FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 14, 2009

PIRELLI P ZERO RACING REPORT –

NEWS AND NOTES FROM PIRELLI TIRE NORTH AMERICA MOTORSPORT

MONTEREY, California – Pirelli Tire North America Motorsport is supporting two of its race series on the road this weekend – The Volkswagen (VW) Jetta TDI Cup and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series. The Jetta TDI Cup is heading into its second race weekend of the 2009 season at Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City, Utah; and the Verizon Festival of Speed presented by SPEEDCOM for the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 gets underway today at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California; both series run exclusively on P Zero racing tires and Pirelli is providing on-site service and support at both events this weekend.

VOLKSWAGEN TDI CUP

The Jetta TDI Cup series was off to a successful start alongside the Rolex Series last month at Virginia International Raceway (VIR). While Pirelli is in its second season as the Official Tire of the Grand-Am Rolex Series, the season-opening TDI Cup race marked the debut of Pirelli as the new and exclusive tire supplier for the innovative series that features clean-diesel Volkswagen Jettas and featured two rounds of competition – one on Saturday and one on Sunday.

This weekend’s Miller event will be a single-round race for the TDI Cup, and will be held on Miller’s 2.183-mile West Course. Rookies Joey Atterbury and Jake Thompson split the race wins at VIR. Positive reports about the new Pirellis poured in from competitors and Volkswagen officials alike after the first two rounds of racing at VIR last month.

“The Pirellis felt great,” said VIR Race 2 winner Thompson, who was victorious in his first ever weekend of racing cars. “The tires were actually really consistent all through the race. Today was a little hotter than yesterday, so it was maybe a touch more challenging, but they were so consistent, and that is all you can ask for. Despite the temperature, the Pirellis didn’t go away. I was amazed and they held right through to the end.”

Second-year TDI Cup drivers Mark Pombo and Taylor Broekemeier finished second and third in Race 2 behind Thompson.
“The Pirellis are phenomenal,” said Broekemeier. “You don’t want to think about tires, you just want them to be there and that is exactly how the Pirellis were – they were there when I needed them. The tires seem a little quicker (than last year’s tires) and initial bite on turn in is great. The car is a lot more stable on turn in, and the same thing on exit. When you get back on the power it just takes off. The Pirellis really hook up.”

Volkswagen officials were also pleased with the initial weekend performance of the Pirelli P Zeros on the VW Jetta TDIs.

“Our new second-season drivers have a talent level that surpasses last year and the car’s performance on the Pirelli tires this year is phenomenal,” said Clark Campbell, Motorsport Manager, Volkswagen of America, Inc., about the debut weekend at VIR. “I credit a lot of that driver skill on the track to the new tire. We are so pleased with the Pirelli and its durability. Performance and grip on the track has really allowed the drivers to focus on their skills. We had clean races with no caution flags and I think Pirelli has been a big part of that.”

GRAND-AM ROLEX SERIES

Pirelli Tire North America partner Chip Foose will be the Grand Marshal of this weekend’s Verizon Festival of Speed presented by SPEEDCOM, Round 4 of the 2009 Rolex Series schedule. The race will be Foose’s first Grand-Am Rolex Series event and is just another step in what has been a successful relationship with Pirelli and a life-long passion for all things related to the automotive culture.

Foose and Pirelli have also been in the news lately after the announcement of the Chip Foose-Pirelli Edition Ford Flex Giveaway that will be conducted throughout the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series season.

“I had been talking about doing a program with Pirelli, so I built that Flex for the Pirelli booth at SEMA and we debuted it there last November,” Foose said. “Then Pirelli got back to me and said Grand-Am wants to tour it. I said ‘Wow, that’s cool – can I go to a race?’”

Fans can participate in the contest by watching Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series races on SPEED this season. During the race broadcasts a special Pirelli Prize Word will be shown on camera; prompting viewers to visit the contest website at www.grand-am.com/foose to read the official contest rules and enter the Pirelli Prize Word(s) for a chance to win the Pirelli Edition Ford Flex. Contest rules are also available at participating Pirelli Tire dealers across the country. Fans from the first two races have been chosen so far – Jerry Peak of Virginia and James Colavita of New Jersey – as winners of the first two qualifying contests, and will travel to the Grand-Am Rolex Series season-ending event at Homestead-Miami Speedway, October 10, where one lucky fan will be given the key to the custom car!

SERIES STANDINGS

Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series

In the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series championship standings, No. 58 Brumos Porsche Riley teammates and Rolex 24 at Daytona winners David Donohue and Darren Law lead with 88 points heading into the Laguna Seca
race. Virginia winners Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty and the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Pontiac Riley team are second with 84 points and No. 12 Verizon Wireless/Penske Racing Porsche Riley and drivers Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas are third with 79 points.

