As Rally Finland celebrated its 60th anniversary by running a condensed two-day format, it also marked the first time this season that Pirelli supplied its soft-compound Scorpion to the World Rally Championship field.
The tire is designed to provide optimum grip in cooler and damp conditions. Although the ambient temperature rose to 99 degrees in the build up to the rally (the highest recorded in Finland since 1914), it began to dip as rain fell on the course.
“We have been very pleased with the performance of our soft compound Scorpion tire here,” said Matteo Braga, Pirelli’s senior tire engineer for the circuit. “We’ve had no issues whatsoever and the tires have remained consistent even though we had different conditions with wet and dry weather.”
Jari-Matti Latvala swept to victory over Sebastien Ogier in a tense finish.
“This is something I’ve been dreaming of since I was a small boy, and to win my home event is a fantastic feeling, really amazing,” says Latvala. “The Pirelli tires have been perfect and my Ford team has done really hard work, so this victory is for them.”
Markku Alen, who won in Finland on five occasions using Pirelli tires, was quick to praise the flying Latvala following his second win of the 2010 season in his factory Focus World Rally Car. “For us Finns this is the Finnish Grand Prix, and maybe it is difficult to understand how important it is to win it unless you are Finnish,” he explains. “It will be a very special feeling for Jari-Matti because my wins in Finland were always special. He drove very well.
Alen adds that “it’s more like the old days and the drivers had to be much more full attack all of the time. The tires were very good here as they’ve always been in Finland. There has been no punctures and congratulations to Pirelli because this is always a difficult rally.”
Hannu Mikkola secured Pirelli’s first Finnish success when he won in 1975 at the wheel of a Toyota Corolla. “We’ve seen a very good fight, and I know for me this was the rally I always wanted to win. Jari-Matti has really grown up with this win and I am also very pleased to see Ford winning again,” he says.
“Along with Monte Carlo, this is the one rally every driver wants to win when they’re growing up,” according to Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s global motorsports director. “He’s had to deal with a lot of pressure and always kept a level head. The stages require an all-or-nothing approach, and Latvala has shown he has the speed and the temperament.”
Ott Tanak claimed his maiden win in the Production Car World Rally Championship class for turbocharged production cars. The 22-year-old from Estonia was one of five Pirelli Star Drivers competing in Finland. “It is a really, really good result for me,” says Tanak. “I was very happy for a clean run to the finish.”
Pirelli also supplied its soft-compound Scorpions to competitors in the Super 2000 World Rally Championship, where Juho Hanninen, another rising Finnish star, took the checkered flag.
The World Rally Championship resumes with the Aug. 19-22 all-asphalt ADAC Rallye Deutschland. Pirelli will provide its P Zero tire in soft and hard compounds.
For more information, visit www.us.pirelli.com.
