Safari Rally

Round eight of the World Rally Championship takes the crews to the event that offers the roughest terrain and the most demanding climatic conditions - the Safari Rally. Kenya also sees some of the highest speeds on the championship and these, combined with the rugged surface, brings extreme difficulties for the cars, drivers and the tyres. From July 20-22 Pirelli's PZero range of gravel tyres will be called upon to prove that the recent run of three consecutive, dominant, gravel victories came not just through good fortune. The tough timed sections in Africa, together with the certain high temperatures, make the Safari Rally a true test of resistance balanced with performance. The PZero gravel range has taken three big wins recently. Initially in Argentina, then to Cyprus and Greece, the Pirelli logo has accompanied Colin McRae's Ford Focus WRC to dominant successes. Backing this performance has been Pirelli's top four places in Argentina, the top three in Cyprus and the top two in Greece where only late technical problems denied Richard Burns and Carlos Sainz the chance to make it another 1-2-3-4 result. On these three events it was clear that the PZero gravel tyres operate at a very high level of performance and reliability.

This performance must be continued in Kenya where, apart from the rough roads and high temperatures, any chance of rain could transform the roads into rivers of mud. The rally is usually run in the spring and so what effect the weather will have for the new date is unknown. Pirelli will again rely on the K and XR tyres for this event, Ford and Subaru knowing that these give the best options for all conditions they may encounter.

With the rule demanding only two tread patterns be chosen by each team, Pirelli's partners are relying on the tyre options that dominated the stage times in Greece and that brought a spectacular puncture-free 1-2 result for Richard Burns and Subaru on last year's Safari Rally.

TWO PATTERNS WITHOUT EMI
Around 1500 tyres in two tread patterns (K and XR, both with evolutions) comprise the PZero range of tyres present in Kenya. However, while there remains the option to use the EMI anti-deflation system in extreme cases, it is likely that most sections will be run without the system. Last year this option brought a famous victory for Richard Burns without a single puncture on either his Subaru or that of his second-placed team-mate Juha Kankkunen.
 

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

THE PIRELLI TEAM FOR SAFARI

OUR DRIVERS SAID...
COLIN McRAE
Pirelli has a great reputation on the Safari Rally so I'm looking forward to the 2001 event. The XR tyre is well suited to long, rough stages and has always been on the fastest cars in those conditions. Obviously my confidence is running high after three successive gravel wins. Leading the championship means I'm first on the road but that shouldn't be a major problem providing we avoid the animals that can be quite prevalent on the first and third legs.

CARLOS SAINZ
Pirelli has proved in previous years to be very competitive on this rally so it's quite promising for that reason. Ford has also been enjoying competitiveness and reliability over the past few events so we're feeling quite confident. The Safari isn't my favourite event because the unique nature of the rally makes it less safe than the rest but it's still a great challenge.

RICHARD BURNS
My first WRC win came on the Safari in 1998 and, of course I won last year so I've got good memories and a good record on this event. I'm looking forward to it immensely and if Pirelli can give us the kind of reliability we enjoyed last year when Subaru took the top two places without a single puncture then there's no reason at all why we can't win again.

PETTER SOLBERG
This is probably the event where I've got more experience than any of the others so I'm really looking forward to it. It's also an event that's usually good for Pirelli so we've got good reason to be confident. I love the rally but I must still be careful and make sure I get another good result after finishing second in Greece.

AROUND THE WORLD IN 14 EVENTS

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/snow/ice mixture.

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.

Carlos Sainz drives his Pirelli-equipped Ford very close to victory, leading with just one stage to go before being narrowly beaten by Makinen's Mitsubishi. 4th place (and first points of 2001) for Subaru's ace Burns. Positive performance for the PZero gravel range of tyres, always used in the KM6 option with varying level of hand cuts.

Near summer temperatures drastically altered the technical challenge in Spain while the situation was also affected by technical problems for both Ford and Subaru on the opening day. As a result the Pirelli drivers were forced to run further down the order on the second day where dirty roads prevented an effective attack. The PZero tyre range performed well but these problems ensured the results were inconclusive.

Victory was secured for Pirelli with a dominant performance by the PZero gravel range of tyres that won all but four of the 21 stages. Colin McRae brought the first win for the Pirelli-Ford partnership ahead of Subaru driver Richard Burns and an injured but still impressive Carlos Sainz (Ford-Pirelli). This was a major result for the K and KM pattern tyres on a difficult event.

Once more the PZero range of gravel tyres dominated the first four places on the rally with Colin McRae (Ford-Pirelli) taking his second win in a row from Richard Burns (Subaru-Pirelli). Carlos Sainz's Ford finished third ahead of Toshihiro Arai's Subaru. This was a major result for the XR2 tyres used on every stage of the event to secure this top performance.

Another gravel victory for Pirelli and the third win in succession for the Ford Focus WRC of Colin McRae and Nicky Grist. The Pirelli PZero range's domination was almost total, winning all but one of the stages, with Petter Solberg's Subaru taking second and the Ford of Francois Delecour fourth. Only late mechanical problems for Richard Burns and Carlos Sainz denied them podium places.