Rally of Portugal

After the snow and ice of Monte Carlo and Sweden, the Rally of Portugal marks the third round of the World Rally Championship and the first of the year on gravel. After the performances of Ford and Pirelli on the first two rounds, along with the usually fast Subarus, there has been seen a high level of competitiveness from everyone that has led to high expectations for 2001. In particular the Nordic event saw the 'long P' take the majority of stage wins and several times the Italian tyres monopolised the top three places.

However, this is not enough. Having proved its performance and durability, Pirelli now needs to win...starting in Portugal. The gravel events gave Pirelli three wins last year (in Portugal, the Kenyan Safari Rally and also in Argentina) and this is the main surface of the global series. This year's event (March 8-11) is expected to be fast and with surfaces that can be muddy, hard, rocky, soft or sandy the PZero range of gravel tyres will be called upon to confirm its leading position.

Pirelli is ready to tackle whatever surface and conditions the elements provide through a variety of compounds and constructions of the K and KM-pattern tyres with some specific evolutions designed solely for this event to ensure the maximum performance and reliability on any type of surface.

With the rule defining only two types of tread pattern available for this event, Pirelli has adapted its tyre range for Portugal to ensure the optimum choice for the varying surface conditions. Pirelli has enjoyed great success in Portugal with the PZero range of tyres, most recently last year with Richard Burns in the new Impreza WRC. However the Ford drivers, including current championship leader Carlos Sainz and also Colin McRae, both won this event during their time with the Pirelli-equipped Subaru team in 1995 and 1998 respectively.

GRAVEL MEANS...

Around 2500 tyres in two tread patterns (K and KM, both with evolutions specifically designed for the harder surfaces of leg two and the softer, sandy surfaces of legs one and three) for the PZero range of tyres present in Portugal. All are equipped with Pirelli's EMI anti-deflation system.

FOR HARD OR ROCKY SURFACES

K (Size 205/65-15)

TypeA tyre for essentially hard surfaces

Compound options2, 4 (with evolutions) and 6

DescriptionLevel 2 is for a dry surface, level 4 is for damp roads and level 6 for muddy conditions. All the K-pattern tyres are able to be additionally hand cut. Level 2 and 4 are expected to be the main choice for leg 2.

FOR SMOOTH OR DAMP SURFACES

KM (Size 205/65-15)

TypeTyre for smoother or sandy surfaces

Compound options2, four (with evolutions) and 6

DescriptionLevel 2 and 4 are for use on dry, sandy and smooth surfaces such as those close to Fafe. Level 4 can also be used damp conditions and level 6 in the wet. Level 4 is considered the base tyre for legs 1 and 3.

NOTE:The higher the compound number, the softer the tyre.

THE PIRELLI TEAM FOR PORTUGAL

3 Ford Focus RSMcRae-Grist, Sainz-Moya &

Delecour-Grataloup

4 Subaru Impreza WRCBurns-Reid , Solberg-Mills, Martin-Park, Arai-McNeall

4 Mitsubishi Lancer Group NTrelles, Galli, Pozzo & Ligato

...plus other teams not regularly contesting the World Rally Championship.

OUR DRIVERS SAID...

COLIN McRAE

Portugal is not an especially technical rally for tyre choice but you have to choose your options correctly in advance. It can be quite a tricky event if it gets really wet and road position is important if it's dry and dusty. It's not always best to be first on the road but you don't want to be running in other people's dust either.

CARLOS SAINZ

We are going to have to work very hard in the short gap between Sweden and Portugal because we've not done any gravel testing with Pirelli. Hopefully we will adapt quickly and can maintain the form we've shown so far this year.

RICHARD BURNS

Having won this event last year I know that we're in good shape. I set 12 fastest times on last year's event, far more than anyone else. Our new car is quicker than last year's version and the tyres have also improved in the past 12 months. I'm looking for a good result to get my championship challenge going this year.

PETTER SOLBERG

I don't have a lot of experience of this event but I set a fastest time last year before I had to retire from the event. It was important to get a good result for Subaru in Sweden and now I hope I can do the same in Portugal.

AROUND THE WORLD IN 14 EVENTS

Monte Carlo19-21 JanuaryAsphalt/snow/ice

A great start to the season for Pirelli in Monte Carlo with the Ford Focus RS of Colin McRae leading after the second leg before having to retire with a mechanical problem. The PZero range proved to be efficient, competitive and wear resistant on all surfaces including the traditional Monte Carlo asphalt/ice/snow mixture.

Sweden9-11 FebruarySnow/ice/gravel

The most stage wins but no victory - that was the result for Pirelli in Sweden. If it were not for the time spent off the road on the first day, either the Ford of Colin McRae or the Subaru of Richard Burns would most likely have emerged as the winner along with the other Ford of long-time leader Carlos Sainz. It was a superb performance by the new PZero tyres with their Italian-made studs.

Portugal9-11 MarchGravel

Catalunya20-25 MarchAsphalt

Argentina 4-6 MayGravel

Cyprus1-3 JuneGravel

Acropolis15-17 JuneGravel

Safari20-22 JulyGravel

Finland24-26 AugustGravel

New Zealand21-23 SeptemberGravel

San Remo5-7 OctoberAsphalt

Corsica19-21 OctoberAsphalt

Australia1-4 NovemberGravel

Great Britain22-25 NovemberGravel

Milan, 2 March 2001