Swedish Rally
The 2001 season got off to a strong start in Monte Carlo for Pirelli. Without a frustrating technical problem for the Ford Focus RS of Colin McRae, the rally leader after two of the three Legs might have gone on to take victory. Even so, the new partnership between the 'long P' and Ford made almost as good a beginning as possible. The performance of Ford and Pirelli, along with that of Subaru that was fast and competitive at the beginning of the event before technical problems forced its withdrawal, shows that, even so early in the year, it is clear this will be a very competitive season.
There is little time to recover! Sweden (February 8-11) hosts the second round of the World Rally Championship and this time there will hopefully be more snow than in the recent past. This a rally dominated by the Nordic drivers who know well the conditions. If the weather seen in January continues then the event will be contested on snow and ice which will be welcomed by all who have recently had to contest this event on little more than frozen gravel. The challenge in those conditions was therefore heightened by the need to retain the all-important studs in the tyres.
Pirelli is ready to take up whatever challenge this year's event offers. The experience already gained by Pirelli on snow and the latest technology has been incorporated in the new range of PZero snow tyres, again with the help of local expert Harri Joki, and after long testing for the optimum performance.
The rule limiting the tyre options to just two tread patterns means that Pirelli's tyre range for Sweden is designed to offer the best solutions to the possible surface conditions and the different hardness of the roads. For this reason Pirelli has again chosen to use an asymmetric pattern for conditions where the surface is frozen gravel. This option was first introduced by Pirelli in 1997 where it was crucial to the victory achieved by the Subaru of Kenneth Eriksson.
DEPENDING ON THE SURFACE HARDNESS...
Pirelli comes to Sweden with a range of around 1500 tyres following another intense period of study, production and winter testing in northern Europe. All of the tyres used by the Pirelli 'army' are fitting with Pirelli's EMI anti-deflation system and all are constructed to the very latest evolution, specially created for this second round of the World Rally Championship. All of the tyres for Sweden will be studded.
FOR HARD SURFACES
J (Size 145/85-16)
Type: 'Base' tyre for ice and frozen gravel
Compound options: 2: Base and evolution
Description: An asymmetric design for use on frozen gravel or on ice. One stud option only.
FOR SOFT SURFACES AND SNOW
W (Size 145/85-16)
Type: Tyre for snow and for soft ice
Compound options: 2: A mixture of compounds and constructions to deal with different surface temperatures
Description:This tyre is designed to cut deep into the surface to obtain maximum grip and directional stability. It has a symmetrical tread pattern that can also be further hand cut for stages with deep or fresh snow.
THE PIRELLI TEAM FOR SWEDEN
3 Ford Focus RSMcRae-Grist, Sainz-Moya & Delecour/Grataloup
3 Subaru Impreza WRCBurns-Reid , Solberg/Mills & Martin-Park
1 Mitsubishi Lancer Group NGalli
...plus other teams not regularly contesting the World Rally Championship.
OUR DRIVERS SAID...
COLIN McRAE
It would be really good if the weather stays cold and we get a proper snow rally in Sweden this year. If you're on snow tyres with the proper spikes then the grip levels are incredible, better even than on gravel. Added to that, the presence of snow banks means we can push to the absolute limit and that makes this a very spectacular rally.
CARLOS SAINZ
It's probably fair to say that, in recent years when there has not been so much snow, this has been one of the toughest events for Pirelli. However we've got some new things for this year and I can already see a big improvement that I'm confident will make a real difference, even if we have to drive on frozen gravel instead of full snow.
RICHARD BURNS
Recent Swedish rallies haven't had much snow so we won't be testing until right before the recce to make sure we've got the right information. If the event runs on ice and gravel then it will be very difficult for everyone and the hardest problem will be to keep the studs in the tyres as long as possible. Last year we weren't far off the pace so with the promised improvements we should be able to start the event quite confident of a good result.
PETTER SOLBERG
I haven't driven on snow for two years now but my girlfriend (rally driver Pernilla Walfridsson) lives close to the rally route and she says this year could be a proper snow rally. That will be much better for the event, for our tyres and also for me I think.
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
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, 5 February 2001