Fia-GT: Pirelli is going for victory at Silverstone

Milan, 10 May 2005 - Just a few days after Pirelli Competizioni's latest triumph in which four cars fitted with its P Zero Racing tyres took the first four places in the season's second race of the FIA-GT Championship at Magny-Cours, France, on 1 May, everything is ready for the third round in this exciting 2005 title chase. Silverstone will be an extremely interesting race, partly because it has been selected by Britain's Royal Automobile Club as the event to mark the 100th anniversary of the Tourist Trophy, one of the most exclusive and prestigious commemorations in motor racing. That will be one more reason for the drivers competing at the Northampton circuit on Sunday 15 May to go hunting victory, even if the regular contenders for the FIA-GT Championship must face the anxiously awaited new Aston Martin DBR9s, competing in their first European race. Among the teams on Pirelli P Zero Racing tyres will be the favourite Maseratis that monopolised the podium, with the MC12 of Wendlinger-Bertolini (JMB Racing) heading a list that includes the sister cars of Vitaphone Racing, driven by Bartels-Scheider and Babini-Biagi. Another serious candidate for victory is the Corvette C5R that came fourth in France on May Day. Observed Bert Longin, one of the GPLK Carsport drivers, " Immediately after its debut at Monza, the Corvette was put through various development tests at Dijon, France, and in the last few days we have worked on its technical refinement. We have had no problems with our tyres, given that the Pirelli P Zero Racings fitted to the C5R have fully satisfied all of our requirements, and the Magny-Cours result confirms that we are on the right road". To best compete in an event of such magnitude at Silverstone, Pirelli Competizioni will offer its teams the latest range of its P Zero Racing tyres, remarkably suited to the British circuit's event. " The characteristics of the 3.6 km shortened Silverstone track, , which was derived from a military aerodrome in the Fifties, demands a specific approach" , says Pierluigi De Cancellis, the Pirelli Competizioni Circuit Manager, " because a racing car needs a perfect balance of chassis and suspension to best exploit the long, fast sections interrupted by other combined-slow tracts. On top of that, the configuration of the track severely tests a car's mechanics, especially the engine and brakes. The asphalt is excellent, but the Northampton climate is distinctly colder than in our country, which leads us to predominantly privilege the softer slicks of the latest evolution, which we successfully introduced at the French circuit. The extremely variable weather conditions are another relevant unknown, for which reason we shall have a wide choice of wet and intermediate tyres". For more information and pictures on Pirelli's motorsport activities visit: www.pirellicompetizioni.com