BF Goodrich: We're proud of our '06 record.

BF Goodrich rally manager, Aime Chatard has said that their latest success at the weekend on the Rally NZ, clinching the manufacturers' championship with BP Ford, to add to their success in the drivers' with Sebastien Loeb, is a 'tremendous reward' for all their hard work.

BF Goodrich have been unstoppable this season, since taking over the mantle from sister brand, Michelin and while admittedly they have supplied all but one of the 'manufacturer' teams, there is no denying their dominance, one that has seen them win on every single event thus far.

They will now be aiming for a clean-sweep on the Wales Rally GB, the final round in the 2006 FIA World Rally Championship, to complete their utter annihilation of rivals Pirelli, who supply the Subaru WRT.

"It only takes a second to say 'World Champions', but it takes ten months and 14 or 15 rallies to actually claim the title! Seriously, BFGoodrich, which is looking to win over European motorists, is evidently delighted with this year's results," said Chatard, following yet another win in NZ.

"Winning the drivers' title with Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena [in Australia], and the manufacturers' crown with the BP Ford WRT is a tremendous reward for the creative engineering of our technical staff who have worked hard to make the g-Force range competitive over all the different types of terrain encountered during a full season of World Championship rallying.

"Rally tyres are packed with advanced technology and driven to the limit corner after corner by some of the sport's most remarkable drivers.

"The three ingredients for success - whether on individual events or over a full championship - is the same as ever: the best driver in the best car equipped with the best tyres. Both titles are important for BFGoodrich because they give the brand the notoriety it needs to develop."

Amaury de Cordes, European BFGoodrich brand manager, meanwhile was also delighted and is hopeful it will help raise the brands awareness.

"The BFGoodrich brand is proud to have celebrated its first year in the World Rally Championship not only by helping Sebastien Loeb and Daniel Elena conquer the drivers' world crown but also to have been chosen by Ford in its bid to win the manufacturers' title," he added. "The relationship between Ford and BFGoodrich, two brands which both originated in the United States, dates back more than a hundred years when Henry Ford chose BFGoodrich tyres for his Model A in 1903!

"Our decision to compete in the WRC represented a big investment but we have succeeded in achieving all the objectives we set ourselves at the beginning of the year.

"The result has even surpassed our expectations in terms of the visibility the discipline has brought us with an audience of real enthusiasts as well as the gain it has given us in terms of brand awareness.

"We have been able to measure that the WRC is ideal for promoting BFGoodrich's positioning as the 'Take Control' brand, in all situations and on all types of terrain..."