Pirelli confirms and improves its leadership in sustainability. The ’2010 Sustainability Yearbook’ not only places the Italian group as ‘Sector Leader’ and ‘Gold Class Company’ in the ‘Autoparts and Tyres’ sector for the third year in a row, but also awards the company, for the first time, the title of ‘Sector Mover’ thanks to further significant growth in terms of sustainable performance. Pirelli has thus obtained all three of the prestigious top titles, confirming its leadership in sustainability in its industry both at worldwide level and in Italy. 

The Italian tyremaker, returning to the world’s most prestigious rally partnering the Ford Fiesta Super 2000 driven by Mikko Hirvonen, accompanies the car to victory

Montecarlo, 23 January 2010. Pirelli returns to the Montecarlo Rally and takes the No. 1 place on the podium in the most prestigious and reknowned rally in the world, together with the debuting Ford Fiesta Super 2000 driven by Mikko Hirvonen, the only car officially fitted by Pirelli in the event. Leading from start to finish, the car driven by the Finnish star easily overcame the difficulties of the road thanks to its Pirelli Winter Sottozero and PZero tyres which, with their versatility and reliability, adapted to all the different conditions, from the ice in the mountain passes to the dry coastal asphalt.

The winning Hirvonen-Ford-Pirelli trio brought to the Monaco event the experience built up in the world WRC championship, where Milan-based Pirelli has been sole supplier of tyres since 2008.

Finnish-born Hirvonen, the 2009 world WRC vice champion, completed the rally with an overall time of 4h32’58″5, outpacing the Skoda Fabias of his compatriot Juho Hanninen and Frenchman Nicolas Vouilloz, respectively 1’51’’4 and 3’19’’1 behind.

“It was a special return for Pirelli to Monte Carlo”, said Paul Hembery, Pirelli Motorsport Director. “We had only one official entry for the event, but that proved sufficient as it was the winning combination of the debuting Ford Fiesta S2000 together with Ford official works driver Mikko Hirvonen. Our P Zero and Sottozero tyres performed perfectly in the cold, snow and ice conditions of this classic Monte Carlo event. Of course we were also competing against rival tyre manufacturers, but our product technology proved superior with Mikko barely troubled, in the lead from start to finish. We now turn our attention to the first WRC event of the season, in Sweden, where as the official supplier, we will again demonstrate the superior artic performance of the Pirelli Sottozero”.

Pirelli Tyre debuted a new qualifying tyre solution at the first Italian round of the Superbike World Championship constructed and designed to improve both the performances and excitement of the Superpole.

The 200mm qualifying tyre is unique to Monza being equal in measurement, profile and structure to Pirelli’s race tyre solutions for this circuit, whose compound gives riders the confidence to make the fastest lap. As a way of offering spectators and presenters a way of identifying what is happening during Superpole, non-permanent white “long P” markings and yellow lines have been imprinted on the tyre’s surface.

Giorgio Barbier commented, “We continue to put forth significant efforts in developing additional tyre options available to every rider of the Superbike and Supersport grid, and we are satisfied with all the results, including this new qualifying tyre which guarantees more excitement and visibility into the strategies of each team during Superpole for all spectators, both live and on television.”

Pirelli has achieved significant improvements in race and lap times in the first four rounds of the 2009 season with an average decrease in overall race time of the three podium positions of 11 seconds in Race 1 and 13 seconds in Race 2. Lap times in race scenario have decreased significantly at various tracks such as Assen, where an average of three individual riders’ best lap times during the race dropped by 0.63 seconds in Race 1 and 0.78 seconds in Race 2, resulting in a new lap record for the circuit. Thus far this season, nearly 14 different solutions have been made available to the Superbike grid, including two different rains and one intermediate solution.

With the Monza race, the Superbike World Championship is preparing to enter the most competitive part of the season. Four classes fill one large paddock, but this certainly means the weekend will be filled with passion and adrenaline at the race closest to the home of Pirelli.  To the Monza race, Pirelli will bring 3 front and 4 rear dry solutions, of which one front and 3 rears are brand new to this circuit, many thanks to the winter testing and individual input from teams who declare Monza as their test facility.

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