Pirelli got this year’s European Rally Championship off to the best possible start, with victory for the Spanish duo of Nil Solans and Marc Marti in their Volkswagen Polo GTI R5. The similar car of Georg Linnamae and James Morgan was third, making it two Pirelli-equipped cars on the podium. 

Solans claimed a commanding lead right from the early stages on Saturday, run in damp and muddy conditions. He was able to rely on the Pirelli Scorpion KM6 tyres, which benefit from a special tread pattern to optimise expulsion of mud and water. This meant that the car felt stable and easy to control, even in the quite extreme conditions of the opening day. 

The Spanish crew managed to hold onto their lead during Sunday’s eight stages as well, which took place on gravel roads that are normally sandy but were damp and compact this time on account of the rain. The Pirelli-equipped drivers used the Scorpion KM6 for the first stage before moving onto the Scorpion K8, which was specifically developed to deal with these types of conditions. 

Terenzio Testoni, Pirelli’s Rally Activity Manager, said: “We’re very pleased with the performance of the two versions of our Scorpion on these gravel roads in Portugal, some of which are also used on the WRC. The crucial day was Saturday, the most challenging one, in which the KM6 tyres allowed the two Volkswagens driven by Solans and Linnamae to open up a notable advantage over their pursuers, while the KM8 equally helped them to manage their advantage throughout the following day. From the start we were sure of the reliability of these tyres here in Portugal, to the extent that these were the only two compounds we brought.” 

As well as Pirelli’s overall success, the Italian firm also dominated the RC3 category, won by Estonia’s Kaspar Kasari in a Ford Fiesta, and the RC4 classification, which was topped by Spain’s Oscar Ortiz Palomo in a Peugeot 208. 
 

Published on: 13 March 2022, 20:30 CET

Milan, July 18, 2021 – History was made on Rally Estonia with Pirelli, when Kalle Rovanpera became the youngest-ever driver to win a World Rally Championship event at the age of 20 years and 290 days: displacing the record previously established by his Toyota team boss Jari-Matti Latvala back in 2008, who won the Swedish Rally aged 22 years and 313 days (also on Pirelli tyres, in a Ford Focus WRC).

On some of the fastest roads seen all year, Rovanpera led home Hyundai’s Craig Breen, who equalled his best-ever result on his first taste of Pirelli’s gravel WRC1 tyres. Another Hyundai, driven by Thierry Neuville, completed the podium, while fourth place for Toyota’s Sebastien Ogier consolidates the Frenchman’s championship lead.

THE WINNING TYRE

For the first time the soft version of the Pirelli Scorpion KX was nominated as the main compound, with 24 tyres available to each driver, plus only eight tyres of the hard. This was despite temperatures that were unseasonably warm even for July in Estonia, with ambient temperatures in excess of 30 degrees centigrade and ground temperatures that peaked at more than 35 degrees. The soft tyre’s impressive grip was nonetheless perfectly suited to the compact and fast gravel stages of Estonia – with average speeds often in the region of 130kph – also standing up well to the punishment and forces exerted by the rapid jumps and unique conditions.

TERENZIO TESTONI, PIRELLI RALLY ACTIVITY MANAGER

“Congratulations to Kalle on this incredible new record achieved with us: he made his competitive debut in a World Rally Car with Pirelli back in 2017 at the Bologna Motor Show, where he won the Memorial Bettega, so to see him reach this milestone now after such a fast and mature drive is very satisfying. In spite of the unexpectedly high temperatures, the soft tyres – nominated for the first time as the main choice – performed extremely well here. With the hot weather, rapid stages, and phenomenal levels of downforce produced by the current Rally 1 cars – the fastest in the history of the sport – our Scorpion KX tyres were performing at the limit: tread temperatures in excess of 140 degrees centigrade were sometimes registered at the end of stages.”

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE

The heat and the speed of the stages was the biggest challenge in Estonia, requiring centimetre-perfect precision, helped by local knowledge. Local hero Ott Tanak set the majority of the fastest stage times but was forced to retire from Friday’s opening leg after going off while recovering from a puncture that cost him 26 seconds. Accurate pace notes were essential, as well as tyres that could cope with the sustained high speeds. The new construction introduced by Pirelli for Estonia worked very well, with no other major problems suffered by any of the drivers over the course of the 24 stages.

KEY STAGE: SS10 PEIPSIAARE (23.53KM)

After a flowing and very fast opening day, the Rally Estonia route turned north and turned technical first thing on Saturday morning. At 23.53 kilometres, this new-for-2021 test was the longest and the most challenging. Continually turning, diving in and out of the trees, with asphalt as well as gravel, the stage provided a solid workout for Pirelli’s Scorpion KX. This piece of road was also where Kalle Rovanpera lay the foundations for a historic win, with a stunning drive to take 10 seconds out of all his rivals.

