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.
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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

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.