Pirelli: Official Partner and Supplier to European and Brazilian Maserati Trophy

Milan, March 23 2005 - Pirelli will continue in its important role as official partner and supplier to the Maserati Trophy in 2005, in addition to the campaign on this year's FIA GT Championship. In the last few months, Pirelli technicians have developed several new tyres uniquely created for the brand new Trofeo GranSport, Maserati's new car for the 2005 Maserati Trophy. Pirelli Competizioni's new P Zero rubber will offer the Maserati Trophy's drivers a significant step forward in terms of speed and handling. Pirelli Competizioni's chief circuit racing engineer, Pierluigi De Cancellis, said: "The remarkable synergy between Maserati and Pirelli has given us a lot of opportunities and promising results in terms of research and development. We have been presented with an excellent chance to create a brand new range of tyres that offer greater performance in all areas." The new P Zero tyre that will be fitted to the powerful Trofeo GranSport is the most recent fruit of the extremely close collaboration between Pirelli Competizioni and Maserati. This successful partnership has gone from strength to strength since the start of the very first Maserati Trophy in Europe, which took place in 2003. Pirelli is delighted offer its support as a tyre supplier and consultant to all drivers and technicians during the entire 2005 Maserati Trophy season. The Italian tyre manufacturer is already engaged in the Brazilian Maserati Trophy, a championship held in a country that has always been an extremely important market for Pirelli. The long-established Pirelli presence in Brazil includes a factory in Campinas and a research and development facility in Taubat. For more information and pictures on Pirelli's motorsport activities visit: www.pirellicompetizioni.com