Pirelli P Zero RA tyres lock out Rally di Roma podium

Giandomenico Basso beat Italian rally champion Andrea Crugnola and Hungary’s Norbert Herczig to make an all-Pirelli podium at the Rally di Roma Capitale. The round of both the Italian and European championships is contested over 13 asphalt stages, with competitors using the consistent Pirelli RA5 tyres, which contended with high ground temperatures of up to 60 degrees centigrade.

Terenzio Testoni, rally activity manager, said: “Pirelli’s RA5 tyres showed fantastic versatility and adaptability, resisting the torrid heat and slippery surfaces: both on the first leg with medium to abrasive asphalt, and the second leg where the asphalt was particularly slippery. This really confirmed what we always knew: the hard tyre has always guaranteed strong performances and the best compromise between speed and wear, both on the European championship and Italian Rally Championship, as well as the World Rally Championship.”

Pirelli’s RA asphalt tyres are characterised by a high degree of adaptability, offering gains in handling, grip and lateral stability.

The Junior section of the European Rally Championship event in Rome was won by Estonian Ken Torn in a Ford Fiesta Rally 4, while Pep Bassas claimed the ERC3 category win in a Peugeot 208 Rally 4. Jean-Baptiste Franceschi won the ERC3 Junior category, again on P Zero tyres. They all used Pirelli’s RK5 hard compound tyres from start to finish.

The next ERC event is the 50^th Barum Czech Rally Zlín (asphalt) in Czech Republic, on 27-29 August.