Montecarlo, 23 January 2010. Pirelli returns to the Montecarlo Rally and takes the No. 1 place on the podium in the most prestigious and reknowned rally in the world, together with the debuting Ford Fiesta Super 2000 driven by Mikko Hirvonen, the only car officially fitted by Pirelli in the event. Leading from start to finish, the car driven by the Finnish star easily overcame the difficulties of the road thanks to its Pirelli Winter Sottozero and PZero tyres 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 brought to the Monaco event the experience built up in the world WRC championship, where Milan-based Pirelli has been sole supplier of tyres 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 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 tyres performed perfectly in the cold, snow and ice conditions of this classic Monte Carlo event. Of course we were also competing against rival tyre 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 artic performance of the Pirelli Sottozero”.

Pirelli Tyre SpA – Press Office

Viale Sarca, 222 – 20126 Milano – Italy – phone/fax +39 02 644245407-33060 / +39 02 6440 45407 – www.pirellityre.com

Pirelli returns to the Montecarlo Rally and takes the No. 1 place on the podium in the most prestigious and reknowned rally in the world, together with the debuting Ford Fiesta Super 2000 driven by Mikko Hirvonen, the only car officially fitted by Pirelli in the event. Leading from start to finish, the car driven by the Finnish star easily overcame the difficulties of the road thanks to its Pirelli Winter Sottozero and PZero tyres 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 brought to the Monaco event the experience built up in the world WRC championship, where Milan-based Pirelli has been sole supplier of tyres 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 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 tyres performed perfectly in the cold, snow and ice conditions of this classic Monte Carlo event. Of course we were also competing against rival tyre 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 artic performance of the Pirelli Sottozero”.

Pirelli Tyre SpA – Press Office

Viale Sarca, 222 – 20126 Milano – Italy – phone/fax +39 02 644245407-33060 / +39 02 6440 45407 – www.pirellityre.com

Dès le samedi, les sessions d’essais et de qualifications ont été mouvementées, notamment pour la Dark Dog Academy (catégorie Supersport) où David Nivière (Yamaha n°74) a chuté lors de son 2^nd tour, se blessant au coccyx, alors que Kévin Denis (Yamaha n°50) prenait la 1^ère place sur la grille du dimanche, avec un temps de 1’23.836.

Dans la catégorie Superbike, Sébastien Gimbert (Yamaha n°94, GMT) remporte la Superpole (1′20.760), devant Vincent Philippe et Kenny Foray (Kawasaki n°69, Team GSR). Grâce à cette Superpole, Sébastien Gimbert cumulait avant la 1^ère course 15 points d’avance sur Vincent Philippe au classement général.

Du côté du Trophée Pirelli 600, la séance est interrompue suite à une casse moteur, et reprendra quelques minutes plus tard pour offrir une première ligne de grille à Stéphane Egea, Nans Chevaux, Nelson Major et Florian Marino.

Course 1
 

Dans la 1ère course, les frères Foray prennent la tête de la course devant Sébastien Gimbert. Ce dernier passe en tête, mais Thomas Métro, parti prudemment, remonte 5 places au fil des tours et vient placer sa Ducati n°32 devant Freddy Foray et Sébastien Gimbert.

Résultats – Superbike Course 1

Course 2

Lors de la 2^ème manche, Kenny Foray manque complètement son départ, laissant son frère Freddy et Sébastien Gimbert seuls en tête. Le pilote du Team GMT 94, déterminé à finir son année sur une victoire, creuse l’écart sur F. Foray et ne sera plus rattrapé. Le drapeau à damier salue donc sa victoire devant les frères Foray.

Cette victoire est également celle de Pirelli, qui gagne donc cette année le titre de Champion de France Superbike, avec 55 points d’avance !

