Pirelli is primed and ready for a return to racing at April 25 ’s Bosch Engineering 250 at Virginia International Raceway (VIR). The Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series event airs live on the Speed Channel beginning at 2:30 p.m. EDT.
The Grand-Am teams had a long three month break between the first two scheduled races of the 2009 season. A field of Daytona Prototypes and GT competitors – all running on Pirelli’s P Zero racing tires – will take to the Virginia track’s challenging 3.27-mile road course for Saturday’s competition, which will kick off the balance of 12-race season.
Among the competitors hoping to build on recent momentum is the No. 09 Spirit of Daytona/Porsche V8 Coyote team of sports car racing stalwart Guy Cosmo and motorcycle road racing Hall of Fame member Scott Russell. The duo were joined by Russell’s fellow motorcycle champions Jeff Ward and Jason Pridmore for the Daytona opener in an AMA Pro Road Racing-sponsored car, and they managed to finish the grueling race despite encountering just about every type of endurance racing-related problem imaginable, according to Cosmo.
“Daytona was a challenge, and the Spirit of Daytona team did a great job,” he says. “With the ever-changing conditions of an endurance race, the one constant we had was the consistency and reliability of the Pirelli tires. We had no problems with the tires at all.”
Cosmo and the team extensively reviewed tire performance during the three-month layoff between the opening Rolex Series races.
“We did a lot of testing since Daytona and put a lot of miles on tracks like Roebling Road (in Georgia) and at Homestead-Miami,” he reports. “Roebling Road is particularly tough on tires but we had no issues with the Pirellis. With the progress we have made with this whole package so far, we think we are going to be running strong at VIR, and the Pirellis are all part of that mix. We are looking at running in the top 10 and maybe even challenging for a podium.”
Although the 2-3/4 hour timed Bosch Engineering 250 is considered a sprint race, last year’s winning GT team used endurance-style tactics by maximizing the life of their Pirellis and stretching their fuel mileage to the limit, says Rafael Navarro III, Pirelli Tire North America’s director of motorsports and media communications.
The No. 57 Stevenson Motorsports Pontiac GXP.R of Robin Liddell and Andrew Davis know they can count on the P Zeros again if the race unfolds in a similar fashion this weekend, he notes.
“We have certainly found the Pirelli tire to be extremely durable over a race distance, and this is something which we were able to use to our advantage last year at VIR,” says Liddell, who drove the Pontiac in the final stint to the checkered flag. “When the race throws up an unknown variable, it is good to know that you can get home on the P Zeros.”
Davis also gives credit to Pirelli for delivering an improved 2009 specification tire that still has many of the same positive characteristics found in last year’s P Zeros.
“The new Pirelli tire created for the 2009 Rolex Series performed well…during the opening round at Daytona,” Davis says. “We are pleased to find that the new tire brings the same consistency and speed that we depended on during last season. The upcoming event at VIR will really put the new tire to the test, and I am confident that it will pass with flying colors. It is a very demanding circuit with a combination of heavy braking zones and high-speed corners, and the Pirelli (tires are) the key to allowing our car to perform at an optimal level.”
The Daytona Prototypes and GT competitors will race simultaneously for overall and individual class honors.
Working with Grand-Am in the off season, Pirelli revamped what was formerly known as the Pacesetter Program to create a broader payout structure and additional bonuses for competitors that go the extra mile in helping the company promote its P Zero racing tires and the Pirelli brand in general.
To be eligible to take part in the Pirelli P Zero Club, teams must have placed as either one of the top 15 Daytona Prototypes or a top 10 GT team from the 2008 season point standings. Teams will earn $1,000 bonuses at each race this season in exchange for full support of race event promotions and similar tasks, but the biggest changes have come in the year-end awards: The team that earns the most program points in 2009 will be awarded $50,000 while the top GT team will earn a $25,000 bonus.
“We are very happy with the restructured Pirelli P Zero Club and how it awards not only the top Daytona Prototype teams but also the equally dedicated GT teams all season and at the end of the year,” Navarro says, citing the media attention gleaned for the company and its dealers via the publicity. “We also look forward to recognizing and awarding drivers that regularly help us promote Pirelli and its products. Their efforts don’t go unnoticed, and now we have a way of showing our appreciation.”
VIR is also hosting the Volkswagen TDI Cup series, which begins its sophomore year of racing on Saturday and Sunday; this season marks the debut of Pirelli’s involvement with the program.
Just as all Grand-Am Rolex Series cars race on Pirellis exclusively, so too will all VW TDI Cup cars, which is comprised of 30 factory-prepared and managed 2009 clean-diesel Jetta TDIs driven by emerging young drivers ranging in age from 16 to 26. Each car is powered by a 2- liter four-cylinder clean diesel engine. The street version of the TDI – which is nearly identical to the racing version – was also recently honored with the “2009 Green Car of the Year” award from Green Car Journal.
“Pirelli P Zeros were largely credited with increased performance and competition in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series last year, and we expect to see the same enhanced performance in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup,” says Navarro. “Just as important, our relationship with the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup gives us the ideal partner to help (the company) continue to meet its goals in the development of more eco-friendly and green products as well as develop a relationship with up-and-coming race car drivers.”
The partnership also developed two Pirelli-sponsored TDIs competing in every race this season. Race 1 at VIR will take the green flag at 11:10 a.m. on Saturday while Race 2 of the opening weekend doubleheader will take place Sunday at 2 p.m. A total of 10 races will make up the season.
With the field of Grand-Am Rolex Series race cars and up to 30 Jettas all depending on the P Zero’s performance in both dry and wet conditions this weekend, Pirelli has a large inventory of tires and a top team of personnel already on hand at VIR. A total of 2,200 slicks and grooved rain tires are at the ready, while 20 engineers and tire technicians from all around the world will literally keep the competition rolling. The entire operation is housed in the Pirelli service support area in the center of the VIR paddock that includes five transporters and a variety of service equipment.
Meanwhile, down south – way down south – Pirelli’s WRC (World Rally Championship) Scorpion Rally tire will strive to prove its mettle at this weekend’s Rally Argentina.
Known as one of the most spectacular and demanding events of the 2009 WRC season, the event will be based at Villa Carlos Paz in the heart of the Cordobese Sierras. Rally Argentina is a demanding challenge, and Pirelli technicians are ready to support the crews and drivers accordingly, according to Navarro. Technicians and race teams alike gained significant experience last year when the rally was inundated with pouring rains and muddy surfaces, increasing the difficulty of each stage.
This year, event organizers should have better climate conditions for the rally, thanks to the decision to hold the event a month later than usual during the drier part of the season. However, even if the rally is held in ideal weather conditions, it remains a tough one, he reports. Pirelli will supply teams with the “soft” version of the Scorpion Rally tire designed for soft and muddy terrain.
The Scorpion has “run flat” technology that reduces the risk of punctures during the rally, allowing the drivers to complete the special stages without significant delay and without damaging the car mechanics and bodywork, Navarro notes.
For more information, visit www.us.pirelli.com.
