From the BFGoodrich technician's viewpoint: "The Rallye Sanremo is the toughest asphalt rally of the season for tyres. The stage surfaces are abrasive, while the twisty mountain roads, significant differences in altitude and steep downhill sections cause the brakes and tyres to get very hot. In similar conditions on the Rali Vinho da Madeira earlier in the year, BFGoodrich's new hard compound A31 tyre showed great potential, but drivers will need to watch wear and pay close to attention to tyre pressures. The 2009 route is very similar to that of the 2007 event, with a high proportion of the stages run in the opposite direction compared with last year."

 

Friday, September 25

Start: 6:00 pm

 

Run in the opposite direction compared with 2008. A relatively flat stage, initially very narrow, but then extremely fast towards the end near Perinaldo. This is a tough stage for tyres which notably suffer over the first few kilometres.

 

Run in the opposite direction to 2008 (identical to 2007). Starts in Perinaldo and finishes in Baiardo. This is an entirely uphill test with a number of rhythm changes, switching from fast to narrow. There can also be several changes in grip levels, too, where the stage passes underneath trees. This is one for brave drivers because there are steep drop-offs throughout.

 

Run in the opposite direction to 2008 (identical to 2007). Starts from Passo Ghimbegna and heads for Monte Bignone. The first five kilometres are downhill and much of the stage takes competitors under the tree canopy. BFGoodrich's runners tended to go for softer compound tyres for the same stage in 2007.

 

The night-time loop is based on the first three tests which combine to produce stage of 44km in length. Last year's run was 60km, but the organisers had to interrupt it following an off after only a handful of cars had been through. Covering this sort of distance in one go calls for consistent, durable tyres, and therefore a hard compound product such as the A31, even if the temperature is cooler at night. Certain portions under the trees can be damp, however, or even slippery as the first leaves begin to fall. Even if it rains, a hard compound tyre is preferable because of the need for constancy.

 

Finish: 1:00am (Saturday)

 

Saturday, September 26

Start: 8:00am

 

The initial part up to Colle d’Oggia is new. Competitors then find themselves on the same stage as last year for about 2km, before forking left for four more new kilometres. The final part is identical to 2008.

 

A re-run of the stage used in 2008, except for the first three or four kilometres. The stage climbs to an altitude of 1,515 metres, with a very long descent to the finish and an aggregate altitude drop of 1,300m. Part of this stage was used in this direction in 2007, but Monte Ceppo will always be a classic in any form. It's a long slog of very similar looking corners in second, third and fourth gears. It's quite slow and the final downhill section is tough on tyres.

 

This stage uses the end of the previous day's SS2.

 

Finish: 6:00pm

 

The Rallye Sanremo was a qualifying round of the World Rally Championship from 1973 until 2003 (with the exception of 1995). In 1973, the 15^th edition was won by Jean-Luc Thérier (Alpine A110) ahead of Maurizio Verini and Jean-Pierre Nicolas (Alpine A110), who is today the Intercontinental Rally Challenge's development manager.

 

Until 1996, the Rallye Sanremo was a mixed surface gravel/asphalt event with at least one leg run on dirt tracks in the Tuscany region. Colin McRae (Subaru) was the winner of the last mixed surface Sanremo.

 

Other Sanremo winners include a number of Italians, of course (Munari, Liatti, Biasion, Aghini), as well as Scandinavians (Waldegaard, Blomqvist, Alén, Vatanen, Mäkinen) and French drivers (Auriol, Panizzi, Loeb). The latter's ranks also include lady driver Michèle Mouton (1981).

 

Several drivers have won the Sanremo three times: Markku Alén, Miki Biasion, Didier Auriol and Gilles Panizzi. However, two-time World Champion Carlos Sainz has never won it.

 

As a tribute to Sanremo's casino, all the stages of the 2009 event are named are games.

 

1, Basso/Dotta (Abarth Grande Punto S2000/BFGoodrich), 2h 56m 25.4s

2, Vouilloz/Klinger (Peugeot 207 S2000/BFGoodrich), +42.6s

3, Rossetti/Chiarcossi (Peugeot 207 S2000/BFGoodrich), +1m 9.3s

 

 

The debate concerning the correct spelling of the Italian resort's name has gone on for years, but both Sanremo and San Remo are popularly accepted.

 

Sanremo, often referred to as the City of Flowers, is also famous for being the finish venue of the celebrated Milan-Sanremo cycle race, and it is one of just four Italian cities to boast a casino.

 

The original Sanremo was founded in a small creek, with high mountains all around offering it protection from attack and the elements.