Tough Conditions Expected As DMACK Tackles France DMACK will tackle some of the trickiest Tarmac conditions next week when the last all-asphalt round of the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship bursts into action in Strasbourg. Rally de France-Alsace is renowned for a mix of challenging stages played out across a broad range of weather and road conditions. After missing out on its first WRC 2 asphalt win by just a couple of seconds at Rally Germany, DMACK will again offer its identical tyre package when then action kicks off just across the border in France. The narrow, hilly stages across the Vosges Mountains are contrasted with fast, flowing country roads and a number of runs through the region’s vineyards. But the roads can turn treacherously slippery. Searching for the fastest line through the country roads, drivers cut corners dragging mud and gravel onto the smooth asphalt roads. Organisers use bollards to decrease the cuts but front-running cars still pull mud across the stages. And once it rains, the conditions become even worse. DMACK brings its DMT-RC tyre to the event in hard H3 and soft S3 compounds. Competitors can use a maximum of 24 tyres with up to 16 soft option tyres included in that allocation. The tyre’s tread design, which boasts circumferal grooves, is well suited to mixed conditions. To compound the surface challenges, almost half of the stage distance is completely new. The revised itinerary maintains the event as the shortest of the season, with just 303 competitive km, and also sees the popular Strasbourg city stage, which ends outside the European Parliament, moved to Friday evening. Friday’s opening leg sports a repeated loop of three stages around Bas-Rhin and Vosges mountains capped off with the Strasbourg city blast. The second day journeys further south into the Haut Rhin following a similar three-stage loop format, with remote service in Colmar and a spectator stage through Mulhouse. Sunday finishes to the north of Strasbourg with two stages run twice around Saverne. Dick Cormack, DMACK motorsport director, said: “In terms of changing grip levels and surface conditions, this event is once again likely to be one of the toughest this year. We saw just how difficult Rally Germany was when the weather conditions changed and I expect the challenge to be similar in France next week. The stages generally aren’t so abrasive and it will be important to maximise the grip and make the right choices to ensure a strong result.”
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 15:54:07 +0000
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