Andreucci and Andreussi race to Italian rally win on Pirelli tires

Armed with a supply of Pirelli's P Zero tires, Paolo Andreucci and co-driver Anna Andreussi have won the Rally Sanremo held on narrow and twisty mountain roads in Italy's Imperia province; the event was round 10 of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

In addition to the taxing terrain, the pair's Peugeot 207 Super 2000 also had to master changing weather conditions. While the rally finished in bright sunshine, rain fell over the rally route on Friday afternoon and again prior to the grueling 44- kilometer Ronde stage, which took place under the cover of darkness on Friday night and is one of the longest in international rallying.

"Our Pirelli tires performed faultlessly in a hugely wide range of conditions," says Andreucci.

"Whether it was damp or dry asphalt, we managed to have a consistent level of traction and grip, which was a key to victory," he continues. "The flexibility of the Pirelli rubber meant that even when our tire choice was not perfect, we were able to perform at our best. This goes to show the effectiveness of Pirelli's products under all circumstances. Everyone at Pirelli has worked very hard to refine the tire specification, and this is the well-deserved result."

Andreucci and Andreussi have reinforced their lead in the Italian Rally Championship with this latest victory, and they are now in position to win the title at the next round, October's Costa Smeralda Rally.

Unlike the World Rally Championship, for which Pirelli is the exclusive tire supplier, the Italian Rally Championship allows "open tire competition," which means the company is able to test its tires against rival manufacturers. For the second time this season, Pirelli-sponsored drivers have beaten the opposition to follow up on the Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo in January when Mikko Hirvonen took the win in a Pirelli-equipped Ford Fiesta S2000.

For more information, visit www.us.pirelli.com.