Amid fears of worsening snow conditions on Saturday’s Rally Monza stages, Rally1 crews have been permitted an additional two winter tires for the remainder of the weekend.
Snow has been falling steadily on the highest sections of the day-two route, with the third stage of the loop – the Costa Valle Imagna test – reckoned to be the hardest hit, reaching 4400 feet as it passes the village of Valcava.
The original decision was to allow for eight winter tires, but the teams – and crews – were concerned at running part-worn tires in Saturday’s snow, having already used some of their allocation of Michelin Pilot Alpin tires on Friday.
Stewards issued a bulletin later on Friday afternoon to confirm the change, which only applies to Rally1 cars, with Rally2 runners and JWRC crews remaining at their original allocation of eight and six respectively.
Michelin’s rally manager Arnaud Remy told DirtFish: “We saw some of the cars using the snow tires today to help deal with the conditions, with the mud and the gravel on the stages today.
“The teams were all asking for more [snow] tires and so I told the FIA that we had enough in the truck to give everybody two more.
“When we decided to bring them a few weeks ago, we said we would bring enough for 10 per car. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough to give the Rally2 crews two additional tires, which is a shame.”
While Remy would not be drawn on who had used the most snow tires on Friday, DirtFish’s investigations have revealed that certain drivers would not have had enough new snow tires to take a full set into the morning’s first loop.
“It’s very much better to take a new snow tire in the morning rather than a part-worn set or a wet tire,” added Remy.
“There was also the security question – tomorrow we think there will be a lot of snow.”
While the precipitation has fallen as rain at lower levels in Saturday’s stages, DirtFish is learning of significant accumulation as the roads climb.
Remy explained the benefit of the winter tire, but pointed out that the crews have what’s known as a Tarmac snow tire, which is wider than the version used in Sweden.
“The snow tire is made to have a very specific pattern to be able to grip the snow and get rid of the snow, to be able to get some grip even on some very specific powder snow or something like that so it’s a specific casing but very specific pattern and rubber,” he said.
“There is some forecast talking about 20cm [of snow on Saturday]. Of course, if you have 20cm of snow it will be very difficult, because we are talking about Tarmac snow tires, not snow tires that we used to have in Sweden.
“So it’s a Tarmac tire to be able to race on snow but if you have too much snow it will be difficult to race.”
The mid-stage transition from rain to slush to snow should be no problem for Michelin’s 235mm-wide Pilot Alpin – but there is a concern if temperatures dip well below zero and pack the snow down into ice.
Remy added: “Ice would definitely be difficult because without stud, any tires would be very, very bad on ice. But if you start to have some snow and some slush for sure the snow tire is a good one because of the pattern.
“The pattern is made to get rid of the pollution, to get rid of the snow, of the slush and you see today even when you have some mud, some gravel, sometimes the snow tires is a good choice.”
Who has taken what so far?
Photo: Jaanus Ree/Red Bull Content Pool
Main championship protagonists Elfyn Evans and Sébastien Ogier (and their Toyota team-mate Kalle Rovanperä) have run the full wet for all-but the fourth stage.
On SS4, when conditions were worsening and with more surface changes and more gravel and grass, all Rally1 crews ran with Michelin’s winter tire.
Overnight leader Dani Sordo and his closest rival Esapekka Lappi, along with Ott Tänak, remained on that stud-less Pilot Alpin tire for the rest of the day.
