Pirelli triumphs in Montecarlo Rally

The Italian tyremaker, returning to the world's most prestigious rally partnering the Ford Fiesta Super 2000 driven by Mikko Hirvonen, accompanies the car to victory Montecarlo, 23 January 2010. Pirelli returns to the Montecarlo Rally and takes the No. 1 place on the podium in the most prestigious and reknowned rally in the world, together with the debuting Ford Fiesta Super 2000 driven by Mikko Hirvonen, the only car officially fitted by Pirelli in the event. Leading from start to finish, the car driven by the Finnish star easily overcame the difficulties of the road thanks to its Pirelli Winter Sottozero and PZero tyres which, with their versatility and reliability, adapted to all the different conditions, from the ice in the mountain passes to the dry coastal asphalt. The winning Hirvonen-Ford-Pirelli trio brought to the Monaco event the experience built up in the world WRC championship, where Milan-based Pirelli has been sole supplier of tyres since 2008. Finnish-born Hirvonen, the 2009 world WRC vice champion, completed the rally with an overall time of 4h32'58"5, outpacing the Skoda Fabias of his compatriot Juho Hanninen and Frenchman Nicolas Vouilloz, respectively 1’51’’4 and 3’19’’1 behind. "It was a special return for Pirelli to Monte Carlo", said Paul Hembery, Pirelli Motorsport Director. "We had only one official entry for the event, but that proved sufficient as it was the winning combination of the debuting Ford Fiesta S2000 together with Ford official works driver Mikko Hirvonen. Our P Zero and Sottozero tyres performed perfectly in the cold, snow and ice conditions of this classic Monte Carlo event. Of course we were also competing against rival tyre manufacturers, but our product technology proved superior with Mikko barely troubled, in the lead from start to finish. We now turn our attention to the first WRC event of the season, in Sweden, where as the official supplier, we will again demonstrate the superior artic performance of the Pirelli Sottozero”.