Mikolajki, June 28, 2009 – Pirelli’s soft-compound Scorpion tires delivered a faultless performance on unknown territory – taking the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team to victory in the debut of Rally Poland in the FIA World Rally Championship.

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

May 26, 2009

PIRELLI SCORPION TIRES POWER LATVALA TO ITALIAN VICTORY

OLBIA, Italy - Ford driver Jari-Matti Latvala put the brakes on Sebastien Loeb’s domination of the 2009 World Rally Championship season – claiming his first win of the year after competing in the all-gravel Rally d’Italia-Sardegna: Pirelli’s home event.

Latvala led the rally from start to finish, despite the handicap of being first on the road throughout Saturday and Sunday with the unenviable task of sweeping the course clean for the rest of the drivers. His Ford team-mate Mikko Hirvonen finished second – ahead of third-place driver Solberg and fourth-place driver Sebastien Loeb.  Loeb maintains a comfortable lead in the drivers’ World Rally Championship (WRC), and his Citroen team is leading the manufacturer’s championship in WRC as well.

Conditions on the Rally d’Italia, based in the Sardinian city of Olbia, were dry and warm during all three days of the event with temperatures frequently exceeding 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The roads provided a formidable challenge, with a surface layer of loose and dusty gravel covering a hard base with sharp rocks. The hard-compound Pirelli Scorpion tires used in this event – similar to those that may be chosen for the next round in Greece – proved durable and up to the challenge of Sardinia, contributing to a thrilling battle for supremacy between the two Ford team mates.

Latvala, who became the youngest man to win a round of the World Rally Championship in Sweden last year, said: “It’s been an amazing three days with some really difficult conditions and big rocks; but we’ve had no problems with the tires whatsoever. Being first on the road was a tricky task, but we were able to overcome that and bring home a great result for the team.”

Pirelli’s home event was also the second rally of the Pirelli Star Driver program: a unique initiative to give five drivers from FIA regional championships all over the world the opportunity to compete in six rounds of the World Rally Championship with identical Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X Group N cars. On an event that gave all six young drivers some extremely valuable experience of rough gravel, up-and-coming Finn Jarkko Nikara emerged best-placed of the Pirelli Star Drivers.

In addition, Sardinia – just like the previous WRC event in Argentina –also hosted a round of the Junior World Rally Championship and Production Car

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World Rally Championship, both of which are supplied by Pirelli as part of the Italian manufacturers’ three-year contract with the FIA.

Swedish driver Patrik Sandell claimed his third win of the year in the Production Car category, at the wheel of a Skoda Fabia S2000, while Citroen C2 Super 1600 driver Martin Prokop collected the laurels in the Junior series.

Pirelli’s Rally Manager Mario Isola concluded: “We faced conditions in Sardinia that were even tougher than usual, with several crews being forced out with suspension and damper problems as a result of the constant punishment from the stages. Nonetheless, neither of the leading teams encountered the slightest problem with punctures during the rally, enabling them to start the final day separated by less than 10 seconds.  Even Loeb’s much publicized “puncture” was not a puncture at all, but the outcome of his Citroen hitting a tree and damaging the tire valve. These very rough conditions also taught our five Star Drivers how to blend consistency with their obvious speed, which will serve them well in the future.”

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Pirelli Tyre SpA – Press Office – Motorsport Communication

Viale Sarca, 222 – 20126 Milano – Italy – phone/fax +39 02 644245407 – www.pirelli.com

Pirelli Tyre SpA – Press Office – Motorsport Communication

Viale Sarca, 222 – 20126 Milano – Italy – phone/fax +39 02 644245407 – www.pirelli.com