Résultats – Superbike Course2

Classement Général – Superbike France

Les Pirelli Scorpion, Decisifs pour le Rallye de Grande Bretagne

 The last WRC race heads for the gravel roads across the Channel.  Pirelli will partner drivers and teams with Scorpion tyres developed to guarantee high performance and maximum safety over the most insidious terrains

Cardiff, 21 Octobre 2009 – Pirelli places its trust in Scorpion tyres for the Rally of Great Britain, the last stage of the WRC, now having reached its 65th British edition. The rally takes place on the gravel roads around Cardiff, but at a different time of year from usual. This means that instead of the normal heavy rainfall, uneven roads, slippery land, mud and insidious special stages during the Rally GB, this year we may enjoy a dry rally in milder weather conditions. Pirelli will use soft compound Scorpion tyres as part of the key elements in the race to final victory. The materials chosen by Scorpion for development and use in the World Rally are absolutely innovative in terms of resistance, with ‘run flat’ technological solutions that not only reduce the risk of puncture to a minimum, but also allow for special stage completion without excessive delays and without damaging the car’s mechanics and bodywork. The strengthened sidewalls resist cuts and abrasions, whilst the deeper grooves guarantee greater tyre endurance, and the angle of the oblique grooves increases the progressivity during cornering.
The Pirelli Scorpion looks set to be decisive in the fight for WRC world champion title, which currently sees Hirvonen (Ford) and Loeb (Citroen) in lead position, just one point apart, after eleven rallies disputed thus far. The Manufacturers and World Production title have, instead, already been assigned respectively to Citroen, one race ahead of time at the Spanish Rally, and to Armindo Araujo, who raced on board a Ralliart Italy team Mitsubishi Lancer.  The Rally GB will also be the last race of the 2009 Pirelli Star Driver programme.

Mario Isola, Pirelli Rally Manager, said: “I have every confidence in the handling, performance and wear level of Scorpion ‘Soft’ tyres, although, very probably, we will be racing in very different conditions to those of past years. If it is true that the Welsh roads are rather abrasive, and the temperatures forecast significantly higher than those of previous editions, it is also true that the Pirelli Scorpion ‘Soft’ have been tested both by our engineers and by the teams, in both summer and severe conditions, always showing excellent resistance to wear and high performance levels“.

Everything’s set for the Pirelli Star Driver shoot-out between promising European and American Rally drivers who will battle it out in Austria on 18th and 19th September

Milan, 16 September 2009 – At the starting blocks for the decisive date in the European selection of the Pirelli Star Driver, the programme organized by Pirelli, in collaboration with the FIA, to promote new Rally drivers. On 18 and 19 September near Freistadt, in Austria, in fact, the European shoot-out of the Pirelli Star Driver 2010 programme will be held, leading to the selection of the young drivers who will have the opportunity next year to take part in six Rally World Championship races. 

During the season, 14 drivers were selected for the two-day event in Freistadt, where they will undergo driving tests on asphalt and gravel roads, personal presentation and physical fitness. They will be assessed by a qualified jury of rally world experts, made up of Paul Hembery (Pirelli Motorsport Director), Timo Joukhi (manager and talent scout), Joao Passos (organizer), Anthony Peacock (rally journalist), Petter Solberg and Markku Alen.

After a tough selection, only two drivers will be proclaimed winners. Together with the New Zealander Hayden Paddon, winner of the selection of the Asia-Pacific area, and the winners of the Africa and Middle East area, who have not been chosen yet, the two Freistadt champions will make up the group of five young Pirelli Star Drivers who will get their chance in the spotlight during the 2010 World Championship.

The drivers chosen for the Freistadt finals are: Valentin Porcisteanu (Romania), 26, Vytautas Svedas (Lithuania), 26, Alex Raschi, (San Marino), 22, Jan Cerny (Czech Rep.), 19, Victor Henriksson (Sweden), 21, Andrea Torlasco (Italy), 25, Marko Jeram (Slovenia), 26, Anders Kjaer (Norway), 23, Brian Lavio (Switzerland), 25, Maris Neiksans (Latvia), 26, Ott Tanak (Estonia), 21, Todor Slavov (Bulgaria), 25, Timo van der Marel (Netherlands), 20, Daniel Wollinger (Austria), 22, Juan Manuel Marchetto (Argentina), 24 and Josè Andres Montalto (Costa Rica), 19.

