Pirelli Motorsport and The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 are primed and ready for a return to racing action at this Saturday’s Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway (VIR). The race can be seen live on SPEED at 2:30 p.m. EST.

Grand-Am race teams had a long three month break between the first two scheduled races of the 2009 season – the opening Rolex 24 at Daytona in January and this weekend’s Bosch Engineering 250 at VIR.  A strong field of Daytona Prototypes and GT competitors – all on Pirelli P Zero racing tires – will take to VIR’s challenging 3.27-mile road course for Saturday’s race, which will kick off the balance of 2009’s 12-race season.

Among the competitors hoping to build on recent momentum is the No. 09 Spirit of Daytona/Porsche V8 Coyote team of sports car racing stalwart Guy Cosmo and motorcycle road racing Hall of Fame member Scott Russell.  The duo were joined by Russell’s fellow motorcycle champions Jeff Ward and Jason Pridmore for the Daytona opener in an AMA Pro Road Racing sponsored race car and managed to finish the grueling race despite encountering just about every type of endurance racing related problem imaginable.

“Daytona was a challenge and the Spirit of Daytona team did a great job,” Cosmo said.  “With the ever changing conditions of an endurance race, the one constant we had was the consistency and reliability of the Pirelli tires. We had no problems with the tires at all.”

Cosmo and the team have also tested extensively during the three-month break between the opening Rolex Series races.

“We did a lot of testing since Daytona and put a lot of miles on tracks like Roebling Road (Georgia) and at Homestead-Miami,” Cosmo said.  “Roebling Road is particularly tough on tires but we had no issues with the Pirellis.  With the progress we have made with this whole package so far, we think we are going to be running strong at VIR, and the Pirellis are all part of that mix.  We are looking at running in the top 10 and maybe even challenging for a podium.”

Although the 2-3/4 hour timed Bosch Engineering 250 is considered a sprint race, last year’s winning GT team used endurance-style tactics by maximizing the life of their Pirellis and stretching their fuel mileage to the limit.  The No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R of Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis know they can count on the P Zeros again if the race unfolds in a similar fashion this weekend.

“We have certainly found the Pirelli tire to be extremely durable over a race distance, and this is something which we were able to use to our advantage last year at VIR,” said Liddell, who drove the Pontiac in the final stint to the checkered flag. “When the race throws up an unknown variable, it is good to know that you can get home on the P Zeros.”

Davis also gives credit to Pirelli for delivering an improved 2009 specification tire that still has many of the same positive characteristics found in last year’s P Zeros.

“The new Pirelli tire created for the 2009 Rolex Series performed well for the Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R during the opening round at Daytona,” said Davis.  “We are pleased to find that the new tire brings the same consistency and speed that we depended on during last season.  The upcoming event at VIR will really put the new tire to the test, and I am confident that it will pass with flying colors.  It is a very demanding circuit with a combination of heavy braking zones and high-speed corners, and the Pirelli (tires are) the key to allowing our car to perform at an optimal level.”

The Daytona Prototypes and GT competitors will race simultaneously for overall and individual class honors in the Bosch Engineering 250. The race can be viewed live on SPEED at 2:30 p.m. EST this Saturday, April 25.

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.

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.