In the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series GT championship, TRG Porsche GT3 driver Spencer Pumpelly is alone on top of the standings with 89 points. Dirk Werner and Leh Keen and the No. 87 Farnbacher Loles Porsche GT3 team and the No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R team and drivers Andrew Davis and Robin Liddell are all tied for second at 86 points.

VW TDI Cup

In the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup, Josh Hurley of Cooper City, Florida is in first place with 260 points; Liam Kenney of Sterling, Virginia is second with 255 points; and Mark Pombo of Duluth, Georgia is third with 234 points.

NOTEWORTHY

VW Jetta TDI Cup driver Jake Thompson has been racing and winning championships in go-karts in his native Canada since he was 13, but 2009 marks his first year in cars – on and off the race track. The Vancouver native has never owned a street car and his experience racing cars consisted of 2009 TDI Cup try outs and a pair of practice sessions in a borrowed Acura Integra in Canada just prior to his VIR debut.

“Even when I got my driver’s license I have driven a rusty pick-up truck for the last seven years,” Thompson said. “When I tried out for the Jetta TDI Cup – that was my first weekend in a race car. We got four sessions there and then I rented a car back home and did about 30 laps and then went to VIR.”

QUOTEWORTHY

Andrew Davis, No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R – Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series – “Laguna Seca is certainly one of the best circuits in North America. Its combination of both high and low speed corners in addition to the drastic elevation changes make for an exciting lap. Although the track surface is quite smooth, front grip is usually at a premium around the circuit. Last year, the Stevenson Motorsports crew worked hard to make sure that our BryanMark Financial Pontiac GXP.R was working the front tires hard enough. The 2009 Pirelli tire has provided us with more grip, so I expect the car to be even better this year. In addition to increased grip, the longevity of the Pirelli tire has also been very impressive this season. From a driver’s perspective, it is very confidence inspiring to know that you can push a tire to the maximum for the entire stint.”

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.
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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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 14, 2009
PIRELLI P ZEROS RETURN TO MAZDA RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA FOR MORE GRAND-AM ROLEX SERIES ACTION THIS WEEKEND
Chip Foose Grand Marshal of this Weekend’s Verizon Festival of Speed

MONTEREY, California – Pirelli’s high-grip P Zero Racing Slicks take to the smooth tarmac of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this weekend in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Cask No. 16 Verizon Wireless Festival of Speed presented by SPEEDCOM Communications. Award-winning automotive designer Chip Foose will be the Grand Marshal. Round 4 of the 2009 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series 12-event schedule will be broadcast live on SPEED at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT) Sunday, May 17.

Daytona Prototype and GT racing teams will have their hands full meeting the challenges of the legendary 2.238-mile, 11-turn Laguna Seca circuit and its smooth-as-glass racing surface. Pirelli’s debut effort at last year’s Festival of Speed at Laguna Seca saw the tires perform well in a hot and action-packed race – and teams expect an even better performance by the 2009 spec P Zero Racing Slick this weekend.

In addition to giving the “Start your engines” command and presenting the trophies to both DP and GT classes following the race, Foose will judge Saturday’s Race ‘n Rod National Show, take part in the Grand-Am autograph session and conduct a fan forum at the Mother’s Waxes and Car Polishes display.

Local Northern California favorite and Novato native Memo Gidley will be driving the No. 77 McDonald’s/Doran Racing Ford Dallara at this weekend’s race. He knows the ins and outs of Laguna Seca better than most and learned last year that he can rely on his P Zeros on the series’ toughest tracks – like Laguna Seca.

“I’ve been really happy with the Pirelli tires,” said Gidley who is in his second season co-driving the No. 77 Ford Doran with fellow American Brad Jaeger. “For one, it’s great to have a tire with good grip that allows us to attack the corners like the Pirellis do. This especially helps with a track like Laguna where the line is pretty narrow, and where to pass you need confidence that the tire has the grip to move off-line.”

Hoping to continue their upward momentum, Gidley and Jaeger co-drove to a solid fifth-place finish in Round 2 at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in the Bosch Engineering 250 last month, relying on several long stints between pit stops to ensure the strong result.

“The consistent grip of the (P Zero) tire during long runs has been awesome,” said Gidley who joined Jaeger in matching their top 2008 finish at VIR. “This has made the car more fun to drive for those long runs between stops.”

Rolex Series GT competitors also learned of the P Zero’s awesome grip and durability at last year’s Laguna Seca race. Paul Edwards drove his No. 07 Banner Racing Pontiac
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GXP.R past the No. 70 Castrol/SpeedSource Mazda RX-8 of Sylvain Tremblay in the closing laps of the 2008 Festival of Speed race and took the win with co-driver Kelly Collins.