The French driver was back to his winning ways but was penalized by the judges for an irregularity in the anti-roll bar fitted on the Citroens.
So the Finn still has a 5-point lead in the overall championship standings.

Milan, September 7 2009 – With a surprising finish decided by the race judges Rally Australia ended with Hirvonen extending his lead over Loeb who in the field had obtained his fifth victory in the World Rally Championship 2009. The non-conformity of the anti-roll bar fitted on the Citroens of Loeb, Sordo and Ogier decided the final results of the difficult Australian round which was a tough challenge for the teams supported by the Pirelli technicians. Pirelli, the sole tyre supplier of the WRC,  for the occasion supplied Scorpion tyres, the most suitable for gravel tracks. The Citroen drivers were penalized by a minute, overturning the finishing order: Hirvonen (Ford) went from second to first and Latvala (Ford) from 5th to 4th. Now, with only two rallies left, Hirvonen has a 5-point lead over Loeb, while Citroen is still leading the manufacturers’ table with a 13-point lead over Ford.
A nasty surprise for Loeb who hadn’t won since Argentina and who had driven an exemplary race in Australia.  
Absent from the World Rally Championship calendar since 2006, Rally Australia moved to New South Wales for the first time this year, more than 3500 kilometres away from its former home in Perth. Consequently the gravel stages were a complete step into the unknown for both the competitors and Pirelli, which has an exclusive three-year deal to supply the World Rally Championship with tyres up to the end of the 2010 season.

Although the Italian tyre firm started the event with very little information about the conditions, Pirelli’s hard compound Scorpion rubber – which was being used for the last time this season – stood up to the task admirably. Among the many challenges faced by the crews were a wide range of weather conditions that varied from heavy rain to bright sunshine, sharp rocks, and changing grip levels. Despite these varying parameters, the competition was so close that the top three runners were covered by just a tenth of a second heading into the final day: a record for the World Rally Championship.

As well as counting for a round of the Production Car World Rally Championship, which is also supplied by Pirelli, Rally Australia was the venue for the Asia-Pacific selection in next year’s Pirelli Star Driver scheme. This programme aims to give five drivers from FIA regional championships the chance to contest six rounds of the World Rally Championship in identical Group N cars. New Zealander Hayden Paddon, aged 22, was chosen to represent the Asia-Pacific region on the scheme next year thanks to a strong performance that eventually won him the Group N category in Australia. Newly-crowned Junior World Rally Champion Martin Prokop from the Czech Republic won the Production Car World Championship class.

In a region that is well-known for its outstanding natural beauty, environmental concerns are high on the agenda. All Pirelli Scorpion tyres use oil-free compounds, which already conform to future legislation due to come into force next year.

Pirelli’s Rally Manager Mario Isola concluded: “I don’t remember ever seeing a rally that has been this closely contested between title rivals, underlining the durability and equality of our tyres. The Pirelli Scorpion gravel tyres also worked well on the all-asphalt Tweed superspecial stage, which was used no fewer than six times and formed a notable proportion of the competitive action. Despite some sections that were as rough as the classic Mediterranean gravel rallies, we encountered no major problems with punctures – which has set up a thrilling finale to the season.”

The Scorpion tyres chosen by Pirelli were developed to guarantee safety and performance also on insidious gravel tracks

Milan, 2 Septembre 2009 – Rally Australia is back on a new route after two years of absence from the WRC calendar, and looks like being one of the most interesting events of the 2009 Championship. Leaving the expanse of red earth of the city of Perth, the new race will be held on the east coast of the Northern Rivers Region of New South Wales. The road surface is mixed gravel track with stones: for the occasion the Pirelli technicians will supply Scorpion in the hard compound variant. This is the version developed by the Italian Group to guarantee maximum performance and versatility on gravel tracks and which responds to the eco-compatibility requirements set by the organizer and the Australian government, which has always been particularly aware of these issues. It should be noted that all Scorpion tyres use aromatic oil free compounds, in advance with respect to the legislation which starting in 2010 will come into force also in Europe.

