The FIA world council, meeting today in an extraordinary session in Paris, has accepted Pirelli's offer for the supply of tires, appreciating not only the quality of the company's product and its capacity for technical innovation, but also its commitment to developing young drivers and the promotion of national championships. Pirelli is already present in around 20 national and international rally championships as well as the IRC (Intercontinental Rally Challenge).
Among the many motivations for the FIA's choice has been Pirelli's century-long commitment to motorsport and, in particular, to the sport of rallying. Pirelli's successful tender for the WRC contract is the company's second such victory in the space of a few weeks. In late January, the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, America's largest racing series for sports prototypes and GT cars, opted for Pirelli P Zero tires as their exclusive fitment for the three-year period 2008-2010.
Racing is in Pirelli's DNA and clearly an agreement of such importance is recognition of a commitment to motorsport that has continued uninterrupted for a hundred years," explains Paul Hembery, director of Pirelli Competizioni. "In the specific case of the World Rally Championship, operating in perfect synergy with the FIA, the ISC, the drivers and the constructors, we decided to make a concrete contribution to the promotion of this magnificent sport a sport in which Pirelli has obtained many memorable victories and which has provided invaluable experience for the development of production tires."
In 2007, Pirelli will be competing in the IRC (with races in Europe, Africa and Asia) and around twenty international and national championships including those in Australia, Poland, Ireland, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Austria, Greece, Switzerland, Germany, France, New Zealand, Brazil and Portugal-Azores, as well as the Middle East and Asia Pacific championships. Mario Isola, Pirelli Competizioni's Rally Manager commented, "Clearly this is a considerable commitment, but one which Pirelli has equipped itself to tackle. We always aim to give those drivers racing on Pirelli P Zero tires the most competitive product."
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