The big winner was Bruce Winn, of Hubbard, Oregon.  Bruce pulled the winning key that started the beautiful custom Ford and now owns the coolest Flex in the country.  The tune-in giveaway promotion was conducted this year in partnership with SPEED and Grand-Am, and required participating viewers to locate the “secret word” broadcast on-screen during a Grand-Am Rolex Series race, and then fill in an online entry form for a chance to win the race drawing.  Each race produced one winner, and then the 10 winners from the 2009 race season were flown to Miami from all over the country to have a chance at winning the Foose-designed Ford Flex in a special Saturday morning trackside contest.

“I felt lucky when I drew number seven,” said Winn, who is currently driving the Flex back home to Oregon with his significant other Patty Sweet. “I thought that was a great omen – lucky number seven.  I could not believe it.  I watched Chip’s video of what he did to make this beautiful vehicle about 15 times and I sure wanted to win.  Now it has happened and I can’t believe it.  I am really excited.”

Foose signed the title of the Flex over to Winn right then and there.  The trip back to Oregon from Miami is 3,400 miles and Winn and Sweet are fully expecting to draw a lot of attention along the way.

“It’s a looker,” Winn said.  “It is a real looker. Chip did a really nice job on it.”

“This type of promotion is only possible if you have great partners as there are many details to sort out,” said Rafael Navarro, Director of Media Communications and Motorsports for Pirelli Tires North America.  “I cannot say enough about Chip and his willingness to get involved considering his very busy schedule, Grand-Am for their attention to detail and execution, and to Speed for the wonderful job they did in putting this all together and getting it on-air. We would like to thank all of the people involved in making this promotion a success and we couldn’t be happier that Mr. Winn is ecstatic about his new ride.”

Pirelli Tire North America designs, develops, manufactures and markets tires for passenger vehicles in both the original equipment and replacement markets as well as markets and distributes tires for motorcycles and motorsports. Located in Rome, Georgia, Pirelli’s Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) employs state-of-the-art technology to manufacture tires for both export and domestic markets.

See the video >

The Grand Prix of Miami is a 2.5-hour sprint on the 2.3-mile, 11-turn Homestead-Miami Speedway road course.  The green flag is scheduled to drop at 1:08 p.m. ET on Saturday, and live coverage can be seen on SPEED beginning at 1 p.m. ET.

In addition to the driver and team championships for both the Grand-Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototype and Acxiom GT divisions being decided in Saturday’s race, the respective class winners in the new Pirelli P Zero Club program will also be announced.  The P Zero Club is a season-long competition that allows teams to earn points for on-track performance as well as promotional and publicity activity. Like the overall Rolex Series title battles, the P Zero Club points race will also go down to the wire at Homestead with four teams in each class still firmly in the hunt heading into the finale.  The winning P Zero Club Daytona Prototype team will be awarded $50,000 at Monday’s banquet at the Hard Rock while the top GT team will receive a $25,000 bonus.

“We are proud of all of the teams and drivers this year.  Pirelli P Zeros have proven to play an important role Grand-Am Rolex Series competition.  Our involvement in the Pirelli P Zero Club reinforces our focus on excellence,” said Rafael Navarro III, Pirelli Tire North America’s Director of Motorsports and Media Relations.  “Pirelli embraces its rich racing heritage as well as our recognized position as a promotional leader in the motorsports industry and beyond.  The great competitors in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series have allowed us to achieve a great deal of success this year in both areas.”

In the Daytona Prototype driver and team title battles, a three-way fight will go down to the wire in Miami.  Alex Gurney, Jon Fogarty and the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Pontiac Riley lead both championships with 309 points.  The No. 10 SunTrust Ford Dallara of Max Angelelli and Brian Frisselle is second in points with 301, and the No. 01 TELMEX/Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley of Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas is third with 299 points.

GAINSCO and Ganassi are also two of the four Daytona Prototype teams with a chance at the $50,000 P Zero Club bonus at Homestead.  They are battling with the No. 61 AIM Autosport Ford Riley of Mark Wilkins and Burt Frisselle and the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley of Oswaldo Negri and Mark Patterson.  While GAINSCO and Ganassi have combined to win six of the year’s first 11 races, the pair of Ford Riley teams will be looking for their first wins of the season at Miami.