So, with its new route, Rally Australia has everything it needs to become the ideal “terrain” for Pirelli Scorpion tyres.

The Australian rally will not see the young Pirelli Star Drivers in action, but will instead be the scene of the shoot-out valid for selection of the Pirelli Star Driver 2010 for the Asia Pacific area. There will in fact be ten young talents, from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China and Malaysia, who will fight it out at Kingscliff to win one of the five Mitsubishi Evo Xs with which next year, the winners, will tackle 6 WRC events completely sponsored by Pirelli and the FIA.

The Rally Finland is characterised by flat-out gravel roads and huge crests that launch the cars into the air. Although the weather was largely warm, some overnight rain meant that the road conditions were mixed, making Finland a true challenge for the soft-compound Pirelli Scorpion rubber. These tyres will be used once more for the season-closing Rally Great Britain at the end of the year.

Just as was the case last year, Rally Finland witnessed an epic duel between the Ford of Mikko Hirvonen and the Citroen of five-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb, both on Pirelli Scorpion tyres. However, this time it was the Ford driver who triumphed after their three-day long battle, winning 10 stages en route to his first Rally Finland victory. Hirvonen now enjoys a three-point lead over Loeb in the drivers’ championship rankings, while Citroen has a 14-point advantage over Ford, with just three rallies remaining.

Despite the rapid roads and varying weather conditions, which peaked at 33 degrees,the soft-compound Pirelli Scorpion gravel tyres stood up extremely well to the challenge. None of the leading runners reported any major problems with punctures, in spite of some stones that emerged through the ruts during the second passage over the stages.

“Everything has worked really well, the notes, the car and the tyres,” said Hirvonen at the finish in Jyvaskyla. “The rally went exactly as planned. It was a really close battle and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. This is a rally that I have dreamed about winning since I was a child, so to finally achieve it is fantastic!”

The Junior World Rally Championship, which also uses Pirelli tyres, was decided in Finland after Czech driver Martin Prokop took a dominant victory at the wheel of his Citroen C2 S1600. The result means that Prokop can now not be beaten to the Junior title on the final round in Spain. “I could maybe have sealed it just by taking two reasonable results here and in Spain,” said Prokop. “But instead I tried to push my hardest here – and so we won the title!”

Pirelli’s Rally Manager Mario Isola commented: “We have been very pleased by the performance of our tyres on what is certainly one of the toughest events of the year. The sustained high speeds and big jumps mean that our tyres are constantly subjected to extreme forces: especially the sidewalls that have to bear the load when the cars land. Despite these very challenging conditions, we are pleased to report that none of the leading runners experienced any problems directly related to the tyres at all. Even in cases where the tyre was knocked off the rim due to an impact with a rock, the tyre stayed up and enabled drivers to complete the stage with minimal damage. Now we look forward to the next rally, in Australia, which will be a brand new event for us and no doubt present a completely different type of challenge.”

Pirelli Scorpion Soft will make its presence felt in the World Rally Championship’s next race in Finland, that takes place in the striking setting of the Lake Region. The Neste Oil Rally Finland WRC, one of the season’s most popular rallies, begins on 31 July and ends on 2 August and presents many interesting aspects for the drivers and the enthusiastic public. The dynamic course and treacherous road surface mean high speeds and big jumps. For the occasion, Pirelli’s technicians will be bringing the soft version of the Scorpion, the tyre specifically developed by the Italian company to guarantee the highest performance and safety on smooth terrain and mud.

