Preparing team cars for Paris-Roubaix – infographic and video

It’s not just the riders and their bikes that are in for a battering at Paris-Roubaix this weekend – the team cars have to be up for the challenge too. Team Sky and Ford have produced an infographic and video about how the team’s Mondeos are set up for the race.

After putting Team Sky’s support cars through their paces at Ford's Lommel Proving Ground in Belgium – a facility featuring over 80km of test tracks, with various different surfaces – engineers have added 20mm of ground clearance to help ensure they can cope with the deepest potholes as well as 5mm alloy plates to protect the engine, brake lines and differential from debris and knocks.

The cars apparently feature stiffer springs and suspension anyway as they typically carry more than 400kg of extra weight.

Stephan Anssems, Senior Engineer, Vehicle Dynamics for Ford of Europe, said:

"Paris-Roubaix delivers some of the worst punishment imaginable for a car – exactly the scenario that our engineers in Lommel are testing for every day. While stiffer and well protected, at the heart of Team Sky's Mondeo is the same tough and durable design that goes into all our vehicles."

Team Sky Sports Director, Servais Knaven, who won Paris-Roubaix himself back in 2001, said:

"A rider's worst nightmare is getting a puncture and finding there's no team car in sight. We rely on our cars to battle through the toughest conditions and be on the spot to deliver the new wheel, rolling medical attention or drinks bottle that could be the difference between first and second place."