“Homestead is my home race and we always do well here,” said Negri, a Brazilian who now calls Miami home. “After the Rolex 24 we tested at Homestead and we were very quick.  The 2009 tire has performed really well for us this season.  Most of the tracks we were quicker than last year and the tires perform really well from the beginning to the end of the stint. Pirelli this year produced a really good product for us to race with and that will definitely help us this coming weekend.”

Patterson, Negri’s co-driver and the primary principal of the No. 60 team, is also appreciative of the P Zero program.

“Racing at any level is a mixture of athletic prowess, competitive spirit, top flight engineering and the economics of sponsors getting their money’s worth,” Patterson said. “Having Pirelli and their top flight dry and wet tires is almost privilege enough, but to have them go the extra mile and lay out some ransom money for the orneriest teams is something special. This just demonstrates their goodwill and commitment to sports car racing in a very tangible way.”

Pirelli’s technical commitment and expertise also gives competitors some confidence heading to a Homestead-Miami track that is notoriously tough on tires.

“Homestead is probably the hardest track we visit on tires,” Frisselle said.  “With the banking that we run at 170 mph to the slow hairpins that create drag strips, it is extremely hard on tires.  We are lucky Pirelli has done so much testing there and provide the tires that they do.  I would not be surprised to see track records broken and as always great racing.  The key for the drivers is not to abuse your tires early in your stint.

On the Acxiom GT front, No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Porsche GT3 drivers Dirk Werner and Leh Keen have a 30-point lead over No. 07 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R pilot Kelly Collins, 329-299.  The No. 87 is also battling the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R of Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis for the GT team championship.  The Porsche team leads the Stevenson Pontiac team by 29 points (329-300).

Not surprisingly, both the No. 07 and No. 57 Pontiac teams are also in the hunt for the $25,000 P Zero Club GT bonus.  Both are battling with the No. 66 TRG Porsche GT3 team and Sylvain Tremblay’s quick No. 70 Castrol Syntec/SpeedSource Mazda RX-8.  This is the first time a cash bonus has been offered as a year-end prize for GT teams participating in the P Zero Club or similar programs in the Grand-Am Rolex Series in recent years.

“It shows the commitment to GT that Pirelli includes us in the P Zero club,” said Tremblay, who co-drives the No. 70 Mazda with Nick Ham.  “Having a shot at the GT bonus shows that we are getting the job done both on and off the track.  Motorsports is a great promotional tool.  Pirelli “get it,” and this award is proof that they are putting the effort and the funds to showcase GT to the masses.”

Pirelli has also provided proof of performance to Acxiom GT teams this year and that makes tires just one less thing to worry about heading to a season-ending race with vast implications.

“(I’m) not worried at all about the Pirelli’s performance at Homestead-Miami Speedway,” said Collins, who co-drives the No. 07 Pontiac with Paul Edwards.  “They have been nothing but fantastic all season.  Any small problems we had were addressed right away and fixed.  The weather should not be a problem and the tires should only be better after a year of development.”

This weekend’s race marks the first time in nearly five years that the Grand-Am Rolex Series will race at Miami in the fall rather than early spring.

“Although we will be racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway much later in the year than normal, I don’t expect the weather conditions to be much different than we experience in early spring,” Davis said.  “The combination of warm temperatures and an abrasive track surface will always pose a challenge to a tire manufacturer.  However, I have been extremely impressed with Pirelli’s ability to adapt to these treacherous conditions and provide the Rolex Series with an exceptional tire.”

Rain is always something teams have to anticipate in Florida, but Pirelli has also taken some of the mystery and anxiety out of wet-weather racing.

