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.
Toyo Tires supported driver Robby Gordon won Stage 11 and finished second at Stage 12 of the 2013 Dakar. Gordon’s victory at Stage 11 came after the competition portion was shortened amid safety concerns. Originally intended to run from La Rioja to Fiambalá in Argentina, the Stage was cut at the first checkpoint, taking the distance down from 219km to 70km, since heavy rains had flooded two rivers along the route.
MV Agusta has chosen to fit Pirelli’s Diablo Supercorsa SP tyres as original equipment on the basic, R and RR versions of its 2013 F4 range. The tyre is manufactured as a race replica version of the SC (Special Compound) mix version used in the World Supersport, Superstock 1000 FIM Cup and UEM European Championship in 2013. The racing street tyres in sizes 120/70 ZR17 on the front and 200/55 ZR17 on the rear are the latest fitment deal in a series of inter-Italian partnerships between the motorcycle brand and the tyre supplier.
One of the more critical drivers of Pirelli’s P Zero and Cinturato Formula One tyres has stated that he expects teams to “go into this season feeling more assured about the Pirelli tyres.” McLaren’s Jenson Button told the team’s website that he expected a more settled start to this years’ campaign, contrasting with the undeniably exciting opening stages of the 2012 season, which saw seven different Grand Prix winners. Button’s first taste of Pirelli’s 2013 rubber came during free practice at the season closing Brazilian Grand Prix, with the Italian firm bringing two extra sets of prototype tyres for teams in addition to the usual allocation.
The Pirelli International Rally has been renamed as the Pirelli Richard Burns Foundation Rally in support of the former world rally champion, with the event remaining the second round of this year's MSA British Rally Championship.
The 23rd Autosport International has opened its doors at the NEC, Birmingham. The show runs from 10-13 January 2013. Purportedly Europe’s largest motorsport trade show, Autosport International attracts some of the industry’s biggest companies. And from a tyre point of view this means the likes of Pirelli, Dunlop, Yokohama and Maxxis amongst others this year.
Toyo Tires equipped vehicles have won the opening three stages of the 2013 Dakar rally. Open Country M/T-R tyres won Stages 1 – 3 thanks to Team Qatar Red Bull. This year’s Dakar rally runs 5 – 20 January and is nearly 5,000 miles in length. The route runs southward from Lima, Peru to Santiago, Chile.
Pirelli says it is “going greener” with rice husks. In 2012, the Italian company stated it had investigated the properties of silica produced from rice husks and was calculating the carbon footprint for this product; now on its company Facebook page, the tyre maker refers to a text published by The Economist, which reports that rice husk-derived silica could provide a third of Pirelli’s silica requirements in Brazil within the next two years.
Pirelli will participate in the 2013 Dakar rally as technical partner to Team HRC, fitting the Honda CRF450 Rally bikes ridden by the three riders – Helder Rodrigues, Javier Pizzolito and Johnny Campbell – with Scorpion Rally tyres. This year’s rally gets underway in Lima, Peru on 5 January and ends in Santiago, Chile on 20 January after completing a route containing 14 legs and spanning Chile, Peru and Argentina. For the bikes, this means a grand total of 8,423 kilometres, 4,277 over normal roads to reach special trial tracks or the bivouacs at the end of each leg, and 4,146 kilometres on special timed trials which will determine the competition standings.
Last month Mark Donnelly was named as Pirelli Star Driver 2013 and therefore the winner of a fully-paid drive in the 2013 British Rally Championship. According to the company, Donnelly impressed a panel of four judges with his maturity, technical know-how, media awareness and raw talent behind the wheel.
In the motorcycle segment, Italian firm Pirelli offers something its competitors don’t; not one, but two unique brands – and one of these is Metzeler, the industry’s only two-wheel tyre specialist. Jim Worland, who is the product and marketing manager for Pirelli Tyres Ltd’s Moto business unit, recently spoke to Tyres & Accessories about the latest products and developments from both brands.
An agreement signed between Pirelli and Russian oil and gas company Rosneft will see the Italian tyre maker’s products sold at the 1,800 service stations Rosneft operates in its homeland. The trade and marketing cooperative agreement was signed by Pirelli & C. S.p.A chairman and CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera and Rosneft Management Board president and chairman Igor Sechin; in a statement covering the deal, Pirelli says the heads of both companies underlined that the cooperation and business partnership between Rosneft and Pirelli is “built on the basis of sharing experience and potential for mutual benefit.”
Pirelli’s Carlisle factory has been given the title ‘Export Champion’ by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) – one of only five successful Cumbrian businesses. The North West region Export Champions programme was launched during Export Week by UKTI regional director, Clive Drinkwater. It forms part of a campaign led by Trade and Investment minister Lord Green to increase the number of British exporters by a quarter, which would boost the economy by £36bn. The idea is that Export Champions will inspire novice exporters to pursue overseas markets.
Pirelli says that the way the grid for the British Superbike Championship is shaping up, 2013 should be another competitive season. Reigning champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne will go head-to-head with the returning Ryuichi Kiyonari as title contenders, and Pirelli says that the battle will decide the most successful rider in BSB history. The Italian tyre supplier now supports Superbike, Supersport, Superstock 1000, Superstock 600, Triumph Triple Challenge and the Ducati 848 Challenge classes as sole tyre supplier, making 2013 its most committed year in the prestigious championship.
Pirelli has confirmed it will appear at the annual Autosport International Show in Birmingham where the Italian tyre manufacturer will showcase a motorsport-focused display that includes the new Pirelli Star Driver Citroen DS3 R3.
The winners of a recent Pirelli promotion run in collaboration with Volvo recently enjoyed a day with Mithril Racing School at Goodwood Motor Racing Circuit. The promotion, which was run from July to September, enabled all Pirelli tyre purchases from the official tyre suppliers to enter the promotion. Six league divisions were set up by Volvo: five divisions for existing members of the programme and a sixth division was set up for dealers who were new to the scheme.
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