Pirelli dominates the Safari Rally!

NAIROBI (Kenya), February 27, 2000 - Considered the thoughest rally of the World Championship, the 2000 Safari event was dominated by the WRC Subaru Imprezas, but also by Pirelli and its PZero gravel range of tyres, which monopolized the final podium. Richard Burns and Juha Kankkunen scored 1st and 2nd place, ahead of the SEAT-Pirelli driven by Didier Auriol. Pirelli also scored 6th place overall with Arai's Subaru and top 3 GrN positions.

Pirelli-fitted cars used for the whole event PZero XR-tread tyres, which proved their super-competiveness and long-lasting characteristics even without the EMI anti-deflation system. The XR choice enabled Burns to score the 114th win of Pirelli in a rally counting for the World Championship. This result came home without a single puncture on the two Subarus: considering the extremely hard gravel racing ground and the very high temperatures, this must be considered a super technical result, as showed by the many punctures which slowed down the other cars.

After this superb 1-2-3 result, Subaru-Pirelli now heads the Manufacturers' World Championship standing, while Burns and Kankkunen climbs the Drivers' one ensuring themselves 2nd and 3rd championship positions.

FINAL STANDING (12 SSs):

1. Burns-Reid (Subaru-Pirelli), 8h33m13; 2. Kankkunen (Subaru-Pirelli) + 4m37;3. Auriol (SEAT-Pirelli) + 22m44; 4. Sainz (Ford) +28m18; 5. Solberg (Ford) +31m27; 6. Arai (Subaru-Pirelli) +44m53; 7. Schwarz (Skoda) +58m58;; . . . ; 9. (10 Gr.N) Menzi (Mitsubishi-Pirelli) + 2h05m54

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDING (after 3 events)
 

Drivers':
1. Makinen pt. 16; 2. Burns 12; 3. Kankkunen 11; 4. Gronholm 10; 5. Sainz 9; 6. McRae and Auriol 4; 8. Gardemeister and Radstrom 3. . .

Manufacturers:
1. Subaru-Pirelli pt. 25; 2. Mitsubishi 18; 3. Ford 13; 4. Peugeot 11; 5. SEAT-Pirelli 7; 6. Skoda, 3

Group N:
1. Stohl 17; 2. Paasonen and Menzi 10; 4. Trelles and Sanchez 6 . . .

Next World Champ. event: Portugal (gravel), March 16-19