome could well depend on what happens on the rally's shortest stage (SS6) which is just over 30km long," warns the 2006 Por Las Pampas winner Luc Alphand (Mitsubishi/BFGoodrich). "There promises to be plenty of dunes to cross, so constantly adjusting our tyre pressures will be vital if we want to avoid getting stuck in the sand."
The rally starts in the ski resort of San Carlos de Bariloche on August 27 and finishes in Iquique, northern Chile, on September 5 after a total distance of 4,116km, including 2315km in stages.
MAIN ENTRIES
101, Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (Mitsubishi Pajero Evo)
102, Paulo Nobre/Flipe Palmeiro (BMW X-Raid)
105, Jean-Luis Monterde/Jean-Marie Lurquin (Nissan Navarra)
106, Orlando Terranova/Lee Palmer (BMW X-Raid)
2006 WINNERS
Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (Mitsubishi Pajero/BFGoodrich)
ROUND 4: POR LAS PAMPAS RALLY
AUGUST 28 - SEPTEMBER 5, 2007
PREVIEW
SOUTH AMERICA'S CROSS-COUNTRY MARATHON
The Rally Por Las Pampas is the third round of the 2007 FIA Cross-Country Rally World Cup and takes competitors from southern Argentina to the northern tip of Chile via a route totalling 4,116km in length. Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart has entered a single Pajero Evo/BFGoodrich for last year's winner Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard, but Volkswagen/BFGoodrich has chosen to skip the event which it won in 2005.
Also known as the Patagonia-Atacama, the Rally Por Las Pampas can be likened to South America's equivalent to the Dakar. The international event stretches out over nine days and features a route of more than 4,000km across Argentina and Chile. Competitors will cross the Andes Mountains early in the event in order to reduce the risk of being caught out by the southern hemisphere winter at an altitude of 3,500 metres.
"At this time of year, the temperature in the start town San Carlo de Bariloche fluctuates between -4 or -5°C at night to 7°C during the day," points out Dominique Bravy, the BFGoodrich technician who will be present during the event to provide assistance to the American tyre brand's partners. "Competitors will consequently cross the Andes on the first day and practically the entire rally will take place along Chile's Pacific seaboard, all the way north to the Atacama Desert where the thermometer is expected to soar to 40°C!"
The combination of this contrast in temperatures and the trek from wintry Patagonia to the world's most arid desert is sure to put both the crews and their tyres to the toughest of tests in extreme conditions that will vary throughout the nine-day ride. "As on the Dakar, the top teams are only authorised to use a single type of tyre," continues Dominique Bravy. "In South America, that will be the BFGoodrich T/A Rock. Indeed, the Rally Por Las Pampas is an event that calls for an extremely versatile product that is capable of taking the staggering variety of terrains, which vary from narrow tracks to sandy deserts, in its stride. The T/A Rock is ideal for this sort of adventure."
"The final outcome could well depend on what happens on the rally's shortest stage (SS6) which is just over 30km long," warns the 2006 Por Las Pampas winner Luc Alphand (Mitsubishi/BFGoodrich). "There promises to be plenty of dunes to cross, so constantly adjusting our tyre pressures will be vital if we want to avoid getting stuck in the sand."
The rally starts in the ski resort of San Carlos de Bariloche on August 27 and finishes in Iquique, northern Chile, on September 5 after a total distance of 4,116km, including 2315km in stages.
MAIN ENTRIES
101, Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (Mitsubishi Pajero Evo)
102, Paulo Nobre/Flipe Palmeiro (BMW X-Raid)
105, Jean-Luis Monterde/Jean-Marie Lurquin (Nissan Navarra)
106, Orlando Terranova/Lee Palmer (BMW X-Raid)
2006 WINNERS
Luc Alphand/Gilles Picard (Mitsubishi Pajero/BFGoodrich)