TECHNOLOGIES

A simple guide to the complex world of Pirelli's PZero rally tyres.

Tyres are the last vital link in transferring the car's engine and transmission performance to the road itself and Richard Burns would be the first to acknowledge the part played by Pirelli in his Drivers' title victory on the 2001 World Rally Championship.

Every car has tyres but those used on a rally are very different to those used by a normal road car. In general there are three types of rally tyre; gravel, asphalt and snow and each has a different but crucial role in the performance of the Impreza WRC used by Pirelli's technical partners at Subaru.