PIRELLI TIRE GETS AN ?OSCAR’ FROM FORD FOR QUALITY AND SERVICE

Pirelli’s US factory, which operates the MIRS technology, has been awarded Ford
Motor Company’s most prestigious quality award, Q1 Accreditation,
for operational excellence and exceptional customer commitment.

ROME, Georgia, Dec. 11 , 2006 ? Pirelli Tire North America’s Rome, Georgia factory, which utilizes the unique MIRS technology (Modular integrated robotized system), has been awarded Ford Motor Company’s Q1 Accreditation for the operational excellence and exceptional  customer commitment it provides to Ford This is the second major award in only three months that Pirelli has received in the US, following the J.D. Power and Associates award for “Highest in OE Satisfaction for Mass Market/Non-Luxury Vehicles.”

Francesco Gori, Managing Director of Pirelli Tire commented from the company’s Milan HQ, “This is a prestigious award from a world-class organization and is a sure indication of the rapidly developing capability of our company in the US. Pirelli Tire North America is focused on selective growth in both the replacement and original equipment markets in the US and the Ford Motor Company is very much part of that strategy, making it doubly satisfying to receive the accolade of their Q1 Accreditation.”

Q1 Accreditation is a set of fundamental quality and manufacturing disciplines that guide cooperation between Ford and its suppliers for superior quality execution. Pirelli Tire has met or exceeded each challenging criteria in every Q1 category as a Ford supplier. This process involved all staff at every level throughout Pirelli Tire North America by applying understandable metrics to drive high quality. Suppliers are expected to attain a specific mark, to put tools in place to maintain excellence and to improve with each passing year.

Suppliers within the Automotive Industry are increasingly being called upon to prove their ability to perform and to deliver to international standards. Ford’s Q1 Program is the most rigorous of its type. Andrew Kearton, vice president of Manufacturing added, “As with all our operational goals, we are continuously working to exceed the expectations of our customers. Not only are we always striving to be best in class with respect to technology, but also best in class at providing an exceptional quality high-performance tire with exceptional quality service that can be considered a benchmark within the automotive industry.”

Pirelli Tire North America specializes in the manufacture and marketing of high performance car, light truck and motorcycle tires and currently has four of its highlyadvanced MIRS (Modular Integrated Robotized System) modules in operation in its newest automated production facility in Rome, Georgia, to better serve the American OEM and Replacement markets.
For more information, visit the company’s web site at www.us.pirelli.com

Three GT Championships for Pirelli-Shod Ferrari, Maserati & Porsche;
Aston Martin Second by a Mere Three Points

ROME, Georgia, Dec.4, 2006 ? If Pirelli was a fine wine instead of an ultra-highperformance tire, connoisseurs would acknowledge the 2006 sports car season as one of the finest vintages in its 99 years of motorsports.

True, Pirelli has won 7 Grand Prix and Formula One world championships, including 85 Grands Prix, over the past century. Also true that the Italian-based performance leader has 11 sports car championships and 85 classic road races (Le Mans, Mille Miglia and Targa Florio) to its credit. But seldom has one tire company accomplished so much with so little as Pirelli has this year.

Competing in five GT classes on two continents with very few Pirelli-shod cars in each class, Pirelli teams won three Drivers’, Manufacturers’ and Team Championships, narrowly missing a fourth as Aston Martin finished second to the factory Corvettes (189-186 points) in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).

In their first full ALMS season, the #007 of Tomas Enge (Czech Republic) and Darren Turner (England) and the #009 of Pedro Lamy (Portugal) and Stephane Sarrazin (France) repeatedly challenged the six-time-champion Corvettes winning five of the ten races, including three-straight at the end. They had seven poles, four fastest laps and 15 podiums during the season earning the IMSA GT1 Cup for non-factory teams. Sarrazin finished second in the Drivers’ Championship to Corvette’s two Ollies, Beretta and Gavin, who repeated as GT1 champions.

The statistics speak volumes, but possibly the finest compliment paid Pirelli was by one of its fiercest competitors. Doug Fehan, Corvette Racing Program Manager commented “I have to say Pirelli did an amazing job developing their tires for the Astons. Pirelli deserves a tip of the hat because it was a dang good tire.”

Pirelli’s success in GT2 was not as fortunate as they only supported the Panoz Esperante teams in the ALMS and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. While the results were inconsistent, the Team LNT Panoz won the classic French race, while the Multimatic Panoz won the season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring and podiumed at Petit Le Mans. So, the Pirelli-shod Panoz Esperantes proved to be the endurance kings of the GT2 season.

