The Portuguese pair had moved up to eighth position and were chasing Manfred Stohl, the fastest privateer in the 2006 World Rally Championship, when their alternator brought their excellent run to a halt after the final stage. The 45 kilometres of road section remaining to be covered to reach the final parc ferme proved too much...

Despite this terrible conclusion to his weekend, Miguel Campos produced an excellent performance which did justice to the colours of Portugal and BFGoodrich alike.

The next port of call for the BFGoodrich Drivers Team operation is the Rallye d'Ypres (June 27-28). The driver for the Belgian event will be named on May 28.

Jacques Morelli, IRC Programme Manager, BFGoodrich:
"Despite the final outcome, the BFGoodrich Drivers Team operation was a big success. Miguel didn't put a single scratch on his Peugeot 207 and didn't suffer the slightest puncture. On top of that, he was on target to finish in the points. What a shame, but I suppose that's rallying..."

Michel Ducher, BFGoodrich technician:
"It was a pleasure working with Miguel and Paulo this weekend. They are both very conscientious and took in all the advice they were given. As it turned out, they made the right choice when they opted for the harder compound for Friday afternoon's stages, even though it didn't seem to be the ideal choice at the time, especially when they came across rain on the first stage of the loop. But Miguel didn't put a foot wrong. On top of that, he's an experienced driver who was able to give us good feedback about the tyres he used. It was a very positive operation."

Marc Van Dalen, Team Manager, Kronos Racing:
"Sport can be so cruel at times! Retiring so close to the finish was a bitter blow. But that's rallying and both Kronos Racing and BFGoodrich fully respect the rule that precludes anybody from helping a crew outside of the service park. His Peugeot's alternator failed at the end of SS11, but held for the next two stages, although it didn't last for the final 60km run-in to the finish. The operation was nevertheless a great success, and much of that was down to Miguel himself. He did a first class job all weekend. I can't wait, now, for Ypres and the next phase of the 2008 BFGoodrich Drivers Team operation..."

D.B. © CAPSIS International