06
May
2017
|
18:00
Europe/Amsterdam

Pirelli dominates all the classes at Rally Islas Canarias

Pirelli drivers have dominated all the categories on the Rally Islas Canarias, the first asphalt round of the FIA European Rally Championship, by winning every stage. Russian driver Alexey Lukyanuk dominated the event, winning 10 stages, finishing nearly a minute ahead ahead of title rival Kajetan Kajetanowicz, also on Pirelli tyres. Both were driving Ford Fiesta R5 cars. Kajetanowicz was the only other stage winner on the island event, clinching two fastest times.
Alexey Lukyanuk Chris Ingram
Alexey Lukyanuk Chris Ingram
Pirelli also won the Production class with Hungarian Mitsubishi driver Tibor Erdi, as well as the two-wheel drive category with Francisco Cima in an R3-class Renault. Pirelli tyres were on the top R2 car as well, driven by Opel’s ERC Junior title-contender Chris Ingram. Lukyanuk now leads the championship overall, with Ingram leading ERC Junior U27. The rally: Conditions were dry and hot for the rally, increasing demands on the tyres used. The asphalt itself was also extremely abrasive, which also provided another factor for the tyres to overcome. Nonetheless, the P Zero compounds performed perfectly on a wide variety of different cars. Quotes: Alexey Lukyanuk, rally winner (Ford Fiesta R5): “It’s great, we made huge progress in one year and was dominant here. I’m really proud of the performance: thanks to our sponsors and Pirelli for great tyres and our team for a great car. It means so much to us. Three weeks ago, I was devastated after we lost the lead in the Azores but now I am in heaven. I did a lot of mental work at home. I only did a 50-kilometre test before the event but I was already prepared and I knew what to do with the car and set-up and how to handle it. We weren’t taking any risks but it would have been a crime not to push when you have a car as good as this. I’m really happy it worked for us.” Terenzio Testoni, Pirelli rally activity manager: “Despite the extremely tough conditions on the rally, our tyres proved to be both fast and reliable, enabling Pirelli to dominate the rally in every category, both with two-wheel and four-wheel drive cars. We had particularly good times on the longer stages, underlining the durability of the RK5A product in particular, which was used by the top drivers in the R5 category.” Fact of the day: Sometimes to win, you need to get a radical haircut. Alexey Lukyanuk said before the rally: “After my recent bad luck, I decided to shave my head. I thought this might leave all the bad luck behind along with my hair.” Obviously, his unconventional tactic worked... What's next? The next round of the FIA European Rally Championship is the legendary Acropolis Rally, a happy hunting ground for Pirelli in the past, which takes place from June 2-4 on rough gravel. For further information please contact: Anthony Peacock • +44 7765 896 930 • anthony@mediaticaworld.com Copyright-free videos, photos as well as latest media news are available for editorial use from: www.pirelli.com/f1pressarea (registration required). Follow us on Twitter @pirellisport or Facebook: Pirelli Motorsport. Please also visit the Pirelli website for more information on the company: www.pirelli.com.