“We are looking forward to defending our win this weekend,” said Collins, who went on to win the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Series GT Championship with Edwards. “I have been a lead instructor (at Laguna Seca) for Skip Barber for over 20 years and it is my home track; but it is hard to get a real rhythm and set up a car there. It is kind of like a billiard table – a low grip, smooth and flat surface – but we had more longevity and performance from the Pirellis last year than some other tires I have run at Laguna Seca. The Pirellis lasted and we have no reason to think that won’t be the case again this year.”

Edwards joins his Banner teammate in looking for a repeat win at Laguna Seca this weekend and another championship this year. He noticed that the 2009 specification Pirellis keep the power down but also give a bit of an advantage when it comes to stopping the heavy GT race cars under braking.

“We altered our set up and tested quite a bit and it works with the Pirellis,” Edwards said. “The tires are awesome, and you can really hit that sweet spot with the Pirellis with the right pressures and when you get the temperatures up. They are great, and this year at the first tracks we have run we seem to have improved our braking. The Pirellis are even allowing us to brake later.”

The Verizon Wireless Festival of Speed presented by SPEEDCOM Communications will feature the Daytona Prototype and GT divisions racing together in a timed 2 ¾ hour race, which can be seen live on SPEED at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT) this Sunday, May 17.

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

Pirelli and its partners Chip Foose and Grand-Am Road Racing met in Daytona Beach, Florida this week at the “World Center of Racing” for the advance promotional push for the giveaway of the one-of-a-kind custom Chip Foose-Pirelli Edition Ford Flex.  The giveaway promotion officially begins at this weekend’s Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) (April 25, 2009 at 2:30 PM EST on SPEED).

The giveaway marks the first time Pirelli, Foose Design and Grand-Am Road Racing have come together for a nationwide promotion.

“This promotion speaks to the strength of the relationships,” said Pirelli Tire North America Director of Media Communications and Motorsports Rafael Navarro III.  “We work with the best in the business, so with Chip on our team – who is a huge motorsport enthusiast – and partnering with the most exciting sports car racing series in North America, it was easy to find synergies.”

The one-off Foose Design Pirelli Edition Ford Flex features custom paint, wheels, suspension, interior and Pirelli tires.  Displayed by Pirelli at SEMA 2008 in Las Vegas, NV, the Pirelli Edition Flex designed by Chip Foose was one of the stars of the show – and highlighted the lengths to which Ford’s new highway star can be customized.

Fans are invited to participate in the contest by watching Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series races on SPEED throughout the season – beginning with this weekend’s Bosch Engineering 250 at VIR.  Beginning April 25, a special Pirelli Prize Word will be shown on camera several times during each Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race broadcast; prompting viewers to visit the contest website at www.grand-am.com/foose to read the official contest rules and enter the Pirelli Prize Word(s) for a chance to win the Pirelli Edition Ford Flex.  Contest rules are also available at participating Pirelli Tire dealers across the country. 

Starting this weekend and going through the Grand-Am Rolex Series season-ending event at Homestead-Miami Speedway, October 10, one lucky fan will be selected during each of the next 10 Rolex Series races for his/her chance to win the custom car.  Each of the 10 selected winners will be guests of Pirelli and Grand-Am at the Miami Grand-Am racing season finale where one lucky finalist will be presented the keys that will start the Foose-designed Ford Flex.

“The Flex is a really cool vehicle” said Foose Design President, Chip Foose during a round of media interviews Monday morning at Grand-Am headquarters before that afternoon’s opening commercial shoot. “I had built a full-blown custom Flex for Ford Motor Company about a year before the vehicle was released.  Then, when the production vehicle came out they called me back and said ‘Hey, do you want to do another one of these?’” So I built (the second) Flex for Pirelli’s SEMA display and we debuted it there last November, when Pirelli announced this giveaway with Grand -Am I thought ‘Cool!  When can I go to a race?’”

Foose will star in a nationally televised commercial campaign to support the Chip Foose-Pirelli Edition Ford Flex Giveaway during the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 2009 season.

“This has been an incredible opportunity for us,” said Pirelli Tire North America Vice President of Marketing, Motorsports and OE Sales Tom Gravalos.  “As our relationship with Grand-Am has evolved, and because we have a great relationship with Chip, it was time to put this collaboration together:  fast cars, cool designs and a promotional opportunity for the consumer as well as for the brands.  How do you go wrong with that?”

A native of Santa Barbara, Calif., Foose began working on automobiles at age 7 for his father’s company. His career skyrocketed to the point where he started his own company, Foose Design, in 1998. Foose was the youngest member ever inducted into the Hot Rod Hall of Fame at age 31 in 1997, one of his many awards and accolades.

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.