Pirelli at the "24 Hours Of Spa", Key Event of the 2005 Season

Milan, 21 July 2005 - The 2005 FIA-GT Championship has now reached mid-season and, as tradition demands, marks this turning point with the most important race of the year, the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The demanding Belgian circuit is the stage on which the famous endurance test will be enacted during the last weekend of July, and is an event that always plays a decisive role in the outcome of the championship, in part because double the points awarded for the usual 500 km races will be earned by the successful competitors at Spa. Pirelli has made appropriate preparations for this decisive race and has taken the latest evolutions of its P Zero Racing tyres to Belgium in sufficient volume to satisfy the needs of all its teams. Pirelli has loaded no fewer than 4,200 tyres aboard 12 articulated trucks bound for Spa and the 24 hour race. Pierluigi De Cancellis, the Pirelli Competizioni Circuit Manager said, "To offer all the teams we support the most suitable products for such a gruelling event, we have come up with some new developments for our leading cars - the Corvette C5R, the Ferrari 575 GTC and the Maserati MC12 - which include a front tyre with a completely new structure. We have also developed new rain and intermediate compounds for the Pirelli P Zero Racings of the GT1 class cars, plus a new tread pattern already approved by FIA but never raced until now". The Milan engineer continued," Pirelli has taken new products to Spa, which have never previously been used in either FIA-GT racing. There will also be a new medium rear compound and a soft mix for the front axle, which were first tried out in the recent 1000 Kilometres of Monza . As can be seen, Pirelli Competizioni is making a considerable effort for the 30/31 July weekend, equal to the importance of this totally unique race". The Belgian marathon will be run on an extremely demanding track, where victory will go to the "package" with the best chassis, engine, aerodynamics, drivers and tyres. Fabio Babini, the Pirelli tester who drives a Team Vitaphone Maserati MC12 in the championship, said, "With new and not very abrasive asphalt and a smooth surface without undulations, the Spa circuit gives good adhesion, which enables us to put in double stints, especially at night. However, the layout of this tormented track, with corners and height variations of all kinds, erratic weather conditions and the extreme fatigue to which men and machines are subjected, make the outcome of this race completely unpredictable". An exceptional race that Pirelli Competizioni views with optimism, as engineer De Cancellis confirms. "With our products and the teams with which Pirelli will compete at Spa-Francorchamps, it is reasonable to be confident," he concluded.