“The only thing we may have to contend with is wet weather, but we are not worried as the Pirelli wets always perform very well and the car is well balanced in wet or dry conditions,” Lidell said.  “Obviously it has the tendency to rain throughout the summer in Florida in the afternoon so in that regard it could differ from previous years.  In general the tires have performed very well, as expected throughout the season.  Pirelli has also been hugely supportive of all the teams since they got involved with the series and it is nice that they not only provide great tires to race on but some great rewards for the teams and drivers too.”

NOTEWORTHY

- Monday night’s banquet will also see the second annual presentations of the Gianfranco Martelli Award, which is named in honor of the late Pirelli Tire engineer Gianfranco Martelli, who passed away in November, 2007.  Martelli was key part of the technical and engineering team that developed the Grand-Am Rolex Series Pirelli P Zero racing tires.  Although he was never able to see his P Zero racing tires in competition, Pirelli has ensured that Martelli’s memory and incredible contribution to the program is remembered through the award. Presented to both Daytona Prototype and Acxiom GT competitors, the award honors an individual or group from each division that best displays throughout the season the same qualities and characteristics for which Gianfranco Martelli was known: excellence, camaraderie and detailed perfection.

- The Grand Prix of Miami will also be the grand finale of the season-long Chip Foose – Pirelli Edition Ford Flex Giveaway. The tune-in promotion that was launched in partnership with SPEED and Grand-Am in April will see 10 winners from all over the country arrive in Miami this weekend where one of them will win the keys to the Foose-designed Ford Flex in a special Saturday morning trackside contest.

Pirelli Tire North America designs, develops, manufactures and markets tires for passenger vehicles in both the original equipment and replacement markets as well as markets and distributes tires for motorcycles and motorsports. Located in Rome, Georgia, Pirelli’s Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) employs state-of-the-art technology to manufacture tires for both export and domestic markets.  For more information please visit www.us.pirelli.com.

In a break with tradition, Saturday’s race will be a 2-¾ hour timed sprint instead of a 1,000 kilometer (9 hour) endurance race. It will be run on the same 4.486-mile, 24-turn road course outside of Salt Lake City that has hosted the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series since 2006. Regardless of the race length, top Rolex Series teams and drivers know that the Pirelli P Zeros are up to the challenge.

“The Pirellis have been great this season,” said Darren Law, who was part of the winning No. 58 Brumos Porsche Riley Daytona Prototype team at this year’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. “We have had great reliability and no troubles. It has been a great move for the series to switch to the Pirelli P Zero tire and we look forward to racing on them again next season.”

The lengthy lap times but shorter overall race distance at Miller will put an emphasis on good team and tire strategies for Saturday’s race. The main strategy decisions may center on whether teams will double-stint their P Zeros – both in the Daytona and in the Acxiom GT classes. Time-saving double-stints are common in endurance races, just as they were during the three events previously run in Utah. However, that may not be the winning ticket in this weekend’s sprint-race format.

“Although Pirelli makes a good tire and this race is shorter than last season, it doesn’t really pay off for us to double stint tires in Utah,” said Law, who runs with personal backing from CDOC and Shock Doctor. “The track is long, with a lot of corners. But the length of the track allows enough time to complete a tire change without losing much track position.”

On the Acxiom GT front, many teams and drivers believe a standard sprint-race tire change rotation will play out. Kevin Roush and his sponsor Wheel Enhancement are returning to the No. 48 Marquis Jet/IPC/Total/Miller Barrett Racing Porsche GT3 and co-driver Bryce Miller after the duo drove in the team’s debut last month at Watkins Glen.

“With this Miller Motorsports Park event being a sprint race for the first time, a more standard tire strategy will likely play out where teams run on two sets of Pirellis, maybe three if it is really hot out there,” Roush said. “The tires have been holding up very well on the rear of the Porsches.”

Most teams can change four tires during a pit stop in less time than it takes to refuel their race cars.

“Since most teams can get a four-tire change accomplished prior to a three-quarters to seven-eighths load of fuel, it make sense to change tires and have the best possible grip going forward,” Roush said. “If we are talking about a shorter fuel stop, changing only a pair or a ’splash and go’ is certainly worth considering, as the Pirellis will easily hold up to the extra rigors brought by additional time.”

