NEW PIRELLI P ZERO RA TYRE WINS ON ITS DEBUT
Pirelli’s new P Zero RA asphalt tyre won on its debut at the challenging Tour de Corse, the World Rally Championship’s ‘Rally of 10,000 Corners’. Fabio Andolfi scored a thrilling victory in WRC2, using his new Pirelli tyres to fantastic effect by recovering first place on the very last stage. Up-and-coming German Julius Tannert won the second round of the Junior WRC, which is exclusively supplied by Pirelli. Wins for these two rising stars of the sport underline Pirelli’s traditional support of the next generation of talents.
The challenge
Corsica provided both varied asphalt roads with changing surfaces and extreme weather conditions: before the rally began, there was even snow at higher altitudes. The sinuous stages are well-known as the ultimate test of grip and traction – which is why Pirelli launched the new P Zero RA on the iconic rally island.
Italian star shines in Corsica
ACI Team Italia’s star driver Fabio Andolfi had risen from sixth to first on Saturday but suffered a setback on the penultimate stage, losing half a minute and heading to the final stage 0.7 seconds behind Nikolay Gryazin’s similar Skoda Fabia.A stellar run through the rally-ending Calvi test by Andolfi secured WRC2 victory for the new P Zero RA tyres, with Pirelli-equipped cars also scooping third, fourth and fifth places courtesy of three-time European Rally champion Kajetan Kajetanowicz, Toyota Gazoo Racing junior driver Takamoto Katsuta and British driver Rhys Yates. These results were all achieved with three different models of car.
Tannert takes Junior WRC down to the wire
The Junior WRC produced four different stage winners, with Jan Solans claiming six stage wins: the most of any Junior WRC driver on Tour de Corse. But it was Julius Tannert who mounted the biggest fightback, following a spin on SS7 that put him exactly one minute behind the leader. Using Pirelli’s P Zero RK tyres, he claimed the Tour de Corse victory by just 1.9 seconds. The Junior WRC uses the new Ford Fiesta R2, with equal cars and tyres putting the emphasis on driving ability.
Grand touring
Enrico Brazzoli scored FIA RGT Trophy victory aboard his Pirelli-equipped Abarth 124 Rallye. This was his second win in a row after success on Rallye Monte-Carlo, strengthening his lead in the championship.
Pirelli quote:
Terenzio Testoni, rally activity manager: “It’s a fantastic debut for the new asphalt P Zero RA tyre. Winning the WRC2 category with Fabio Andolfi is quite special and a great accomplishment, so congratulations to him. The new P Zero RA tyre made a huge difference when the surface conditions became very abrasive, especially with rising temperatures on the long stages. The Junior WRC battle was also incredibly intense and entertaining, as the drivers were able to extract really good performance from the RK5 tyre.”
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For further information about Pirelli, please contact Anthony Peacock on +44 (0)7765 896 930 or anthony.peacock.ex@pirelli.com
For more information on the Tour de Corse, please visit: www.tourdecorse.com
