WRC Rally Jordan Preview

Beginning today is the Rally Jordan, the 5th event in the 2008 WRC tour. Based around the Dead Sea near the capital city of Amman, it’s the only event on the calendar featuring stages that are up to 1300 feet below sea level. It’ll feature 160 miles of competitive stages for the crews to endure.

Pirelli, the sole tire supplier to the WRC this season, claims that their new "Scorpion" tire is up to the challenge of the unforgiving gravel course. The teams will have to take their word for it, since anti-deflation mousse is no longer allowed in the tires. The mousse is a pliable material that’s placed inside the tire around the rim which compresses upon inflation, and then rapidly expands again in the event of a puncture, automatically sealing the tire so that the car can continue driving. I’m still scratching my head as to why the FIA decided against this for 2008.

The crews may well experience ambient temperatures of over 105 degrees over the weekend. Staying hydrated and cool is hard in a rally car as air conditioning isn’t an option—roof scoops are the only form of A/C they’ll be running while they’re out on the stages.

Stay tuned—I’ll provide additional coverage as the event unfolds in the coming days!