February 02, 2018 | correspondent
The 2018 Dakar Rally has been completed, with BFGoodrich® and its All-Terrain T/A KDR2+ cross-country rally tyre dominating the results.
Designed especially for the 2018 Dakar, the BFGoodrich® All-Terrain T/A KDR2+ tyre and its new technologies lived up to its promises by delivering a winning combination of performance, strength and mobility over the sand, mud and rocks that competitors were exposed to in the course of the annual off-road classic.
DAKAR 2018, 300 PETERHANSEL STEPHANE (fra) TEAM PEUGEOT TOTAL PEUGEOT 3008 DKR during the Dakar 2018 Peru Bolivia Argentina , Etape 8 – Stage 8 Uyuni / Tupiza, January 14 – Photo BF Goodrich
The 2018 Dakar’s top three was monopolised by BFGoodrich® runners, led by the Peugeot 2008DKR Maxi of former World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz, along with Toyota Hilux drivers Nasser Al-Attiyah and Giniel de Villiers who finished in second and third places.
“I would like to congratulate all our partners on the performances they produced on the 2018 Dakar, especially Team Peugeot Total and Toyota Gazoo Racing who made it an all-BF Goodrich podium”, Anne-Sophie Jarrige, BFGoodrich®’s Dakar program manager said.
“The 40th edition Dakar lived up every bit to its promise with plenty of spectacular action and drama. We are particularly proud of the role that was played by the technicians and fitters who worked out the BFGoodrich® Service Centre to provide competitors with technical support throughout the event.”
Zero punctures reported by the Dakar’s two-wheel drive runners
The BFGoodrich® KDR2+ tyre equipped both two- and four-wheel drive vehicles on the 2018 Dakar and for the first time in Dakar history, none of the runners in the two-wheel drive class reported any tyre-pressure losses due to perforations.
This was in spite of the repeated knocks inherent in the event and the sharp rocks and objects to which they were exposed.
New anti-puncture system derived from aviation tyre technology
According to BFGoodrich®, the secret behind its new tyre’s exceptional success lay in the pooling of a new technology developed initially for aviation tyres by the Michelin Group, to which the BFGoodrich® brand belongs.
“Michelin’s ability to pool its innovations across the entire Group is unique in today’s tyre industry,” Nicolas Goubert, Technical Director and Deputy Director of Michelin Motorsport said.
“Our American teams designed the new BFGoodrich® All Terrain T/A KDR2+ to test the efficiency of our anti-puncture systems in extreme conditions and the result couldn’t have been more satisfactory. We use motorsport as a laboratory to either test new technologies or, as was the case on this year’s Dakar, put technologies we master in other areas through their paces with a view to applying them to new fields, including road tyres.”
DAKAR 2018, 303 SAINZ CARLOS (esp) TEAM PEUGEOT TOTAL PEUGEOT 3008 DKR during the Dakar 2018 Peru Bolivia Argentina , Etape 8 – Stage 8 Uyuni / Tupiza, January 14 – Photo BF Goodrich
Performance on sand and mud
In addition to its ability to resist punctures, the two other qualities that the development team behind the new BFGoodrich® All Terrain T/A KDR2+ were intent on delivering were efficient traction on soft ground and enhanced mud-clearance capacity.
“The way the BFGoodrich® All Terrain T/A KDR2+ performed on this year’s Dakar replicated what were saw in testing,” Matt Hanlon, the engineer in charge of the new tyre’s development said.
“Thanks to this new tyre’s bigger tread blocks and wider grooves, mud didn’t get packed in the tread. When this happens, a film can form that makes the tyre’s surface completely smooth, but the BFGoodrich® All Terrain T/A KDR2+’s tread pattern had no trouble clearing the mud and keeping our partners’ cars on the move.”