Only a pair of 2-¾ hour races remains on the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series schedule. Following the Utah 250 is the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Oct. 10.

Pirelli Tire North America designs, develops, manufactures and markets tires for passenger vehicles in both the original equipment and replacement markets as well as markets and distributes tires for motorcycles and motorsports. Located in Rome, Georgia, Pirelli’s Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) employs state-of-the-art technology to manufacture tires for both export and domestic markets. For more information please visit www.us.pirelli.com.

Additional Agreement Signed with Italian Environment Ministry and Municipality of Beijing for Distribution of Particulate Filters in the Chinese Capital City

Beijing, 15 September 2009 – The Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People’s Republic of China, and the Pirelli Group signed a protocol agreement for distribution of technologies for reduction of diesel vehicle emissions in China. The signing took place today in Beijing, in the presence of the Italian Minister, Stefania Prestigiacomo, Chinese authorities, and the Chairman of the Pirelli Group, Marco Tronchetti Provera.

The agreement is part of the environmental cooperation program launched by the two ministries in 2000, with implementation of more than 90 cooperation projects for containment of environmental impact through development and distribution of cutting edge Italian technologies.

The agreement foresees collaboration among the three parties in development of projects for distribution of filter systems for reduction of particulate emissions from diesel vehicles already in circulation (‘retrofit’) and introduction of technologies and advanced products, as the Pirelli products have been shown to be following tests and pilot projects already completed.

Technologies for containment of vehicle pollution represent one of the most promising markets in China, given the growing attention that the local institutions are reserving to environmental problems. A joint commitment by the Italian environment ministry and the Chinese environmental protection ministry will focus on the five provinces recently singled out by the Chinese government for adoption of measures to limit circulation of polluting vehicles, among which Shandong (the location of the Pirelli plant) alone counts more than 100 million inhabitants, for distribution of filter systems of Pirelli Eco Technology, as already done in Beijing.

The second protocol agreement signed today by the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, the Municipality of Beijing, and Pirelli Eco Technology to support installation of filters on polluting vehicles circulating in Beijing, is part of this commitment. The agreement follows the completion of a pilot project launched in 2008, which brought homologation of the filters produced by the Pirelli Group, thanks to their particular technological characteristics. The city of Beijing has already ordered a significant quantity of  Pirelli Eco Technology filter systems which will be fitted on buses in the capital city.

What was expected to be a very warm weekend – with forecasters fearing a repeat of last year’s blisteringly hot temperatures – turned out to be cooler than expected as overnight rain fell during the three-day event. The downside to the atmosphere-cooling rain was that it washed away most of the rubber on the challenging 2.3 Barber Park circuit. Fortunately, Pirelli provided grip once the circuit turned surprisingly slippery, a situation similar to that encountered last month at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course during the EMCO Gears Classic.

“We didn’t have any tire issues and the Pirellis looked great when they came off the car,” said Fogarty, who drove over 90 minutes in the first half of the race. “There are just so many corners here and you are just leaning on the car so hard, of course you are going to have some wear on the tires, but no problems at all. The balance of the car maintained over the course of the stint. On this track… the Pirellis did their job and we won the race.”

Gurney and Fogarty won a series-leading third race this season and are now tied with Pruett, his teammate Memo Rojas and the No. 01 Ganassi squad with 231 points apiece in both the Grand-Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototype Team and Driver Championships. The No. 10 SunTrust Ford Dallara of Max Angelelli and Brian Frisselle is third in the championship with 215 points after finishing 14th at Barber.

“The Pirellis were great, especially right at the beginning of a stint when we need to be fast,” said Gurney, who also co-drove with Fogarty to win the 2007 race at Barber. “After the long yellow at the end, for whatever reason, I struggled with Turn 2 and under braking a little bit, but otherwise the tires hung in there and were good enough to win.”

Valiante finished third at Barber in the No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley with co-driver John Pew, who had one of the best performances of the season.

