WRC: Subaru and Pirelli take on the perils of the Acropolis Rally.

Milan, 29 May 2006 - Two weeks after the Rally d'Italia-Sardegna, the World Rally Championship is back in the news with the eighth round of the season - the Acropolis Rally (Greece).
A historic event in the international world of rallying and one that is famous for the extreme severity of its special stages. That is confirmed by the fact that, for this rally, the regulations permit teams to opt for two types of tread pattern compared to the usual single design competitors are obliged to use in almost all the other rallies in the championship.

Mario Isola, Rally Manager of Pirelli Competizioni, explains, "In Greece we will offer competitors using P Zero the KP tread pattern as the basic option, with the opportunity to use the XR in the case of repeated special stages. This is a design that works well when the timed section surfaces have been 'cleaned' by cars during their first run over such stages".

However, the Milanese technician points out, "This year, the rally is concentrated in an area north of Athens near Attica, which means the event's route is not very well known and that makes it even more difficult to define the ideal tyre choice. But in recent weeks, we have developed a new version of the P Zero XR and tested it extensively on gruelling roads typical of the 2006 Acropolis Rally".

In Greece, Pirelli Competizioni will supply the latest versions of its Pirelli P Zero KP and XR to the works Subaru Impreza WRC 06s of Chris Atkinson and Petter Solberg, as well as the Subaru Impreza in '05 configuration of Team Atolye Kazaz being driven by local idol Aris Vovos. For the first time, the Hellenic rally will also be a round in the World Production Championship.

Among the crews competing in the Greek rally's Group N are numerous cars fitted with Pirelli P Zero tyres. The 1,280 kilometre route, 355 km of which are divided into 18 special stages (nine different) will see the Mitsubishi Lancer Evos of Ligato, Beltran and Pozzo and the Subaru Impreza STIs of Arai, Kuzaj and Al-Attiyah competing for Group N honours.

For more information and pictures on Pirelli's motorsport activities visit: www.pirellicompetizioni.com

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