10
October
2006
|
10:00
Europe/Amsterdam

Pirelli is to chase GT1 titles at Adria

ALREADY FIA-GT 2006 GT2 CHAMPION,
PIRELLI IS TO CHASE GT1 TITLES AT ADRIA

Pirelli Competizioni to go after Drivers' and Constructors' GT1 championships.
Maseratis (GT1) and Ferraris (GT2) on P Zero Racing tyres among the favourites.


Milan, 10 October 2006 - The Adria track, 70 kilometres from Venice, is the shortest on which the cars of the FIA-GT Championship compete. And it is due to the brevity of the circuit that it comprises an almost infinite sequence of tight radius corners with a single straight, which is also short. It is on this really tortuous track that Pirelli Competizioni will be aiming to increase its considerable number of titles it already holds in the international FIA-GT series.

After having won the Constructors' and Team championships in the GT2 class with the Ferrari 430 GTCs of AF Corse, and then having repeated Vitaphone Racing's 2005 success in the Team classification of GT1, Pirelli will definitely win the GT2 Drivers' title at Adria, which will be contested between the two crews of AF Corse, Bobbi-Melo and Aguas-Salo. However, the task of drivers on P Zero Racing will be more arduous in GT1. The top Maserati crew of Bertolini-Bartels currently heads the Drivers' table, but the threat constituted by their competitive opponents like Piccini, Deletraz and Bert is very real at a time when there are only two races to go before the end of the season: after the Italian race, the FIA-GT Championship will compete again in November at the Dubai circuit. For its part, Maserati is in a position to repeat its last year's success and vie for the GT1 Manufacturers' title. However, the MC12s will have to defend themselves from the attacks of the Aston Martins, among which are the Pirelli-shod DBR9s of Aston Martin Racing-BMS, and which are twice as numerous as the Maseratis: two MC12 against four British coupés.

Pierluigi De Cancellis, Circuit Manager of Pirelli Competizioni, says, "We will take new P Zero Racings to Adria, with medium tread compounds for the front and rear axles of the MC12s, while in the case of the 'Italian' Aston Martins we will have new tyres with a completely new, soft compound for the front and rear. In the GT2 class, both the Ferrari 430 GTCs and Porsche 996 GT3-RSRs will be fitted with very recently designed P Zero Racings, which have already shown their competitiveness. They are products that made their debut two weeks ago at Budapest".

Said Fabio Babini, who came an optimum second in qualifying and third overall in Hungary in a DBR9-Pirelli of Team Aston Martin Racing-BMS, "The short, tortuous Venetian circuit demands notable effort from the brakes and tyres. On this track, I would say the favourites will be the cars with really good acceleration and torque, but more than anything else qualifying will be decisive at Adria: as it is also a very narrow track with only a few places where one can overtake, starting from the front is fundamental. So it will be important to set up the cars well during free practice so that they are suitably prepared for the brief 20 minute qualifying session".


For more information and pictures on Pirelli's motorsport activities visit: www.pirellicompetizioni.com

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