BFGoodrich® Tire Designed and Built in the U.S. to Take Center Stage at Dakar Rally

GREENVILLE, S.C., Jan. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Seeking a 15^th overall win in the legendary Dakar Rally, BFGoodrich^® Tires will be supporting two official partners that will race on a bespoke tire built for the challenges of the course.

As the official tire of Toyota and Mini X-raid, BFGoodrich will provide tires and support for the teams as they compete in the grueling off-road race that covers more than 3,000 miles in Peru. They will race on the BFGoodrich^® All-Terrain T/A KDR2+ tire, conceived, engineered and manufactured with one goal in mind: win the Dakar with versatility and reliability.

The KDR2+ tire has completed a journey from concept to production featuring the BFGoodrich manufacturing facility in Tuscaloosa, Ala., which also produces BFGoodrich racing tires for a variety of disciplines, including North American desert and short-course racing. 

BFGoodrich engineers spent more than a year studying the demands of the Dakar Rally and collected data from past rallies to develop the KDR2+ tire, introduced in 2018. The tire also incorporates tire technologies found in aviation, agriculture, civil engineering, mining and circuit racing.

The Dakar course is as varied as the continent of South America. It runs through hard-packed dirt, sandy flats, towering dunes, water crossings and loose rock. Drivers go from extreme heat to extreme cold and climb from low to high altitude. A one-dimensional tire won't survive.

The KDR2+ tire features enhanced grip and improved steering response and traction – especially on muddy ground – with no detriment to overall performance. The improvements also include a more open tread pattern and reinforced casing. Another notable achievement with the KDR2+ tire is its ability to run on both two- and four-wheel drive vehicles with the same level of performance, regardless of vehicle type.

This year there will be a new twist to the KDR2+ tire. BFGoodrich is offering the tire in two different compounds. The first option is the medium-compound version, the original compound for the tire. The second is the softer compound, ideal for performance in sand. With long stretches of sand dunes in this year's course, racers will be able to fine-tune their strategies to select the ideal fitment for each leg of the race.

"The lessons we've learned from decades in off-road racing have led to incremental improvements on our racing tires each year," said Peter Calhoun, BFGoodrich motorsports manager. "The KDR2+ is the culmination of this experience, and we're honored to have some of the biggest teams in the Dakar Rally relying on this tire."

The 2018 Dakar Rally begins Jan. 6 in Lima, Peru. To learn more about the rally, visit https://www.dakar.com/en.  

BFGoodrich Dakar History

BFGoodrich began its history with Dakar in 1993 with Jean-Louis Schlesser, who earned a first-place rally-class finish in the Cross-Country Rally 2WD World Cup. From 1999 to 2018, BFGoodrich Tires claimed 14 more first-place wins as an official tire supplier.

1993 1st, FIA Cross-Country Rally 2WD World Cup with Jean-Louis Schlesser
1999 to 2000 1st, Paris-Dakar Rally with Jean-Louis Schlesser
2002 to 2003 1st, Paris-Dakar Rally with Hiroshi Masuoka (Mitsubishi Pajero)
2004 1st, Paris-Dakar Rally with Stéphane Peterhansel (Mitsubishi Pajero)
2005 1st, Paris-Dakar Rally with Stéphane Peterhansel (Mitsubishi Pajero)
2006 1st, Paris-Dakar Rally with Luc Alphand (Mitsubishi Pajero / Montero Evo)
2007 1st, Paris-Dakar Rally with Stéphane Peterhansel (Mitsubishi Pajero / Montero Evo)
2009 1st, Dakar Rally with Giniel de Villiers (Volkswagen Touareg)
2010 1st, Dakar Rally with Carlos Sainz (Volkswagen Touareg)
2011 1st, Dakar Rally with Nasser Al-Attiyah (Volkswagen Touareg)
2012 1st, Dakar Rally with Stéphane Peterhansel (Mini Cooper)
2017 1st, Dakar Rally with Stéphane Peterhansel (Peugeot Sport). Sébastien Loeb and Cyril Despres made it a one-two-three finish for Peugeot Sport/ BFGoodrich^®
2018 1st, the 2018 Dakar produced an all-BFGoodrich podium thanks to Carlos
Sainz (Peugeot 3008 DKR) and Toyota Hilux drivers Nasser Al-Attiyah and Giniel de Villiers

About BFGoodrich^® Tires

With more than 100 years of heritage, BFGoodrich^® Tires is dedicated to providing high performance tires for those who have a passion for driving in virtually any environment. Combining technical expertise with 45 years of motorsports experience, BFGoodrich delivers tires for a full range of driving experiences from ultra-high performance street to off-road terrain with one common theme – extreme performance. Come upgrade your performance with BFGoodrich and see where our tires can take you at www.BFGoodrichTires.com, www.BFGoodrichRacing.com, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/BFGoodrichTires or on Twitter or Instagram at @BFGoodrichTires.

SOURCE BFGoodrich Tires

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