“The Pirellis were fantastic and with the Michael Shank Racing set up on the car it was like a dream came true,” said Pew, who was running fifth in the lead pack when he turned the No. 6 over to Valiante. “The track is normally pretty greasy, but our car was evenly balanced and the tires lasted the whole stint. I could have even gone longer on our opening set of tires but I was trying to pass a GT car and got forced into the grass a little bit. We had grass in the radiator so we decided to come in early for the full stop.”

Lidell and Davis won in GT for the second time this season and once again found the Pirelli P Zeros to their liking.

“We knew from last year we really had to watch our front tires in the heat, but the new Pirelli(s)…did a great job. For my entire stint, the tires stayed underneath me. For the Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R the Pirellis were awesome.”

Four races remain on 2009’s 12-event Grand-Am Rolex Series schedule and next up is the Crown Royal 200 at The Glen on Friday, August 7. The race can be seen in same-day coverage on SPEED at 8 p.m. ET.

Pirelli Tire North America designs, develops, manufactures and markets tires for passenger vehicles in both the original equipment and replacement markets as well as markets and distributes tires for motorcycles and motorsports. Located in Rome, Georgia, Pirelli’s Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) employs state-of-the-art technology to manufacture tires for both export and domestic markets. For more information please visit www.us.pirelli.com.

###

Media Contacts:
Rafael Navarro, Director Communications & Motorsports
951-533-0305 rafael.navarro@pirelli.com

Joe Severns, Public Relations Manager
706-506-2195 joe.severns@pirelli.com

Daytona Prototype and GT competitors first learned how well Pirelli P Zeros perform in excessive hot and humid conditions during last year’s Porsche 250 at Barber. They also had a quick reminder of what it is like to race in the intense heat of the southeastern United States July 4th this season during the Brumos Porsche 250 at Daytona. Both races were run in the midst of excessive humidity and searing summer afternoon temperatures approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Last year’s Porsche 250 at Barber presented the dual-challenges of high heat and high-grip twists and turns of the ultra-modern Alabama race track – challenges that Pirelli passed with flying colors.

“Conditions were really, really hot,” said Wayne Taylor, after watching Max Angelelli drive the No. 10 SunTrust/Wayne Taylor Racing Ford Dallara to victory at the Porsche 250 at Daytona nearly two weeks ago. “Alex Gurney was all over Max, and he was pushing as hard as he can. But we kept the tires under us, and when we finished we were still lapping very, very quickly at the end. (Pirelli P Zero) tires are the best, and Pirelli needs to be in Grand-Am forever.”

Taylor was a proponent of Pirelli since before they entered the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series as its official tire supplier last year. As a champion driver and now team owner, Taylor is quick to point out that it is ultimately the teams and drivers that need to work hard to get the most out of the Pirelli P Zeros.

“I have always felt good about Pirelli and I knew they were going to be a great partner for Grand-Am,” Taylor said. “They make a good tire, and it is up to the teams to manage the tire with proper pressures and so forth. Daytona proved, in extreme conditions, what the Pirellis can do, and nobody should question the performance of these tires. I am one of Pirelli’s biggest supporters and will continue to be.”

Dirk Werner has won the last three consecutive GT class races and a total of four this year with teammate Leh Keen in the No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Porsche GT3. Daytona was just as tough on him and his equipment as any of the Grand-Am Rolex Series competitors, but he was also quick to point out the role driver and teams have in preserving their equipment in severe conditions.

“Tire management is very important,” said Werner, who shares a 29-point lead with Keen in the GT standings. “You can feel the heat… and you really have to handle and manage your tires – but it is the same for everybody and Pirelli gives us a good tire.”

Another Porsche GT team also proved at Daytona how well Pirelli P Zeros perform in even unforeseen extreme conditions. The No. 68 Cohen Financial/TRG Porsche GT3 of Scott Schroeder and Josemanuel Gutierrez was trouble-free early in the race before a pit stop.

“During the pit stop, about an hour into the race, Josemanuel got out after a good stint, but the left rear wheel got struck,” Schroeder said. “We did the full race with the same left tire.  Even with that problem, we were still able to hold off some guys behind us and had our best finish of the year.  Pirelli makes a good tire and I think we did some serious endurance testing for them today in the 95-degree heat!”

