The new rule and the tires worry the drivers

The drivers of the World Rally Championship (WRC) have gathered to express their concerns in unison about the new tire regulations imposed in 2008.

The FIA recently released new measures for the 2008 season, which begins next Thursday with the famous Monte Carlo. One of them is arousing the curiosity of the drivers and especially their fear. It indeed plans to ban the use of anti-puncture mousse.

This system, sprayed onto the tire during each service, helped prevent any risk of punctures during the stages. With its ban, drivers feel less secure. Any puncture could lead to the driver’s permanent retirement, for example, after going off the road.

The 2003 world champion with Subaru, Peter Subaru commented: « In the absence of anti-puncture foam, we stop taking risks… A simple puncture could cause a withdrawal, so caution. »

« Furthermore, the ‘Monte’ is always very delicate to tackle with changing conditions. There will even be snow apparently this year… »

The new BP Ford driver, Jari-Matti Latvala, wanted to add: « We can no longer cut corners as much as before with this new rule. So I’ll need to be careful entering corners. »

« Nevertheless, I think it will just be a matter of getting used to it. For my part, I drove this way in the junior championship. So I hope my experience will be beneficial to me… » concluded the young Finn after his arrival in Valencia.

On his side, Sébastien Loeb is rather… pessimistic, and for good reason: « This will lead to a big chance… Sometimes we’re going to get a flat tire without it being our fault. […] It must appeal to some, but it’s not necessarily in the spirit of the sport. And for safety, it’s not great either: if I remember correctly, my first off-road incident was due to a flat tire… »

The first recognitions for Monte-Carlo took place today in the Vercors. The weather conditions were not optimal, but snow could arrive very soon.