THE CLASS WINNERS

Pirelli’s reigning European Rally Champion Alexey Lukyanuk, who also leads the European standings currently, won the Rally 2 category in Estonia by finishing eighth overall in a Skoda Fabia. Underlining the adaptability of Pirelli’s products to different manufacturers, a total of five different car brands finished in the top 10. The Junior World Rally Championship category, which is exclusively supplied by Pirelli to identify the next generation of stars, was won by Finland’s Sami Pajari.

NEXT WRC EVENT: Ypres Rally Belgium (asphalt), Belgium, August 13-15.

Published on: 18 July 2021, 19:15 CET

Champion Lukyanuk leads ERC1 contenders

Alexey Lukyanuk, who won the overall European crown on Pirelli tyres in both 2018 and 2020, returns this year in search of a third title. At Rally Poland, around half of the 40-strong entry in the top category for Rally2 cars will be on Pirelli tyres. This includes Lukyanuk and young Estonian Roland Poom, who will both drive Citroën C3 Rally2 cars for the Sainteloc Junior Team.

Others using the Italian company’s products include WRC2 regular Nikolay Gryazin and triple German champion Fabian Kreim (both driving Volkswagen Polo R5s) as well as Hyundai junior driver Gregoire Munster. Two Italian drivers will embark on full campaigns with Pirelli: The experienced Umberto Scandola in a Hyundai i20 and youngster Alberto Battistolli in a Skoda Fabia.

The tyres

Pirelli crews in Rally2 cars will be equipped with Pirelli Scorpion gravel tyres in K6 and K8 compounds, with K6 and K4 available to those in ERC Junior and ERC3 Junior. These are the same tyres as are tried and trusted on the World Rally Championship in the WRC2 and WRC3, proving themselves capable of tackling a wide variety of gravel conditions.

Pirelli rally manager Terenzio Testoni:

“The European Rally Championship is one of our most successful arenas, so we’re delighted to be heading back there to start another season, with many of our previous champions as well. The European Rally Championship offers a different challenge to the world series, but it’s just as demanding – with some of the most testing asphalt and gravel surfaces found anywhere. Unlike the World Rally Championship, the European Rally Championship features open competition between different tyre manufacturers, allowing us to compete directly against many of our rivals on these epic roads.”

ERC Junior makes shifts to Rally3

Dedicated to up-and-coming stars, the ERC Junior Championship is transformed for 2021 and is now reserved for drivers using Pirelli-equipped cars from the new Rally3 category: intended to provide a low-cost entry to four-wheel drive rallying. In Poland, 2020 ERC3 Junior champion Ken Torn goes up against Junior WRC contender Jon Armstrong, both in Ford Fiesta Rally3 cars. The champion wins a season in the new WRC3 Junior class for 2022.

Like Lukyanuk, Tibor Erdi Jr will attempt to defend his title in the production-based ERC2 class with Pirelli tyres on his Mitsubishi, with his rivals in Poland to include Abarth Rally Cup contender Dariusz Polonski.

The ERC3 Junior Championship continues to run exclusively for young drivers in two-wheel drive Rally4 machinery fitted with Pirelli tyres, with a field of 12 drivers entered for Poland.

About Rally Poland

Rally Poland is the second-oldest event in international rallying (behind Rallye Monte-Carlo) with its first edition taking place exactly 100 years ago, in 1921. Since 2005 it has been based on fast gravel roads around Mikolajki in the Masurian lake district, around three hours from the capital Warsaw – where the final stage of the 2021 edition will take place to mark the 100th anniversary. Rally Poland featured on the WRC calendar before returning to the ERC schedule in 2018.

The calendar

Rally Poland is the first of eight rounds scheduled for the 2021 ERC: four on gravel and four on asphalt.

June 18-20: Rally Poland (gravel)

July 1-3: Rally Liepaja (gravel)

July 23-25: Rally di Roma (asphalt)

August 27-29: Rally Zlin (asphalt)

September 16-18: Azores Rally (gravel)October 1-3: Rally Serras de Fafe (gravel)October 22-24: Rally Hungary (asphalt)November 18-20: Rally Islas Canarias (asphalt)

Published on: 17 June 2021, 18:36 CET

The challenge. As expected, the contenders will have to battle with Italian summer heat, as well as challenging stages with slippery asphalt. The tyres will have to consistently perform at their best on a wide variety of surfaces and be resistant to wear. Their role will be particularly important in Rome, which was a rally decided by just a few tenths of a second last year.