Schroeder – who set the No. 68’s fastest race lap just 12 laps from the finish – and Gutierrez scored a season-best finish of seventh in the GT class. 

Sunday’s Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park will be run on the 2.3 mile, 16-turn road course and is the eighth race of the 2009 season. Tickets and detailed race weekend information is available at www.grand-am.com.

Pirelli Tire North America designs, develops, manufactures and markets tires for passenger vehicles in both the original equipment and replacement markets as well as markets and distributes tires for motorcycles and motorsports. Located in Rome, Georgia, Pirelli’s Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) employs state-of-the-art technology to manufacture tires for both export and domestic markets. For more information please visit www.us.pirelli.com.

###

Media Contacts:
Rafael Navarro, Director Communications & Motorsports
951-533-0305 rafael.navarro@pirelli.com

Joe Severns, Public Relations Manager
706-506-2195 joe.severns@pirelli.com

In a nail-biter, race-winner Max Angelelli and runner-up Alex Gurney waged a side-by-side battle on the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway road course in the final 20 laps of the 70-lap/250 mile sprint that was run in the searing heat and humidity of the Fourth of July afternoon. Although Gurney twice edged the No. 99 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Pontiac Riley past Angelelli’s No. 10 SunTrust Ford Dallara, it was the top Italian sports car star that eventually overcame to score the victory. Angelelli’s .270-of-a-second margin of victory over Gurney was the fifth-closest finish in Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series history.

“This track – with the configuration – this heat – and the time of day the race is run is really something that a tire manufacturer really does not look forward to,” said Angelelli, who co-drove to his first victory with young American teammate Brian Frisselle. “But on the Pirelli side I should say, I am…happy because the tires were really good. Many, many drivers set their fastest laps at the end of their stints, several times, so the tires were good.”

Frisselle won a pair of races on Pirellis last year as a co-driver of the No. 61 AIM Autosport Ford Riley and now has his third career Daytona Prototype victory on P Zeros in the No. 10 SunTrust Ford Dallara.

“The greatest challenge for any tire is this type of heat and the tires stayed underneath our car and we ended up P1,” Frisselle said, “so obviously we had great tires. Our team was asking the most of the tire by running so trimmed out and just by the nature of this track and the heat. We asked the absolute most of the tire and the Pirelli was there.”

SunTrust’s first victory of the year and GAINSCO’s fourth podium in seven races tightened the Grand-Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototype championship standings. Saturday’s seventh-place finishers Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas and the No. 01 TELMEX/Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley still lead with 199 points, SunTrust and its drivers have 198 points and the GAINSCO squad has 196 points.

In GT action, Dirk Werner and Leh Keen drove the No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Porsche GT3 to its third consecutive victory and fourth win in the last five races. Werner held off Sylvain Tremblay by 1.531 seconds and denied the No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8 started by Nick Ham its third consecutive Brumos Porsche 250 victory.

“Today, again, the Pirelli was a very good tire for our car,” said Werner, who extended his co-lead in the Rolex Series GT points standings. “It seems like over the last few races we have really kind of figured out how to treat the tire in driving and how to adjust the set up to get a good race car. For us, the Pirelli was a perfect tire today.”

Werner, Keen and the No. 87 team have 221 points atop the GT standings, 29 points ahead of the No. 07 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R of Kelly Collins and Paul Edwards, which finished ninth in GT in the Brumos Porsche 250.

Five races remain on the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series schedule. Next up is the Porsche 250 presented by Legacy Credit Union at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama, July 17 – 19. The Barber race can be seen live on SPEED at 3 p.m. ET, Sunday, July 19th.

Pirelli Tire North America designs, develops, manufactures and markets tires for passenger vehicles in both the original equipment and replacement markets as well as markets and distributes tires for motorcycles and motorsports. Located in Rome, Georgia, Pirelli’s Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) employs state-of-the-art technology to manufacture tires for both export and domestic markets. For more information please visit www.us.pirelli.com.

