Greenville, S.C - December 5, 2007– Finishing the 2007 Wales Rally GB was sufficient for Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena (Citroën/BFGoodrich Tires) to collect their fourth consecutive world title and join Finland's Tommi Mäkinen in world rallying's record books. The 2007 season's final showdown was won by Mikko Hirvonen ahead of his Ford/BFGoodrich Tires team-mate Marcus Grönholm (Ford/BFGoodrich Tires) who was contesting the 150th and last WRC rally of his career. BFGoodrich Tires now bows out of the World Championship with two more trophies to its name thanks to Loeb and BP-Ford who sewed up the Manufacturers' title two weeks ago.

Sébastien Loeb (Citroën/BFGoodrich Tires) only needed to finish fifth this weekend in Wales to capture of the 2007 Drivers' title, even if Ford/BFGoodrich's Marcus Grönholm succeeded in winning the year's finale.

The situation at the sharp end of the points table prior to the final round was crystal clear, much clearer in any case than the skies that greeted this year's entry in Wales. The conditions were simply awesome, with streaming, muddy stages, thick fog and pouring rain. In addition, it grew dark as early as four in the afternoon!

Neither Loeb nor Grönholm had any real cause to try to win at all costs, which left the outsiders a chance to make a name for themselves, including Jari-Matti Latvala (10th, Ford /BFGoodrich Tires) – who posted 10 of the fastest times from a possible 17 but was delayed by a windshield-wiper failure on SS6 – and Mikko Hirvonen (Ford/BFGoodrich Tires), who took his third won of the year and will surely be one the main title contenders in 2008.

Petter Solberg (Subaru/BFGoodrich Tires) ended up one place short of the podium behind Sébastien Loeb but scored sufficient points for Subaru to clinch third place in the Manufacturers' championship, while Matthew Wilson (Ford/BFGoodrich Tires) succeeded in shrugging off Chris Atkinson's final day pressure.

The 2007 Wales Rally GB marked the end of BFGoodrich Tires' adventure in the WRC. In the short time of just two seasons, BFGoodrich Tires scored 32 world class wins, two Manufacturers' titles (with its partner Ford) and two Drivers' titles (with Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena). This year also saw BFGoodrich Tires win the P-WRC (Production World Rally Championship) in association with Japan's Toshi Arai (Subaru).

BFGoodrich tires won every round of the WRC, on gravel, snow and asphalt and in all types of conditions thanks to their advanced technology and sophisticated run-flat system.

In 2008, BFGoodrich Tires will pursue its involvement in rallying in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, as well as in a number of national rally championships, which promises to be fiercely contested.

BFGoodrich tire choices

The wet and muddy Welsh stages actually simplified tire choices for the BFGoodrich runners who chose the extra-soft compound g-Force Gravel '8-', with a maximum 'cut' to help clear water and mud.