Rally Mexico, Hard and Soft Tyres Ensure Performance and Reliability on All Special Stages

A good premiere. From Pirelli’s point of view, this is how one could summarise the debut of the 2023 WRC season on gravel, characterised by an opposing choice of tyres between the first passages in the morning, with slippery surfaces, and the second, with rough tracks, in the afternoon. The result was an almost symmetrical alternation of soft and hard tyres in the two phases of the day, which united all the teams. In Sunday’s practice, the drivers made a mixed choice between prime and option, essentially replicating the double regime of the other days, with the softs (of which none were new) tackling the poor grip terrain of the first pass and the hards destined for the rough surfaces of the second passes.

The elements emerging from the race weekend are:

• The correctness of the initial choice of all the teams who opted for an allocation of 24 Scorpion hard (prime) and 12 Scorpion soft (option)
• The versatility of Pirelli’s soft compound tyre, which already last year proved crucial in very different races, from Kenya to Finland
• The weight of experience in tyre management, which rewarded multiple champion and Mexico winner Sebastien Ogier, who led the race with confidence after Esapekka Lappi’s accident.

TERENZIO TESTONI, PIRELLI RALLY ACTIVITY MANAGER
“The Rally of Mexico confirmed that it is a very demanding race with some of the toughest stages in the championship, such as El Chocolate, which provide extreme challenges both for the drivers and the cars and tyres, although in the end there were no particular surprises for those who know these roads well. Compared to the past, only the presence of many stones along the tracks should be highlighted. From the point of view of the tyres, the Scorpion soft proves to be a highly multipurpose tyre, capable of adapting to the most diverse conditions, even to the highest temperatures like those of these days. The drivers appreciate our soft gravel for the high grip it provides and for its reliability. The hard tyres also did well, as they guaranteed robustness on very rough terrain and a low level of wear. The information we gathered in Mexico provided us with indications that will be very useful in the continuation of the championship”.

In RC2, whose teams largely replicated the strategies of the top category, Gus Greensmith won, ahead of Emil Lindholm and Olivier Solberg.