Pirelli at the Safari Rally

Milan, 22 February 2000 - And now to gravel! The same gravel that last year gave Subaru and Pirelli five wins from the last seven gravel events from the summer to the end of the season. After the fine performances in Monte Carlo and a very strange Swedish Rally with almost no snow two weeks ago, the World Rally Championship now flies to Kenya for the Safari Rally (February 24-27) for the surface that will last to the end of the year with the exception of just three asphalt events; Spain, Corsica and San Remo.

The Safari Rally is no longer the legendary challenge of a few years ago with its extremely long length and a format which very often went beyond the kenyan borders. Today's event is very close to the modern ideal with a few competitive sections and very long 'recovery' times but it retains the same atmosphere and attraction of a huge African marathon. These long sections are run at very high speed on a surface that constantly changes and which is always very sensitive to weather conditions. It brings to the championship one of the most difficult technical and sporting challenges, not just in rallying but also of any form of motorsport.

Pirelli has won many times in Kenya and in 1997, when Colin McRae's Subaru was victorious, the 'long P' recorded its historic 100th win in the World Rally Championship. This year the expectations are high thanks to the competitiveness already shown by the Subarus, also the considerable technical progress made by SEAT since it joined the championship and Pirelli's gravel experience.

Pirelli will be in Kenya with a PZero range comprising approximately 1000 tyres with two tyre tread patterns targetting maximum durability and resistance to wear and the high temperatures generated by the hard gravel surface. Last year these tyres gave Richard Burns some extraordinary results on this event and he was dominating the rally before being forced to retire with mechanical problems.

Pirelli Desk in Nairobi during the Safari Rally:
Keith Oswin tel. + 254 2 860202
e-mail keithoswin@compuserve.com

STRENGTH IN AFRICA

About 1000 tyres in Pirelli's latest gravel specification will be in Kenya with a special concern for maximum durability will be the weapons used by the Pirelli 'army' on the Safari Rally. The PZero gravel range for Kenya is designed primarily to survive the demands of this unique event and its high speed sections, thanks to the construction of the tyres made specially for this event. This construction is designed to balance strength and performance.

Also the development work on the Safari version of the EMI anti-deflation system continues and it will be available for use on some competitive sections in Kenya.

This is the PZero range for Kenya in detail:

IF IT'S DRY...

XR(Size 225/55-15)

Type: A tyre for dry gravel
Compund options: One
Description: This tyre has a very 'full' tread design and is constructed to the maximum width allowed by the regulations. New technical developments have brought high durability and performance in any conditions.

IF IT'S WET...

K(Size 205/65-15)

Type: A tyre for damp and/or wet gravel
Compound options: One
Description: This has a narrower tread than the XR tyre for maximum handling and traction on soft surfaces. If there is the presence of deep mud this tyre can be hand-grooved.

THE PIRELLI TEAM FOR KENYA

3 Subaru Impreza WRC: Burns-Reid , Kankkunen-Repo and Arai-Freeman
2 SEAT Cordoba WRC: Auriol-Giraudet, Gardemeister-Lukander
1 Mitsubishi Lancer Gr.N: Stvhl

Pirelli will also be supporting other teams not contesting the World Championship

OUR DRIVERS SAID...

RICHARD BURNS
Last year I was leading before my suspension broke and so I'm going back to finish the job I started in 1999. The route has changed a lot this year with many stages being run the opposite direction to last year. We can only recce in standard cars and so a lot of things will be new to us. At least I know I can rely on the tyres. I start every rally with the intention of winning but in the case of the Safari I've got more confidence of success than on some other rallies.

JUHA KANKKUNEN
We had the best tyres for the event last year but because of a frustrating electrical problem I never got the chance to see just how much better they were. You only had to look at Richard's performance to see that we can go back to Kenya this year with every confidence of winning the rally. Of course anything can happen on the Safari but that's the nature of the event.

DIDIER AURIOL
This will be the first time I have used the latest Pirelli tyres on the Safari so I can only rely on what people have told me about how good they are for this event. Tommi Makinen has shown it's possible to win while driving flat out but I think you still have to be very careful and save your tyres for when you can completely trust the conditions. It's a very dangerous rally on open roads.

TONI GARDEMEISTER
This is my first Safari as a competitor. Last year I drove a gravel car for Harri Rovanpera and so I'm not a complete stranger to the event. It's going to be difficult finding the right speed to go quickly without taking big risks. So many things can happen in Kenya but I'm confident that Pirelli will provide the best tyres for us to be competitive.

12 MORE ROUNDS TO... THE END OF THE WORLD

Monte Carlo 20-22 January Asphalt/snow/ice
Richard Burns (Subaru-Pirelli) was in second place and chasing a possible victory when his car failed to start the second day. Juha Kankkunen (Subaru-Pirelli) finished third after setting a stunning fastest time on Sisteron while SEAT-Pirelli's young Finn Toni Gardemeister was acclaimed as a star of the rally in fourth.

Sweden 10-13 February Snow/ice/gravel
Richard Burns claimed a few stage wins as well as being extremely competitive during the first leg and looking to challenge the leader. Unfortunately the high speeds of the event did not allow following drivers to close on the leader's pace. Subaru finished fifth and sixth while SEAT suffered a few technical problems in tenth.

Safari 24-27 February Gravel
Portugal 16-19 March Gravel
Catalunya 30 March-2 April Asphalt
Argentina 11-14 May Gravel
Acropolis 8-11 June Gravel
New Zealand 13-16 July Gravel
Finland 17-20 August Gravel
China 7-10 September Gravel
Corsica 28 September-1 October Asphalt
San Remo 12-15 October Asphalt
Australia 9-12 November Gravel
Great Britain 23-26 November Gravel