Pirelli in Germany to reinforce its FIA-GT championship leads

Milan, 24 August 2005 - After the outstanding performance of Van de Poele-Bartels-Scheider in the Team Vitaphone Maserati MC12 in the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps at the end of July, Pirelli is in an excellent overall position in the 2005 FIA-GT Championships, topping all the points tables: Maserati heads the constructors', Vitaphone the teams' and Wendlinger-Bertolini the drivers' title chases - all on Pirelli. This weekend, the series for these potent and spectacular Grand Touring cars is back in the news with the German counter at the Oschersleben track near Magdeburg, where P Zero tyres have every chance of doing well. The characteristics of the German track favour rear-engined cars with well-equilibrated set-ups and efficient traction control systems. Typically, such is the case with the Maserati MC12, which won its first race at Oschersleben a year ago and is a car that has returned to its place as the unquestioned protagonist of the FIA-GT Championship after its stunning performance in Belgium. Explains Pierluigi De Cancellis, Circuit Manager of Pirelli Competizioni, " On a drivers' circuit like Oschersleben, which is not very hard on tyres, the latest evolution of P Zero Racing tyres developed by Pirelli will permit confident driving in this German round of the FIA-GT Championship. The track's frequent corners and low level of its asphalt's abrasiveness give us the opportunity of considering the use of the soft tyres and strategies based on double driving stints without too much concern. Certainly, when racing at Oschersleben at the end of August, we cannot exclude the possibility of a few cloudbursts, but the performance of the Pirelli P Zero Racing intermediates at Spa was excellent, even in extreme conditions, for which I believe there is every reason why we should be confident as far as the Sunday race is concerned". But the 28 August race will still not be easy for the Maseratis. Regulations dictate that the two Vitaphone MC12s and the Wendlinger-Bertolini car must carry dozens of kilos of ballast, ranging from the 100 kg of the championships' leaders to the 90 kg of Bartels-Scheider and the 50 kg of Pirelli's official test driver, Fabio Babini. Fabio says of Oschersleben, " The most difficult part of the track is the triple left hand corner, which is taken in fifth but requires decisive braking while still steering. It is true that the P Zero Racing and the MC12s' high degree of stability give us a great advantage against the opposition. But Oschersleben is a short, drivers' track, on which it will be fundamental to start from the front of the grid to minimise the difficulty of overtaking; even the main straight is very short, a factor that should not be underestimated". The German event will feature the third last round of the Ferrari Challenge Europa, which is run exclusively on Pirelli tyres, as well as the 2005 FIA-GT Championship race. For more information and pictures on Pirelli's motorsport activities visit: www.pirellicompetizioni.com