###

Media Contacts:
Rafael Navarro, Director Communications & Motorsports
951-533-0305 rafael.navarro@pirelli.com

Joe Severns, Public Relations Manager
706-506-2195 joe.severns@pirelli.com

While January’s Rolex 24 and the Brumos Porsche 250 are run on the same track, the similarities end there.  This Saturday’s race will be run in the heat of a typical Florida summer afternoon, a challenging environment that takes its toll on the drivers, race cars and the track itself.  The dire conditions also bring out the best in the Pirelli P Zeros.

“It is going to be nasty, hot, slippery and tough,” said Jon Fogarty, who co-drove to victory in the 2007 Brumos Porsche 250 with GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing and teammate Alex Gurney in the team’s No. 99 Pontiac Riley Daytona Prototype.  “The heat will sap energy out of the drivers and the motors, and the tires are going to have there work cut out for them.  I am sure the Pirellis are up to the task, but I am certain that it will be a more difficult track to drive than what we have in January.”

Burt Frisselle co-drives the No. 61 AIM Autosport Ford Riley Daytona Prototype with Mark Wilkins.  He also expects the Pirelli P Zeros to be ready for the grueling Florida conditions this Fourth of July.

“Daytona is a tough track for tires because it requires great traction for the tight hairpins and at the same time requires longevity and stability when running the high banking at over 190 mph,” Frisselle said.  “For 2009, the P Zero is even better for the drivers as it allows us to get the occasional lock up going into Turn 1 and the Bus Stop chicane without the penalty of a big flat spot.  Pirelli’s hard work has shown in the lap times.”

The warm weather conditions could also be a challenge for the teams and drivers in the Grand-Am Rolex Series GT category.  Andy Lally was part of January’s class winning Rolex 24 team in the No. 67 TRG Porsche GT3 and looks for an equally challenging race this weekend.

“The main thing that we will deal with at Daytona this weekend as opposed to the 24 hour race in January is the heat,” Lally said. “We will be focusing mainly on tire life, especially this year because for the first time Grand-Am will run this race in the day time. The infield section will be very tough to put the power down and we will be pushing the Pirellis for all there worth.  We had no real tire issues in the Rolex 24 win and I don’t anticipate any this weekend either.  This allows us to focus on driving.”"

Pirelli Tire North America designs, develops, manufactures and markets tires for passenger vehicles in both the original equipment and replacement markets as well as markets and distributes tires for motorcycles and motorsports. Located in Rome, Georgia, Pirelli’s Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) employs state-of-the-art technology to manufacture tires for both export and domestic markets.  For more information please visit www.us.pirelli.com.

Despite having very little information about the eighth round of the World Rally Championship – which was run on gravel stages close to the holiday resort of Mikolajki – there were no problems with punctures or tire wear for any of the leading competitors throughout the three-day event.

Conditions were cooler than expected in Poland, with occasional rain during the event. Nonetheless, despite the humidity the stages remained in good condition even when used a second time. Along with the traction and grip provided by the Pirelli Scorpion rubber, this allowed drivers to reach average speeds of close to 81 mph on some of the stages. Ford’s excellent result with its Pirelli tires has set up a thrilling championship duel with just four rounds of the World Rally Championship left to run.

The new World Rally Championship leader and Rally Poland winner Mikko Hirvonen commented: “Actually, I was surprised by just how much traction and grip there was on the stages. I was definitely expecting worse. Even when I was running first on the road, it wasn’t really a problem for us. We had quite a wide variety of conditions here, but the car and the tires coped very well with all of them. I’ve really enjoyed this rally, and of course it makes the championship quite interesting now.”

Poland was also host to the sixth round of the Junior World Rally Championship. A thrilling battle meant that the two candidates for victory – in an R3 car and a Super 1600 car – started the final day separated by less than a second. In the end, it was Kevin Abbring who triumphed at the wheel of a Pirelli-equipped Renault Clio R3.

