Pirelli Results in Dakar Mean Continued Support for 2006

Pirelli achieved extremely positive results overall in the Lisbon-Dakar, the first of the year’s rally-raids. The optimum fourth place of the private Tatra entered by the Petrobras team and driven by the talented Brazilian specialist De Azevedo, showed once more the strong qualities of the Pirelli Truck tyres, built in Izmit, Turkey.

As well as scoring an optimum overall placing, the fast Brazilian driver also became the top placed private entrant, confirming his notable ability and the high calibre of his team. The retail standard Pirelli PS22 tyres demonstrated their decidedly robust qualities and were able to deliver exceptional torque, even in the most difficult conditions and situations. The tyres’ achievement of three second and two third places on different Dakar stages also confirms the exceptional speed capability of these tyres by Pirelli Truck.

Those qualities convinced about 25 competitors in the truck category of the rally-raid to fit Pirelli PS22 tyres for the 2006 version of the legendary African marathon. And this was only the second time Pirelli Truck tyres had competed in the Dakar event, in which the number of entrants on the Turkish-made Italian tyres quintupled compared to the 2005 event.

In the light of the strong performance by these normal production tyres on the different surfaces (sand, the loose and even sleet during the early European phase), Pirelli says it will continue to support crews due to compete in future 2006 rally-raids.