Young talent conquers Corsica with Pirelli P Zero
Pirelli helped some of the most promising young drivers in rallying to tackle one of the sport’s toughest challenges in Corsica. As well as supplying the Junior World Rally Championship, for which Corsica was round two of the season, Pirelli claimed a strong third place in the WRC2 class.
Franceschi first in an all-French fight. As was the case in Sweden, two local drivers battled over the win in the Junior category. Terry Folb led by 14.6 seconds after just three stages, but fellow Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Franceschi reeled him in and took the lead during Saturday, when he won all six stages. He finished up 33.7 seconds clear of Folb, while Sweden’s Emil Bergkvist came third.
Italian prospect shows his class in WRC2. Young Italian driver Fabio Andolfi scored his best result to date in the WRC, with third in the WRC2 class and 11th overall. Driving a Skoda Fabia R5 on Pirelli tyres and with backing from the Italian motorsport federation, Andolfi was beaten only by more experienced factory-supported drivers.
New P Zero RK passes a rigorous test. The latest version of Pirelli’s P Zero RK made its debut in Corsica: a single tread pattern tyre, which is designed to offer good grip and directionality in a very wide variety of asphalt conditions. Corsica provides one of the most thorough tests for an asphalt tyre, with varying surface and weather conditions, as well as extremely long stages.
Terenzio Testoni, Pirelli rally activity manager. “Corsica contained some of the longest stages seen on the event for years, including a 55-kilometre test on the final day. Despite the length of these stages, made up of corner after corner, the tyre performance remained not only extremely consistent – allowing the Junior drivers to push with confidence – but also faster than has been seen on the Junior championship in previous years. So, we’re happy with the first outing for our latest 2018-specification asphalt P Zero RK tyres, in warm and challenging conditions throughout all three days. Congratulations to Fabio Andolfi for scoring his best result in WRC2 following a very strong rally.”
What's next? The next round of the Junior World Rally Championship will be on gravel in Portugal from May 17-20, while the next World Rally Championship event is in Argentina from April 26-29.
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For further information about Pirelli, please contact Anthony Peacock on +44 (0)7765 896 930 or anthony.peacock.ex@pirelli.com
For more information on Rally Corsica, please visit: www.tourdecorse.com
