Known for its style, speed and performance marketing values, Pirelli & C. S.p.A. is a multinational company based in Milan, Italy, listed on the Milan Stock Exchange since 1922, with a temporary privatization period by the consortium led by the Chinese state-owned enterprise ChemChina.
Giti Tire has announced the appointments of Robert Koutny as sales director Eastern Europe, and Maurizio Moleri as truck and bus manager for Spain and Portugal. The manufacturer has been building its European team throughout 2013 since officially launching its GT Assist commercial vehicle roadside service assistance programme in the UK and Republic of Ireland in January.
Pirelli has won the 2013 Volkswagen Group Award for its global partnership, product quality, competitiveness, project management and flexibility. According to the company, VW’s “global champion” Pirelli has produced more than 200 homologations that equip some of the Wolfsburg carmaker’s most prestigious models. Another 250 homologations are currently under development, many of which will go into production within the next few years.
Pirelli has released two statements to explain the reasons behind the spate of tyre failures at the British grand prix. The exclusive tyre supplier said that the “sophisticated” asymmetric construction of the current P Zero Formula One slicks meant that tyre management methods employed by teams, such as mounting rear tyres on the opposite side to that for which they were designed, reduced tyre pressures, and extreme cambers had combined with the high kerbs at Silverstone to cause the problems, which Pirelli Motorsport director Paul Hembery described as “completely unexpected”. While Hembery was adamant that the “2013 range of tyres, used in the correct way, is completely safe”, he accepted that Pirelli had “underestimated” the effects that these unconventional running techniques would have on the tyres, and had declined to forbid mounting tyres the wrong way around. In future, Pirelli is seeking, with the agreement of FIA, FOM, the teams and the drivers, greater control over the ways in which its F1 tyres are utilised.
Pirelli has identified last month’s successful introduction of its new Diablo Superbike SC1 rear tyre at Knockhill as an important factor for the MCE British Superbike Championship’s return to Snetterton. The high speed circuit, combined with the possibility of high track temperatures will make the softer compound tyre a popular choice, according to the series tyre supplier. A test held at the circuit last week provided Pirelli with good feedback as most teams sampled race simulations for tyre wear.
Pirelli has announced that it will revert to its 2012 construction P Zero Formula One tyres in time for the Hungarian grand prix. For this weekend’s German grand prix only it will provide teams with rear tyres constructed with Kevlar belts at the Nürburgring. Pirelli says the aim of this is to reduce the tyres’ susceptibility to cuts, while Kevlar has the advantage of reducing the working temperature of tyres by around 10 degrees Centigrade. The concern remains that this may alter the competitiveness of some teams’ cars. The reduced damage resistance and hotter running of the steel belt construction tyres are thought to have been two of the factors leading to the high profile tyre failures witnessed at Silverstone.
The Foreign Policy Association (FPA) has awarded Pirelli chairman and CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera the 2013 Social Responsibility Award for his ongoing endeavours in sustainability.
Pirelli has introduced the latest addition to its P Zero family: the new Pirelli P Zero Nero GT. Available in a wide range of fitments, the new ultra high performance tyre was introduced for 2013. The tyre’s headline improvement is increased durability, which Pirelli says it has achieved without affecting driving pleasure, safety and performance. Also underlining the importance of the high performance segment to Pirelli is May 2013’s 50th anniversary celebration of its partnership with Lamborghini.
Mercedes and Pirelli have been reprimanded for their roles in the controversial tyre test in Barcelona, which followed the pit stop-heavy action of the Spanish grand prix. BBC chief F1 writer Andrew Benson reports that the FIA found Mercedes to be in breach of Formula One rules and subsequently banned the team from taking part in this year’s young driver test at Silverstone on 17-19 July. The BBC reports that the FIA, Mercedes and Pirelli will share equally the costs of the investigation.
Mercedes and Pirelli are waiting for the FIA’s decision on whether any rules were broken during the controversial tyre test that took place in Barcelona in the week after the Spanish grand prix. Pirelli counsel Dominique Dumas contends that it cannot be subject to the FIA’s jurisdiction as it is a supplier, though the FIA has responded that Pirelli’s contract binds the tyre supplier by Formula One regulations.
Pirelli’s factory in Silao, Mexico, which was inaugurated in May 2012, has produced its millionth tyre and is gearing up to become the Italian tyre maker’s dominant NAFTA region supplier. Covering an area of 135,000 square metres, the Silao plant’s capacity will reach 3.5 million tyres in 2015. When fully operational in 2017, production is expected to reach 5.5 million pieces, according to Pirelli. The tyre maker’s total investment through 2017 will amount to approximately US$400 million.
Pirelli will sponsor the camping area situated on the Porsche Curves formerly known as the Porsche Owners International Village at Le Mans this weekend. Pirelli UK managing director, Dominic Sandivasci, commented: “We are delighted to sponsor the race camping village at Le Mans once again this year. Simply put, there is no better place to watch the race action than the Porsche Curves and the Pirelli camping village caters for everyone’s needs.”
Shane “Shakey” Byrne rode his Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki to two victories over Tyco Suzuki’s Josh Brookes this weekend at Knockhil, as British Superbike tyre supplier Pirelli ran its new for 2013 SC1 Diablo Superbike rear tyre. In qualifying with a 48.333 second lap for pole position Byrne beat his young rival Brookes by just 0.010 seconds. Brookes managed to set the fastest race lap too, at 48.769 seconds, and Pirelli has pointed out that this was achieved on the new SC1 rear tyre on the penultimate 29th lap – a statistic that speaks highly of the tyre’s durable performance.
Although no comment has come from Clermont-Ferrand, within the last week Michelin has again been named as a future Pirelli replacement as Formula One tyre supplier. But Bernie Ecclestone has been quick to put the lid on such speculation; in his F1 blog, motor racing journalist Adam Cooper writes that when questioned on the subject, Ecclestone responded: “No idea. I haven’t got a clue. I haven’t spoken to anyone. We have a long-term contract with Pirelli, as the FIA do. And I think most of the teams have – I think they’ve done a deal with all the teams they want to do a deal with.”
During the second half of June, Silverstone is going to see a lot of Pirelli rubber laid down; while the Northamptonshire circuit will host Formula One’s British grand prix on 28-30 June, this coming weekend (15-16 June) will see the manufacturer take more than 500 tyres to the home of British motorsport. Pirelli Tyre UK motorsport operations manager Matthew Corby predicts that the triple-header of the Pirelli Ferrari Formula Classic, the Pirelli Ferrari Open and the Porsche Club Championship will make for a “flat out” weekend.
The National Tyre Distributors Association has unveiled its 2013 shortlist for each of the five balloted categories in the Tyre & Fast Fit Awards. The Association also called for nominations for the Innovation Award and for the Tyre Centre of the Year Award, entering its third year as part of the annual British tyre industry Oscars. Voting this year will be 100 per cent online, with NTDA members and non-members alike eligible to vote. The Awards are sponsored by speciality chemicals group Lanxess for the second successive year, and the media partner is Tyres & Accessories magazine.
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