Mikko Hirvonen drives Pirelli shod Ford Fiesta Super 2000 to first-place at world’s most prestigious rally

MONTE CARLO, MONACO – Pirelli returned to the renowned Monte Carlo Rally this weekend and ultimately celebrated a first place finish with partner Ford and driver Mikko Hirvonen following a successful debut of the fast Ford Fiesta Super 2000. Hirvonen piloted the only car officially fitted by Pirelli in the event. Leading from the start, the Finnish rally star easily overcame the challenges of changing road conditions in his Ford Fiesta Super 2000 thanks to Pirelli’s Winter Sottozero and P Zero tires which, with their versatility and reliability, adapted to all the different conditions, from the ice in the mountain passes to the dry coastal asphalt.

The winning Hirvonen-Ford-Pirelli trio relied on its considerable expertise in rallying to win the event. Experience doubtlessly earned from its World Rally Championship (WRC) experience, where Milan-based Pirelli has been sole supplier of tires since 2008.

Finnish-born Hirvonen – the 2009 World WRC Vice-Champion – completed the rally with an overall time of 4h32′58″5, outpacing the Skoda Fabias of his compatriot Juho Hanninen and Frenchman Nicolas Vouilloz, respectively 1’51’’4 and 3’19’’1 behind.

“It was a special return for Pirelli to Monte Carlo”, said Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s Motorsport Director. “We had only one official entry for the event, but that proved sufficient as it was the winning combination of the debuting Ford Fiesta S2000 together with Ford official works driver Mikko Hirvonen. Our P Zero and Sottozero tires performed perfectly in the cold, snow and ice conditions of this classic Monte Carlo event. Of course we were also competing against rival tire manufacturers, but our product technology proved superior with Mikko barely troubled, in the lead from start to finish. We now turn our attention to the first WRC event of the season, in Sweden, where as the official supplier, we will again demonstrate the superior Arctic performance of the Pirelli Sottozero”.

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.

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