14
December
2006
|
10:00
Europe/Amsterdam

31st Bologna Motor show's rally days

31st BOLOGNA MOTOR SHOW'S RALLY DAYS:
PIRELLI TYRES PLAY AGAIN A LEADING ROLE

Many top cars fit Pirelli P Zero tyres in most rally events at the Italian motor show.
Galli in a Pirelli-shod Peugeot 307 WRC is among the Memorial Bettega favourites.



Milan, 15 December 2006 - The final weekend of racing at the Bologna Motor Show is almost entirely given over to rallying. And there will be about 10 drivers on Pirelli, sub-divided into the various trophy and cup events who will fire the enthusiasm of the large crowd in the stands of Area 48 of the Fiera di Bologna. Pirelli Competizioni will have a major presence in both the single marque cup (Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi Evo) and the trophy events for the WRC cars in Italian rallying, supplying its tyres to almost all the favourites in each case.

Pirelli's presence has also assumed a pre-eminent role in the key competition of the three rally days scheduled for the 31st Motor Show, the Memorial Bettega. Six of the eight WRC cars entered for this event will be on the Italian manufacturer's tyres and among them will be the 2005 winner Gigi Galli at the wheel of a Peugeot 307 in Pirelli's red and yellow livery, with which he shone in a number of rounds of the recently concluded World Rally Championship (third overall in Argentina), British champion Mark Higgins in the Ford Focus on P Zero in which Valentino Rossi won the Rally of Monza, the ex-Italian champion Piero Longhi with a Subaru Impreza and above all Chris Atkinson, who will drive a factory Subaru Impreza in what will be the last event for a WRC car of the Subaru World Rally Team with the Milan manufacturer's tyres.

In the trophy race for WRC cars active in Italy, P Zeros supplied by Pirelli Competizioni will be campaigned by drivers of the calibre of Michele Gregis, Pucci Grossi and Matteo Musti (Peugeot 206 WRC) and Tobia Cavallini (Subaru Impreza WRC). Pirelli is also the official tyre supplier to the Mitsubishi Evo Cup, in which talent such as Matteo Gamba and Paolo Pesavento will compete, as well as the Subaru Impreza Cup, which will involve drivers such as Anton Alen (first in the Finnish and British rounds in the Gr. N World Championship) and Alan Scorcioni. The Trofeo Rally Super N will also be well worth watching, as it will include ten cars (Mitsubishis and Subarus), many of which will be on Pirelli tyres. The Impreza STis will be driven by rally legend Andrea Aghini, Alessandro Perico and Pirelli track racer Fabio Babini, as well as Alex Broccoli and Francesco Laganà in Lancer Evos.

Paul Hembery, director of Pirelli Competizioni, said, "Pirelli's commitment to rallying has been notable in the past and will continue to be so in the years to come. In a 2006 season marked by many P Zero Racing successes on the track, rallying has also provided Pirelli with a great deal of satisfaction, such as the many victories in the Group N World Championship, the titles won by Higgins in the British championship and Subaru in the Italian Group N Constructors' Championship and so on. The Memorial Bettega is an event the importance of which goes beyond the confines of Italy and for this reason Pirelli Competizioni is aiming at winning it again, repeating Galli's triumph with the Mitsubishi Lancer 12 months ago".



For more information and pictures on Pirelli's motorsport activities visit: www.pirellicompetizioni.com

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