Scuderia Italia, Pirelli and Ferrari Win LMES (Gt1) Istanbul Race and Title

Istanbul, 14 November 2005 - Having officially entered the GT class of the long distance Le Mans Endurance Series only this year, Pirelli has succeeded in winning the overall title at its first attempt with the Ferrari 550 Maranello of Scuderia Italia, who beat all the other teams, driven by Pescatori-Bartyan-Seiler, winners of the drivers' championship. Coming an outstanding 1- 2 in the GT1 class with winner Pescatori's Ferrari ahead of a sister 550 driven by Fabio Babini, Pirelli and BMS-Scuderia Italia crown a season that saw them fight hard against their many competitive adversaries on legendary motor racing circuits such as Silverstone, Spa, Silverstone, Monza and the Nurburgring. As Paul Hembery, head of Pirelli Competizioni, reveals, " Winning the final event of the series at Istanbul circuit, we have shown the high qualitative standard of our P Zero , which are always at the top level of efficiency in all conditions. The superiority of the Pirelli tyres in Turkey was obvious, especially in the race itself, where their ability was notable in demanding conditions, considering the final stages were run in heavy rain. I'm, obviously, pleased with the result of the race and the series, in which Pirelli attained maximum honours in the teams' and drivers' championships, as well as a number of outstanding victories. Another excellent performance at Istanbul was that of the Ferrari 360 Modenas of Ecurie Ecosse and GPC Corse, which gave us another fine 1- 2 in the GT2 class. "It was a difficult race, but Pirelli gave us the right tyres at the right moment to make the difference", said Christian Pescatori, winner of the race and title at Istanbul. " The track conditions changed considerably during the six hours of racing, going from slightly damp asphalt at the start to the flooding of the final laps. With driving conditions so difficult, the wet weather P Zero showed their superiority over the opposition, permitting us to maintain a high rhythm, running two stints with P Zero wets of medium-soft compound, and gave us much more grip than the tyres on the cars of our main title adversaries". Pierluigi De Cancellis, Circuit Manager of Pirelli Competizioni, concluded, " In qualifying as in the race, the performance of the P Zeros certainly augers well for the upcoming FIA-GT races in Dubai and Bahrain. Perhaps the weather conditions will not be the same, but the results achieved by the Ferraris at Istanbul in both the GT1 and the GT2 categories confirm the high qualitative and competitive standards returned over the year by the P Zeros as well as the drivers and cars, independent of the type of circuit and weather".