The Pirelli Star Drivers will be taking part in the Rally Finland and it will also be recognised as a qualifying rally for the 2010 Pirelli Star Driver competition: 5 young drivers will be selected from 8 North European countries to enter the programme’s European shootout, to take place in Freistadt, Austria in mid-September. Similar to the European selection process, the young contenders will be judged not only on their technical capacity and speed, but also on their ability to present themselves and relate to the media, proving themselves, in short, well-rounded drivers.

The materials used to create the Scorpion intended for the World Rally Championship represent the latest innovation in terms of resistance. The Scorpion has been designed with “run flat” technology solutions which, as well as reducing the risk of a puncture to a minimum, let the driver finish the race without losing excessive time and without damaging the car’s mechanics or bodywork.
The Scorpion Soft was also chosen for the recent Rally Poland, one of the season’s most exciting races.

Lors de ce meeting, Pirelli n’a pas lésiné sur les moyens. Sur le stand Pirelli, les spectateurs n’avaient que l’embarras du choix en termes d’animation. Notamment par des baptêmes de piste accompagnés des pilotes des Super Série FFSA en Alfa Roméo MiTo équipées de Pirelli P Zero. Au total, près de 200 personnes y ont participé.
Pour toujours plus de sensations, un simulateur de course était mis à disposition, ainsi qu’un jeu concours ” Challenge Ferrari Trofeo Pirelli “  qui a permis à plus de 80 personnes de tester leurs talents de pilote. Un pack Pirelli comprenant des goodies à l’effigie de la marque et des cadeaux Illy a récompensé chacun des gagnants.
Enfin, côté circuit les spectateurs ont pu vibrer en assistant à un ” match ” opposant Christophe Guyot en moto, équipée de pneus Pirelli et Simon Pagenaud en auto.
Le lendemain, le stand fût le point de passage des meilleurs pilotes comme Olivier Panis, Soheil Ayari, Bruno Hernandez, Stéphane Ortelli, Christophe Guyot (pilote moto et responsable du team GMT 94) et Mike Parisy (leader actuel du Championnat GT3) qui ont choisi le stand Pirelli  pour une séance d’autographes au grand plaisir des passionnés.

Un stand, reflet de l’ADN Pirelli. Les deux fers de lance de la marque y étaient présentés : la gamme de pneus UHP Planet Zero  et la gamme Cinturato Green performance. Lancé en avril dernier, le nouveau pneu Green Performance Cinturato P7 parrainé par Sébastien Loeb, disposait d’un espace réservé. Ce pneumatique tourisme conçu pour les voitures haut de gamme est désormais le vaisseau amiral de l’excellence Pirelli au service de son engagement environnemental. Il se devait d’être présenté aux 30 000 spectateurs du Val de Vienne. L’univers Moto de la marque était également bien représenté sur le stand Pirelli grâce au modèle Yamaha R1, vainqueur des 24h du Mans Moto équipée de pneus Diablo Super Corsa mais aussi via  l’exposition de toute la gamme compétition moto.

Thomas David, Motorsport Manager France déclare: “Tous ces éléments positifs nous ont convaincu que nous sommes sur la bonne voie en terme de communication de marque en compétition. Mais le plus important pour nous est d’accroître, à chaque meeting, le niveau de satisfaction des pilotes et des teams du championnat de France GT FFSA. C’est un championnat de renom, compétitif et exigeant. Nous devons donc proposer des pneumatiques et un service du même niveau.”

Le pilote Olivier Panis est d’ailleurs satisfait de cette collaboration: ” Les réglages sont très importants pour trouver un bon équilibre, Pirelli nous informe bien sur les pressions de pneus et la base à utiliser, le tout pour un maximum de fiabilité et les ingénieurs affinent les réglages essentiels selon l’usure avant ou arrière”

Pirelli, présent en compétition depuis plus de 100 ans, confirme ainsi sa volonté d’animer les circuits français avec toute son expérience et sa passion automobile.