Pirelli to gain TV exposure during Thunderbolt track's inaugural race

In its first season as the official tire of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series, Pirelli P Zero racing slicks and wet-weather rain tires will see national television exposure during this weekend’s debut race at the newly constructed Thunderbolt Raceway at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

Airing live on the Speed Channel, the Supercar Life 250 is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 31. GT and Daytona Prototype teams will race the 2.25-mile Thunderbolt circuit for 112 laps in the inaugural 2 ¾-hour race.

The GT division is rejoining the Daytona Prototypes after being idle the last two races. They will share the Thunderbolt track this weekend as well as at the season-ending Sept. 20 Sunchaser 1000 at Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Dozens of qualifying and race records have been set this year by competitors in both classes using Pirelli tires, according to the company.

The latest team to ride Pirelli P Zeros to a record-setting victory was the No. 10 SunTrust Pontiac Dallara of Wayne Taylor Racing. Drivers Max Angelelli and Michael Valiante dominated the field in last weekend’s Armed Forces Grand-Am 250 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Valiante won the pole with a new track record and then joined Angelelli in co-driving to a dominating victory in race-record time. Angelelli also set a record fastest race lap late in the going and well into the run on his final set of P Zeros.

“Everything really came together for the win at Infineon, and that included the Pirellis,” Valiante says. “The tire is a treat to drive and really strong when they are brand new, which is when I have been doing most of my driving this year. We have set new track records at almost every track we have been to this season. I am also pleased with the support and effort Pirelli is putting into the series.”

Another team that has used Pirellis to set records and turn in some of the most impressive drives of the Rolex Series season is the No. 59 Brumos Porsche Riley of JC France and Jaoa Barbosa. After France drove the opening stint in each of the last two races, Barbosa took over and put the team’s final race set of P Zeros through some high-speed laps right up until the checkered flag flew. He set the overall fastest lap of the race on the last lap of the Crown Royal 200 at The Glen earlier this month, and drove his fastest lap at Infineon one lap from the finish, showcasing his driving skill and the durability of the slicks, which were well into their last stint.

“The Pirelli tires have really been great for us this season,” Barbosa says. “As I normally drive the final stint, I often demand a lot from the tires at the end of the race as I try to gain position. I have found that Pirellis are good from the beginning to the end, and they have performed very well for me when I needed to push really hard in the closing laps. The fact that I had some of my fastest lap times at the very end of a long stint proves that the Pirellis hold up well. When it is time to go all out at the end, the tires didn’t let me down.”

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