Pirelli ups the pace in New Zealand rally

Auckland (NZ), 9 April 2005 - Two Pirelli-equipped cars are second and third after leg two of the all-gravel Rally New Zealand. Peugeot's Gronholm and Subaru driver Solberg, both running on Pirelli tyres, enjoyed a fierce battle throughout the day as they traded podium places. Heading into the final leg of round four of the World Rally Championship, Gronholm holds the runner-up spot 7 seconds ahead of Solberg. Eighth place for Galli's Mitsubishi means that all three of Pirelli's teams are in comfortable points-scoring positions. Conditions on the Rally New Zealand's second leg were similar to those on the opening Friday, with a thin layer of loose gravel on a hard base and two repeated stages. Overnight rain meant that the opening stage of the day was damp, so Solberg chose the KM4 PZero in the morning which is designed to work effectively in these types of conditions. Gronholm chose a harder KP2 tyre in the morning, as he felt that his choice the preceding afternoon had been too soft, while the remaining Pirelli runners selected the KP4 for the morning's three stages. In the warmer conditions of the afternoon, the Subarus of Solberg and Atkinson switched to the harder KP2 tyres, as did both Mitsubishis. This tried-and-trusted rubber, which won on its 2004 New Zealand debut, enabled Solberg to set two fastest times over the course of the day. The Peugeots used the latest evolution Pirelli XR tyres for the first time in New Zealand, designed to work effectively on the cleanest stages of the rally with little loose gravel. The final leg of the 2005 Rally New Zealand consists of four stages run consecutively, with just a fuel and tyre stop at Raglan in between. Rally New Zealand (Round 4/16) - Classification after leg two 1 Loeb-Elena Citroen Xsara WRC 2h33m36.4s 2 Gronholm-Rautiainen Peugeot 307 WRC +51.9s 3 Solberg-Mills Subaru Impreza WRC +58.7s 4 Duval-Prevot Citroen Xsara WRC +1m20.0s 5 Gardemeister-Honkanen Ford Focus WRC +2m22.0s 6 Martin-Park Peugeot 307 WRC +2m31.9s 7 Atkinson-Macneall Subaru Impreza WRC +2m58.8s 8 Galli-d'Amore Mitsubishi Lancer WRC +4m32.4s 9 Rovanpera-Pietilainen Mitsubishi Lancer WRC +4m46.6s 10 Stohl-Minor Citroen Xsara WRC +4m48.3s More informations and pictures on Pirelli's motor sport activities: www.pirellicompetizioni.com