Pirelli tyre supplier to ERC Junior Championship

Under a two-year agreement starting in 2016, Pirelli will become the exclusive tyre supplier to the FIA ERC (European Rally Championship) Junior Championship. Under the deal signed with promoter Eurosport Events, the tyre maker will provide rubber designed specifically for latest R2-specification cars, namely its P Zero RK for the championship’s asphalt rounds and the Scorpion K range for gravel rounds. The Sottozero Ice is likely to be used on the season-opening Rally Liepāja.

The ERC Junior Championship caters to young drivers embarking on a career in international rallying. Drivers must be born on or after 1 January 1989 and compete in front-wheel-drive R2 cars. The 2015 championship attracted a 27-strong entry list and saw Emil Bergkvist crowned champion. He followed on from Stéphane Lefebvre, who claimed the inaugural title in 2014 and drove for Citroën in the 2015 World Rally Championship.

The series is held across six ERC rounds with three events taking place on loose surfaces and three on asphalt to help drivers learn essential skills and progress. The champion will receive a prize drive in an R5 specification car on the 2016 ERC season-closing Cyprus Rally when it is hoped they will be able to showcase their talents and gain vital experience ahead of a full-time switch to the ERC’s headlining ERC1 class the following season.

“We’re delighted to continue and develop our collaboration with Pirelli inside ERC, a company that has such a rich heritage in rallying around the world,” said ERC co-ordinator Jean-Baptiste Ley. “Pirelli understands the importance of helping young drivers to show how talented they are, which is entirely aligned with the target of Eurosport Events in the development of the ERC Junior Championship: one of the strongest competitions for young rally drivers on an international platform.”

“Helping young drivers reach the top has always been a key objective for Pirelli, as we have shown many times in the past with our support of different junior series in rallying, as well as the Pirelli Star driver programme,” added Pirelli product manager Terenzio Testoni. “Concluding this important agreement to supply the FIA ERC Junior Championship – which gives young drivers valuable media exposure as well as some fantastic rallies – is now the latest chapter in this story.”