While Pirelli achieved considerable success on North American circuits, it was across the pond where they literally dominated the sports car racing scene in 2006. Pirelli first won the five-race Le Mans Endurance Series as the #76 Autorlando Porsche of Joel Camathias was declared the GT2 Champion as early as August with a win at Spa and three seconds. Pirelli competed in both GT1 and GT2 classes of the ten-race FIA GT Championship with the #1 Vitaphone Maserati MC12 of Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini crowned as the GT1 Champions and Jaime Melo drove away with the GT2 honors in the #58 AF Corse Ferrari.

In 26 races, Pirelli-shod teams 14 poles, 16 fastest laps, 64 podiums including 22 wins and three GT Championships.
2007 will see a major change of direction for Pirelli Competizioni as it re-structures its motorsport activity in a new business unit, with a major industrial re-fit planned. No new agreement with Aston Martin has been made for ALMS as the company re-positions itself for future activities.

Paul Hembery, Motorsport Director for Pirelli commented “It may be a painful sacrifice to make in 2007, particularly after our successful 2006 experiences and particularly because 2007 is  Pirelli’s centenary year in motorsport, but the lower level of o n-track activity both in Europe and US is intended to assist our on-going product development and R&D programs which are to be focused on FIA GT and on a new raft of programs for 2008 that we hope to announce as we go through 2007, some of which will certainly be US orientated.”

Pirelli Tire North America specializes in the manufacture and marketing of highperformance car, light truck and motorcycle tires and currently has four of its highly advanced MIRS (Modular Integrated Robotized System) modules in operation in its newest automated production facility in Rome, Georgia, to better serve the American OEM and Replacement markets.
For more information, visit the company’s web site at www.us.pirelli.com.

Petter Solberg Comes Third in the Last Rally of Pirelli-Subaru WRC.s Partnership;
Alen, Flodin and Svedlund on P Zero Sweep Group N Production Cars.

CARDIFF (GB), December 3, 2006. Finishing third in the Rally of Great Britain is conclusive proof that Petter Solberg (Subaru Impreza WRC) offered Pirelli Competizioni its last important World Rally Championship placing of the partnership between the Milanese tire maker and the Subaru World Rally Team. A partnership which, with this last 2006 event, comes to an end after winning six world titles . three Constructors. and three Drivers. . and no fewer than 46 WRC victories.

Paul Hembery, Director of Pirelli Competizioni, said a number of aspects are worth taking into consideration on this occasion. He remarked, .As we announced last summer, Pirelli will not compete directly for the 2007 World Rally Championship. This last season has certainly not been
one of the most sensational, but it is also true that, with the sudden, unexpected retirement of Mitsubishi a few weeks before the Rally of Monte Carlo and being able to only supply our tires to
just one factory team without any other top squads, Pirelli Competizioni found itself in a difficult
situation. In addition, to find ourselves up against a little known brand and no longer our  longstanding adversary (although in reality, the products supplied were those of that adversary) and of lower level than Pirelli, certainly did not improve matters. I would like to repeat that, while
working in conditions that were not ideal, we always did everything we could to supply Subaru
with the most competitive and technologically advanced products. We also brought to this rally
new developments of our Pirelli P Zero. We are analyzing the details provided by FIA on the
tender competition to supply tires for the WRC during the years 2008-2010. There are also other
negotiations in progress for the 2007 season, but it is too early to speak of them. In the name of
Pirelli, I would like to thank the Subaru World Rally Team for the collaborative spirit they have
shown over many years. Now we must concentrate immediately on future commitments..
Returning to the British event, Rally Manager of Pirelli Competizioni Mario Isola said, .Petter
exploited well the Pirelli P Zero tires we offered him, as is shown by the five specials stages
overall that he won, and the good performance of Chris Atkinson.
A further confirmation of the great value of P Zero comes from the Group N podium, which was entirely monopolized by drivers who competed on Pirelli tires: Anton Alen, Patrik Flodin and Oscar Svedlund dominated that segment of this rally with their Subaru Impreza STis on Pirelli..

Rally GB final results, WRC round nr. 16:
1. Gronholm (Ford) 3h20.24..8
2. Stohl (Peugeot) +1.35..5
3. Solberg (Subaru) +1.55..2
…
6. Atkinson (Subaru) +3.27..5
…
13. Alen (Subaru) +20.24..8 (1. Gr.N)

For more information and pictures on Pirelli.s motorsport activities visit:
www.pirellicompetizioni.com