Sébastien Ogier’s ‘ice spy’ is a chap called Nicolas Vouilloz, also
known as the ‘inventor of tyre crossing’. In unclear and fluctuating weather
conditions, rally drivers are increasingly opting for a mixed tyre set-up in a
cross configuration. For example, slick and wet tyres are used at the same
time, with slicks fitted on the front left and rear right, and wets in reverse.
“We tried this out
years ago at tyre tests with Michelin, and it worked better than having
different tyres on the front axle to the rear axle. We were probably the first
to use it in competition,” said Vouilloz.
No doubt Vouilloz perfected
this technique in his own rallying career (he won the IRC in 2008) but you
wonder how he applied this to his other professional sporting pursuit – he has
won the World Downhill Mountain Bike Championship ten times. Sounds like the
French have bampots just like we do!
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