Pirelli Dominent at Imola for Second Straight Year

IMOLA, Italy, May 31, 2005 For the second straight year, a Pirelli-shod American GT team was on top of the podium this past weekend at Imola, home of the fourth round in the 2005 FIA GT Championship. Last year, the Saleen S7R of Bartels-Alzen outpaced the Italian competition offered by Maserati, Ferrari and Lamborghini. This year, though, it was the Pirelli-shod Corvette C5R of Hezemans-Longin- Kumpen that ended an exceptional weekend in the best way possible. The Corvette C5Rs are well known for their overwhelming performances in the American Le Mans Series and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. But never before in the FIA GT Championship. After showing signs of quickness earlier in the season, the yellow American coupe turned the heat on by dominating practice, qualifying and the race at Imola, dictating the pace over the entire 500-kilometer event. The Belgian-Dutch teams success was particularly noteworthy considering that the Corvette competed on P Zero Racing tires with extremely soft compounds, which guaranteed an optimum and constant level of grip on a circuit made really slippery by the excessive heat (asphalt 122 degrees F). Mike Hezemans, who took pole position and set the races fastest lap, was able to race to a substantial lead over the opposition during his stint at the wheel. The C5R tires supplied by Pirelli Competizioni showed only the slightest sign of going off, despite the exceptional heat of the day, and they always adapted well to our set-ups, said Hezemans. With this result, we not only put ourselves back in the championship race, but we also confirmed the outstanding partnership of the Corvette-Pirelli team, a new partnership that has already produced excellent results. The P Zero Racing tires were also praised by the top Maserati driver in the race, Fabio Babini, who said, The road holding of the tires was excellent in conditions on the limit like those of today, especially considering that the Pirellis enabled us to cover two driving stints without changing the fronts at all, even though we carried 80 kilos of ballast. Babini-Biagi and their Vitaphone Maserati MC12 are now on their own at the top of the provisional drivers championship table. Pierluigi De Cancellis, Pirelli Competizionis Circuit Manager, was clearly satisfied with the Imola result, saying, The Corvettes victory confirms the outstanding qualities of our P Zeros racing in severe heat conditions, conditions which will probably be repeated during the next three or four races. With four Pirelli-shod cars in the top five at Imola, it was a very special weekend for us.