Pirelli at the start of the Lisbon-Dakar
PIRELLI AT THE START OF THE LISBON-DAKAR WITH NEW SCORPION TYRES AND SEVERAL TEAMS
Among the 4x4 cars to watch, the factory Isuzus driven by Alen, Orioli, Llovera.
Eyes will be also on Luisa Trucco and Giacomo Vismara, driving Iveco's trucks.
Milan, 4th of January 2007 - In line with tradition, the motor sport year begins extremely early for Pirelli, whose tyres will be competing in the gruelling Lisbon-Dakar marathon rally from tomorrow until 21 January. Numerous entrants will be on Pirelli tyres in both the car and truck sections of the legendary race, which ends in Senegal. In the case of the cars, a new tyre will be used: it is the Pirelli Scorpion Zero (size 235/85 R 16), which is born of, and has been developed for, African marathons and the various "bajas" that are part of the international rally-raid scene.
On Pirelli tyres in the event will be the drivers of the factory Isuzu team, including the great Finnish rally star Markku Alen, who came seventh overall in the 2005 Dakar in an Iveco truck on Pirelli, Albert Llovera from Andorra and Italian desert rider Edi Orioli, who won the marathon four times on bikes. Among the trucks will be the Iveco fitted with Pirelli PS22 tyres driven by Luisa Trucco and the Pattono brothers from Piedmont, Italy.
As well as the vehicle entered by the young Piedmont crew and a sister truck to act as their service vehicle, the Milan manufacturer's tyres will be on the Iveco of specialist Giacomo Vismara, who won his category in the 2006 Rally of the Pharaohs, plus the two trucks of the Loprais Tatra Team. In fact, a similar vehicle on Pirelli PS22 came fourth in its category in the 2006 Dakar.
Mario Isola, Rally Manager of Pirelli Competizioni, observed, "In the case of both the off-road Japanese Isuzu team and the various trucks competing in the marathon, which ends at the Pink Lake not far from the capital of Senegal, their Pirelli tyres are the result of intense development work carried out on the products by the company's technicians. Products the quality of which permits normal production tyres like the PS22 on Luisa Trucco's Iveco to be potential winners against competitor tyre manufacturers' products, which are as numerous as they are valid. In fact, in 2006 the Pirelli PS22 won the Baja Aragon with a Mercedes-Benz Unimog driven by Oliveras, and the Rally of the Pharaohs with the Team Motorsport Italia's Iveco in the hands of Vismara".
For more information and pictures on Pirelli's motorsport activities visit: www.pirellicompetizioni.com
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