Pirelli rally manager, Mario Isola has said that it is 'very satisfying' for them that MotoGP ace, Valentino Rossi will again use their tyres this weekend, when the Italian takes in the penultimate round in the FIA WRC in New Zealand.
Rossi, who also drove a Pirelli-shod Impreza on the 2005 Rally of Monza and the Memorial Bettega, will be one of the star attractions on the Rally NZ along with the likes Marcus Gronholm, Mikko Hirvonen and Petter Solberg. Furthermore while it would be unrealistic to expect him to trouble those drivers', with only eleven WRC cars in action, he should be more than able to finish in the top ten and possibly even the top eight, providing he has a trouble-free run.
“Pirelli is enthusiastic about the opportunity of supplying its tyres in New Zealand for a third ace at the wheel of a Subaru Impreza WRC. Valentino Rossi sampled the quality of our P Zeros last year in Italy and the fact that he has once again opted for Pirelli is very satisfying,” confirmed Isola.
Rossi will also have the added bonus of using the same spec tyres as those supplied to works Subaru drivers' Solberg and Chris Atkinson - the only other WRC car runners on Pirelli tyres: “For this penultimate event towards the World Rally Championship, Pirelli Competizioni will have on offer the latest evolutions of its K tread. Rossi, who is competing as a private entrant, can select a second tread and we will provide him with the latest developments of our new KP, which have already satisfied another two aces of the calibre of Solberg and [Chris] Atkinson,” Isola continued. “So in New Zealand, I expect another first class result, as was the case with the excellent second place of Petter, who has returned to his rightful place as one of the potential winners of every rally”.
BF Goodrich meanwhile have a clear target and having taken the top spot on all the other events this year they will want to try and ensure they complete a clean sweep, by taking the spoils in NZ - and on the next round in Wales.
"Every year, the trip to New Zealand is the WRC's gift to the drivers. The gravel stages are set in magnificent scenery and the roads are essentially fast and technically challenging - sheer delight. If the weather stays fine, BFGoodrich drivers will mostly use the medium '9' and hard '9+' compounds," explained BFGoodrich rally programme manager, Aime Chatard. "BFGoodrich will be looking for its 15th win from 15 starts. The opposition promises to be stiffer but our products have won all the gravel rallies contested so far this season."
