Pirelli at the Superflo 12 hours

SEBRING, Fl., March 15, 2000 - Fresh from a successful Rolex 24 at Daytona where Pirelli-shod teams won two firsts, two seconds and a third, Pirelli looks to continue its winning tradition at this weekend's Exxon SUPERFLO 12 Hours at Sebring Presented by Dodge.

Pirelli's performance at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the oldest and largest sports car race in America, dates all the way back to 1955 when Juan Manual Fangio won the classic race in a Ferrari on Pirellis. More recently, the Italian tire manufacturer has scored World Sports Car victories twice in the past five years. Equally impressive are Pirelli's three-straight wins in GTS-2 at Sebring from 1995-1997.

Not only would Pirelli like to repeat its victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring, but it would also like to add to its U.S. trophy case, which already includes two WSC crowns, one GTS-1 title and four GTS-2 championships the past five years.

In 1995, Pirelli won its first WSC championship with Fermin Velez in Team Scandia's Ferrari 333 SP, Ferrari's first sports car championship since the world-conquering Ferrari 312 PBs of the early 1970s. The following year, it was Wayne Taylor and Riley & Scott's Oldsmobile which earned Pirelli its second-straight championship in IMSA's premier race series and Taylor's second in the three-year history of the WSC. In 1998, Taylor and Pirelli helped Ferrari win its second WSC Championship in four years.

Its record in the GTS classes has been even more incredible as Pirelli-shod Porsches won four-straight GTS-2 championships with Jorge Trejos in 1995 and Larry Schumacher in 1996, 1997 and 1998. In addition, Pirelli helped Andy Pilgrim win the 1997 GTS-1 title in Jochen Rohrs magnificent Porsche GT-1.

Last year, Pirelli scored numerous victories in the inaugural ISRS in Europe culminating in a championship with the Giesse Ferrari team. Pirelli-shod Porsches also swept the GT class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Last year, Pirelli scored numerous victories in the inaugural ISRS in Europe culminating in a championship with the Giesse Ferrari team. Pirelli-shod Porsches also swept the GT class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Pirelli will field an impressive list of teams and drivers at the 48th annual running of the Superflo 12 Hours at Sebring, including the ALMS debut of the Cadillac Northstar LMP. At Sebring, the #9 Toshiba Cadillac will be driven by Franck Lagorce, two-time WSC Champion Butch Leitzinger and Andy Wallace, the only driver ever to win all four classic endurance races (Daytona, Sebring, Petit Le Mans and Le Mans). Piloting the #19 Toshiba Cadillac will be Max Angelleli, two-time Sebring Champion Eric van de Pole and Wayne Taylor. Taylor is not only a two-time WSC Champion, but also a "Triple Crown" Champion of Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans, as well as the Prototype Class winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1998.

Pirelli at 2000 Superflo 12 Hours at Sebring

Other Prototypes competing on Pirelli P Zero tires include the #31 Motorola DAMS Cadillac entry of Eric Bernard, Emmanuel Collard and Christophe Tinseau and the #06 Multimatic Lola Ford driven by Scott Maxwell, John Graham and former Indy Lights and Formula Atlantic Champion David Empringham.

In spite of Pirelli's success at Sebring, the challenge from last year's front running Panoz LMP-1 Roadsters and BMW V12 LMRs and the new Audi R8 will be significant. And then there is the rigors of the Sebring circuit. The "enduring" course is known for being hard on both car and driver. With its slow corners, bumpy tarmac and concrete surfaces, the 3.7-mile, 17-turn, circuit has always presented a challenge to making suspensions and tires work in unison with the chassis.

THE PIRELLI TIRE RANGE

All Pirelli P Zero tires for the WSC cars at the Superflo 12 at Sebring are available in the following sizes:
Front: 325/650-18 Rear: 360/710-18

with the following characteristics:
Intermediate: W4 Best choice for wet track or humid with no falling rain
Rain: W4-W6 Full rain tire.
Slicks: D4 Hard compound for warm temperatures.
D5 Medium-hard compound: ideal tire for daylight racing. Basic tire for
most ALMS races. D6 Soft: good for cooler daylight and night racing.

THE GTS CLASSES

Pirelli will also be equipping several GT-class cars at Sebring after sweeping the class in last year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. Among the number of cars fitted with Italian tires will be the #21 MCR/Aspen Knolls Porsche GT3 R driven by Cort Wagner, the current Porsche Cup and ALMS GT Champion. Michael Colucci Racing (MCR) will field three other Pirelli-shod Porsches in his quest for a fourth victory in the 12-hour classic. In addition, Skea Racing from Australia will field a pair of Porsche GT3 Rs for a team of drivers, including seasoned pro David Murry.

The Pirelli sizes for GT classes at Sebring are as follows:
GT (Porsche 996) Front: 265/645-18 Rear: 305/680-18

The 48th Superflo 12 Hours at Sebring will be broadcast live in its entirety on Speedvision from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Saturday, March 18. Live coverage will also be provided by Radio Le Mans on the ALMS web site.