Pirelli Back to Asphalt in Germany

After a seven-month break, the World Rally Championship returns to asphalt for the Rallye Deutschland. But the asphalt of Germany is far from being a conventional sealed-surface event. The route includes narrow vineyard roads through the wine-growing terraces of the Mosel, as well as rutted and broken-up concrete on the Baumholder military ranges. The variety of the stages, as well as the constantly-changing weather, makes Germany one of the most unpredictable events of the championship. Rain frequently makes the surfaces extremely slippery, putting traction and grip at a premium. Nonetheless, the often rough surfaces make Germany the most abrasive asphalt event of the calendar. A versatile tyre yet strong tyre which can cope well with a wide variety of conditions is therefore crucial. Pirelli's three partner teams - Subaru, Peugeot and Mitsubishi - will use two types of tyre in Germany: the RX and the RE. As always, the P Zero range is equipped with Pirelli's EMI anti-deflation system. FOR ASPHALT STAGES IN NORMAL CONDITIONS RX (Size: 225/650-18) Steps: 5, 7 and 9 (with evolution) Description: The RX will be the base tyre for Germany, designed to provide good all-round performance in an ample variety of asphalt conditions. The tyre will be supplied in three different compounds, to take into account the wide range of weather, and can be hand-cut in order to disperse rain and loose gravel, which is a frequent problem on asphalt rallies where cars cut the corners. FOR ASPHALT STAGES IN WET CONDITIONS RE (Size: 225/650-18) Steps: 7 and 9 (with evolution) Description: The RE has a full wet tread pattern in order to cope with the wettest conditions. It provides the best possible grip by rapidly cutting through the layers of water on the stages and dispersing it in order to prevent aquaplaning. The RE9 is the softest tyre in the range which will be used for very cold and wet conditions. NB. The higher the step number, the softer the tyre compound. JUNIOR WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP Germany is the sixth round of the Junior World Rally Championship, equipped exclusively by Pirelli. The JWRC cars will have at their disposal high-durability RS7 tyres (the championship rules do not allow anti-deflation mousse) for use in dry conditions. The RS pattern was the forerunner to the RX, and provides good grip and durability on dry asphalt. If it rains, the Junior crews will use an RX7 tyre, which has a full wet tread pattern.