Yokohama Wins Opening Round Of FIA Production World Rally Championship
The Yokohama/ADVAN supported and equipped Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX of Fumio Nutahara won the opening round of the 2006 FIA Production car World Rally Championship (P-WRC), the prestigious Rallye Monte Carlo. It is the first time the Japanese manufacturer’s tyres have won a round of the P-WRC and the maiden victory for Nutahara.
Nutahara is a seasoned campaigner in the production category of the World Rally Championship, for group N, or showroom specification, cars. However, for the 2006 season, Nutahara has engaged the services of hugely experienced co-driver Daniel Barritt and the combination is already paying off.
Rallye Monte Carlo is the traditional season opener and is unique in the FIA World Rally Championship. Run on asphalt roads in the foothills of the French Alps, the conditions can vary from clean, dry tarmac to damp sections and even snow and ice, often within the same stage. Therefore, tyre choice and performance is as crucial to success as driver and co-driver experience, knowledge and skill.
The event began with access problems for crews running later in the order, due to the large numbers of spectators. Bulgarian Julien Popov set the initial P-WRC pace but Nutahara stole the lead on the sixth stage of the event, with a blistering time, winning his first stage of the event. Nasser Al-Attiyah came back at Nutahara at the beginning of the second day and following two stage wins, took the lead before crashing into a bridge. His car was repaired but three further stage wins by Nutahara meant that he re-took the lead and successfully defended it to the conclusion of the event.
Speaking at the end of the event, Nutahara said; “I have been waiting for a win for a long time and finally it has come today! There are three new things for me: I have a new co-driver, Daniel Barritt, and he has been fantastic; we have a new car – the Evolution IX – which has a much better engine and this is the first time that Yokohama tyres have ever won in Monte Carlo. It’s fantastic.”
Second in Monte Carlo was former British and American rally champion David Higgins, with new co-driver Ross Butler replacing Barritt, while Al-Attiyah finished off the podium in third. Nutahara now leads the P-WRC, which heads for its second round in Mexico, over 2-5 March.
