RK for RK as Pirelli chases WRC success with Kubica

Pirelli will put its tyres to the test on asphalt, gravel, ice and snow during the upcoming World Rally Championship season – and grand prix winner Robert Kubica will head the company’s challenge in a Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

Robert Kubica will use Pirelli tyres for his third season in the WRC

Kubica scored two outright rally wins last year using Pirelli tyres and will continue his partnership with the Milan manufacturer when he enters his third WRC season. Also using Pirelli tyres are Czech driver Martin Prokop, who switched to the Italian firm in Spain last October and has proved to be a regular points finisher, as well as Italy’s Lorenzo Bertelli, who steps up to the main WRC1 class this year after leading WRC2 for much of 2014. Leading Pirelli drivers on Rallye Monte-Carlo Robert Kubica is among a number of drivers using Pirelli products in the 2015 WRC, which begins with the iconic Rallye Monte-Carlo from January 21-25. Confirmed runners include on the asphalt event include: WRC 16 Robert Kubica (POL)/Maciej Szczepaniak (POL) Ford Fiesta RS WRC 21 Martin Prokop (CZE)/Jan Tomanek (CZE) Ford Fiesta RS WRC 37 Lorenzo Bertelli (ITA)/Giovanni Bernacchini (ITA) Ford Fiesta RS WRC WRC2 36 Julien Maurin (FRA)/Nicolas Klinger (FRA) Ford Fiesta R5 41 Armin Kremer (DEU)/Klaus Wicha (DEU) Skoda Fabia S2000 42 Henk Lategan (ZAF)/Barry White (ZAF) Skoda Fabia S2000 OTHER 25 Olivier Burri (CHE)/Fabrice Goron (FRA) Ford Fiesta R5 26 Felice Re (ITA)/Mara Bariani (ITA) Citroen DS3 R5 28 Marco Giuseppe Silva (ITA)/Giovanni Pina (ITA) Ford Fiesta R5 The tyres

Lorenzo Bertelli is stepping up to a Pirelli-shod World Rally Car in 2015

For Rallye Monte-Carlo, Pirelli will supply its latest generation RK and RKW tyres, first introduced on Rallye Deutschland last year and now evolved for 2015 to take on board the lessons learned from last season. The hard compound RK5A will be used in the unlikely event of dry conditions with the soft compound RKW7 available if it is cold and damp. A supersoft tyre, RKSS, will also be supplied for Rallye Monte-Carlo along with the latest Sottozero, which comes with and without studs. The Sottozero is ideal in the event of slush and snow on the road. The rules Tyre quantities are down in 2015 with five tyres allowed per change on Rallye Monte-Carlo, plus four additional spare tyres. However, there is no restriction on tyre use in shakedown to encourage drivers to undertake more running. In total, World Rally Car drivers can use 34 tyres from an allocation of 82. Prior to the start of the season, tyre companies registered one tyre for asphalt use, available in hard and soft compounds, and one for gravel use, again in hard and soft compounds. Tyre companies can also provide a supersoft compound for Rallye Monte-Carlo only (RKSS) plus a snow tyre (Sottozero) with studs and without studs. Regulations also require the use of 18-inch wheel rims. The tyre quantities for Rallye Monte-Carlo are as follows: RKH (hard compound, for abrasive and dry conditions): WRC: 8/WRC2: 8 RKS (soft compound, for wet and mixed conditions): WRC: 16/WRC2: 16 RKSS (supersoft compound, for icy, black ice and low grip): WRC: 24/WRC2: 16 Sottozero (without studs): WRC: 10/WRC2: 10 Sottozero (with studs): WRC: 24/WRC2: 24 Quotes Paul Hembery, Pirelli Motorsport director: “Rallye Monte-Carlo is one of those iconic events in motorsport, right up there with the Monaco Grand Prix, Le Mans, or the Indy 500. So we can think of nowhere better to start the season and welcome Robert Kubica into our family, off the back of his double victory with Pirelli last year at the Monza Rally and Bettega Rallysprint. Having returned to the World Rally Championship last year, a series that forms an important part of our history, we’re delighted to be able to offer our private customers competitive products that proved capable of winning stages against the factory teams last year.” Matteo Braga, Pirelli senior tyre engineer: “We start Rallye Monte-Carlo just a few weeks after our dominant 1-2-3 finish on the European championship Jannerrallye. While the weather conditions were very consistent in Austria, we must be prepared for changeable weather on Rallye Monte-Carlo. You can have one stage that’s completely dry and then the next stage could have full snow so tyre choice is always a compromise. Because of that, our tyre range for Monte Carlo has been designed to be particularly adaptable to a very wide range of conditions. And there’s the logistical challenge due to the increased quantities of tyres we must bring to the event and the use of two service parks.”

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For more information about Pirelli, please contact Anthony Peacock on +44 7765 896 930 or anthony@mediaticaworld.com