Pirelli tires bring everyone to agreement

This year in WRC, only one manufacturer was authorized to supply the World Rally Championship. The FIA, which had BFGoodrich, a subsidiary of Michelin, and Pirelli in competition, ultimately chose the latter.

The Italian brand, after working all winter on its Pzero tires, faced its first major real-life test this weekend. And according to all the drivers’ feedback, it’s mission accomplished for Pirelli.

Malcolm Wilson, director of BP Ford, stated after the end of the first day: « The tires exceeded my expectations. I spoke to Mikko [Hirvonen] about them and he was really satisfied. The tires even seem faster than last year. »

Matthew Wilson, son of Malcolm and Ford driver, demonstrated through his anecdote the velocity of his new tires after a mishap in the first stage.

« I went into a curve faster than expected and hit a wall on my right. » he recounted. « I thought we had to stop to change the tire, for a flat… normally. But when we stopped to look at the tire, it was fine while the rim was quite damaged. We were able to finish the 16 km of the stage… »

So far, only Jari-Matti Latvala has gotten a flat tire after violently hitting a wall.

Mario Isola Pirelli, brand director, stated: « We are very, very happy. We have worked very hard and so far everything is working as we wanted… »