Pirelli’s rally manager Mario Isola concluded: “From our point of view it was a perfect rally. All we had to do was supply the teams with the tires, and there were no other problems for us to deal with. The wear rate has been excellent, while providing everyone with plenty of grip, and there have been no punctures despite some tricky conditions. Our soft compound gravel tire – which will be used again in Finland and Britain – is seeing much more use compared to last year, but it has shown itself capable of adapting to a very wide range of different conditions. There was a particularly good fight in the Junior World Rally Championship as well. Unlike the main series, competitors are allowed to cut their tires in the Junior Championship – adding an extra tactical element.”

The next round the World Rally Championship – the legendary Rally Finland – takes place from July 31 to August 2 on fast gravel stages close to Jyvaskyla.

Pirelli Tire SpA – Press Office – Motorsport Communication
Viale Sarca, 222 – 20126 Milano – Italy – phone/fax +39 02 644245407 – www.pirelli.com

Hot temperatures and a green track after days of heavy rain showers apparently took their toll on Mid-Ohio’s typically grippy surface, making the course unusually slick, and challenging competitors in both the Daytona Prototype and GT classes.  

Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas won their second consecutive Grand-Am Rolex Series race in the No. 01 TELMEX/Chip Ganassi Racing Lexus Riley Daytona Prototype while the No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Porsche GT3 of Dirk Werner and Leh Keen also scored back-to-back wins in GT.  Both teams were also victorious one race ago in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen.

“I have been to Mid-Ohio so many times,” said Pruett, who has now led a series-high 191 laps this season.  “I know Mid-Ohio, and this was one of those strange days where no matter what you do it’s just inconsistent.  It’s not the tire, it’s not the car – it’s just the track.  I was pleased with the Pirellis.  The tires stayed good, they stayed consistent and we ran them hard.  We ran qualifying laps every lap and the Pirellis stayed right underneath me.  Good ‘power-down’ grip, the performance stayed there and I think the Pirellis did a great job.”

Pruett and Rojas took sole possession of the Grand-Am Rolex Series Daytona Prototype point standings with the victory at Mid-Ohio this week.  They are now 11 points clear, 175 – 161 over third-place Mid-Ohio finishers Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty and the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing team.  The GAINSCO team is the year’s only other two-time race winner.

“The track hadn’t been run on for awhile and I understand this was the first professional race all year,” said Rojas, who partnered Pruett for their ninth win as teammates. “There was no rubber on the track and really no track time either, so the track really never ‘rubbered’ up.  Everybody battled with that, but there were no issues with the Pirellis.  No complaints on that side – the Pirelli was a consistent tire and a quick tire. ”

In the GT class, Werner and Keen started from the back of the GT field after failing post-qualifying technical inspection due to a ride height issue, but they came back to win for the third time this year.  They also extend their GT class championship lead to 16 points, 186 – 170, over the No. 07 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R team of Kelly Collins and Paul Edwards, who finished third at Mid-Ohio.

“(The track) was really slippery today and we really had to take our tires to the limit because we were starting from the back,” said Werner, who drove the final half of the race and led 43 of the team’s 45 laps up front.  “The grip stayed through the whole stint just perfect and today, really, the Pirelli tires did what we wanted them to do for us.  They were good for another win.”

Keen was victorious for the second straight year at Mid-Ohio with Farnbacher Loles after winning in the rain in 2008 with Eric Lux.

The next race on the schedule is the Brumos Porsche 250 on the road course at Daytona International Speedway on the Fourth of July.  The race can be seen live on SPEED at 2 p.m. ET.

Pirelli Tire North America designs, develops, manufactures and markets tires for passenger vehicles in both the original equipment and replacement markets as well as markets and distributes tires for motorcycles and motorsports. Located in Rome, Georgia, Pirelli’s Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) employs state-of-the-art technology to manufacture tires for both export and domestic markets.  For more information please visit www.us.pirelli.com.

###

Media Contacts:
Rafael Navarro, Director Communications & Motorsports
951-533-0305    rafael.navarro@pirelli.com

Joe Severns, Public Relations Manager
706-506-2195    joe.severns@pirelli.com