The Pirelli drivers. Alexey Lukyanuk will be one of the eagerly-awaited ERC protagonists: the Russian Ford Fiesta R5 driver will try to re-take the championship lead in Rome, which he recently lost despite the clear superiority of his performance this year. Two-time German champion Fabian Kreim is another highlight of the entry list in his Pirelli-equipped Skoda Fabia R5, leading the ERC Junior Under 28 classification. Last year’s ERC Junior Under 27 winner, Chris Ingram, returns to the championship in another Fabia R5 after missing several rallies through illness.Several Pirelli drivers make up the Italian championship field, including the returning Giandomenico Basso (Skoda Fabia R5), Andrea Crugnola (Ford Fiesta R5) and of course the two factory Peugeot 208 T16 entries for Marco Pollara and reigning Italian champion Paolo Andreucci. Following an accident last Friday, Andreucci’s regular co-driver Anna Andreussi will not be able to take part though.

The tyres. Pirelli will bring its famous PZero RK tyres for both championships: a tyre that is well-known for allowing drivers to showcase all their skills, while demonstrating a high degree of resistance to wear. Friday’s stages aren’t too abrasive but on Saturday the roads are more complex and technical, while Sunday’s stages are faster. The harder RK5 compound should be the most prevalent choice (especially for the two-wheel drive cars) rather than the softer RK7B, given the warm conditions. The Cinturato RW tyres are available if it rains – but this is extremely unlikely.

The rules. The ERC1 drivers (in R5 cars) and ERC2 drivers (in Group N cars) are allowed to use a maximum of 18 tyres, while for the two-wheel drive cars in the ERC Junior U27 category, the maximum number is 12 tyres.

Quotes.
Terenzio Testoni, Pirelli rally activity manager: “This year’s Rally di Roma takes place earlier than last year and will require plenty of performance from the tyres as well as strong resistance to wear, given the high temperatures expected.”Paolo Andreucci, Italian Rally Championship leader: “My accident last week was certainly frightening, but less serious than some people made out, and I’ve had the OK from my doctors to get back in the driving seat. Anna’s recovery will take a bit longer, so she can’t join me on this occasion, which is a pity.”

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For further information about Pirelli, please contact Anthony Peacock on +44 (0)7765 896 930 or anthony@mediaticaworld.com

For further information on Rally di Roma, visit www.fiaerc.com

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Pirelli Press Office Ph. +39 02 6442 4270 – pressoffice@pirelli.com – www.pirelli.com

The challenge: Taking place on the island of Sao Miguel in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the Azores Rally is one of the most spectacular rallies in the world. The sandy stages are often narrow, leaving little margin for error, and the weather can change rapidly between sunshine, rain and fog.

The Pirelli drivers: Alexey Lukyanuk returns to the championship with Pirelli tyres on his Ford Fiesta R5 and begins among the favourites after leading the event last year. Pirelli equips a number of drivers in the ERC Junior Under 28 class, including the reigning Under 27 champion Chris Ingram and two-time German champion Fabian Kreim in Skoda Fabia R5s, with Pirelli-supported Italian Tamara Molinaro also stepping up in a Ford Fiesta R5 after winning the Ladies Trophy in 2017.

As well as exclusively supplying the ERC Junior U27 class, where 11 drivers are entered in the Azores in R2 cars, Pirelli is also well-represented in ERC2 including with last year’s champion Tibor Erdi Jr and runner-up Zelindo Melegari. A number of Portuguese drivers will rely on Pirelli, including Carlos Vieira, Jose Pedro Fontes and Bernardo Sousa.

The products: Pirelli will supply its Scorpion K and Scorpion KM gravel tyres. The soft compound KM6 in particular is likely to be popular on the sandy stages. The K6 will also be available for more compact stages, with the supersoft K8 on hand in case of rain. ERC Junior U27 drivers will be able to choose from the K6 and the harder K4.

The rules: Drivers in ERC1 (for R5 cars) and ERC2 (for Group N) can use up to 18 tyres during the event, while ERC Junior U27 drivers get a maximum of 12 tyres.

Key stage: SS6/SS9 Sete Cidades (23.87km). The longest and most famous stage of the Azores Rally, parts of this stage take place along the rim of a volcanic crater lake. There is no time for the drivers to admire the view, with the road almost as narrow as the width of a car in places.

Pirelli rally activity manager Terenzio Testoni: “The Azores is one of the most spectacular gravel rallies in the world, where having the right tyre makes a massive difference. One of the biggest challenges is the very variable weather conditions, which means that crews and tyres have to cope with both bright sunshine and heavy rain: often on more than one occasion in the same day. We’re delighted to see several young drivers make the step up to the top class of the European championship with Pirelli, in keeping with our philosophy, and we look forward to watching their achievements.”

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For further information about Pirelli, please contact Anthony Peacock on +44 (0)7765 896 930 or anthony@mediaticaworld.com

For further information about the Azores Rally, visit www.fiaerc.com