Pirelli to be the exclusive WRC tyre supplier 2008-2010
PIRELLI TO BE THE EXCLUSIVE WRC
TYRE SUPPLIER 2008-2010
The Milan-based company, which this year celebrates a century of motorsport success, will supply its PZero tyres on all the cars competing in the World Rally Championshi
This is the second exclusive contract obtained by Pirelli in 2007 following
the Grand Am series in the USA
Milan, 27 February 2007 - Pirelli, which this year celebrates a century of motorsport success, will be the exclusive tyre supplier to the WRC (World Rally Championship) for the three-year period 2008-2010. The FIA world council, meeting today in an extraordinary session in Paris, has accepted Pirelli's offer for the supply of tyres, appreciating not only the product and the firm's capacity for technological innovation, but also the objective of valorising young talent and promoting national championships. Pirelli is already present in around 20 national and international rally championships as well as the IRC (Intercontinental Rally Challenge). Among the motivations for the FIA's choice is Pirelli's century-long commitment to motorsport and rallies in particular. Pirelli's successful tender for the WRC contract is the company's second such victory in the space of a few weeks: in late January, the Grand Am series, the United States' most exciting championship for prototypes and one of the most popular among American fans, opted for Pirelli PZero tyres for the three-year period 2008-2010.
"Racing is in Pirelli's DNA so clearly an agreement of such importance is recognition of a commitment to motorsport that has continued uninterrupted for a hundred years", explains Paul Hembery, director of Pirelli Competizioni. "In the specific case of the World Rally Championship, operating in perfect synergy with the FIA, the ISC, the drivers and the constructors, we decided to make a concrete contribution to the promotion of this magnificent sport in which Pirelli has obtained memorable victories and which has provided experience that has been invaluable in the development of production tyres."
In 2007 Pirelli will also be competing in the IRC (with races in Europe, Africa and Asia) and around twenty international and national championships including those in Australia, Poland, Ireland, Hungary, Romania, Turkey and Austria, Greece, Switzerland and Germany, as well as France, New Zealand, Brazil, Portugal-Azores and the Middle East and Asia-Pacific championships. "Clearly this is a considerable commitment, but one which Pirelli has equipped itself to tackle so as to always be capable of offering competitive products to those drivers racing with Pirelli PZero tyres" underlines Mario Isola, Pirelli Competizioni's Rally Manager.
For more information and pictures on Pirelli's motorsport activities visit: www.pirellicompetizioni.com
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