''Racing is in Pirelli's DNA''Pirelli, which this year celebrates a century of motorsport success, will be the exclusive tyre supplier to the WRC for the three-year period 2008-2010.
The FIA world council, meeting yesterday in an extraordinary session in Paris, has
accepted Pirelli's offer for the supply of tyres, appreciating not only the product and the firm's capacity for technological innovation, but also the objective of valorising young talent and promoting national championships.
Pirelli is already present in around 20 national and international rally championships as well as the IRC (Intercontinental Rally Challenge). Among the motivations for the FIA's choice is Pirelli's century-long commitment to motorsport and rallies in particular.
Pirelli's successful tender for the WRC contract is the company's second such victory in the space of a few weeks: in late January, the Grand Am series, the United States' most exciting championship for prototypes and one of the most popular among American fans, opted for Pirelli PZero tyres for the three-year period 2008-2010.
"Racing is in Pirelli's DNA, so clearly an agreement of such importance is recognition of a commitment to motorsport that has continued uninterrupted for a hundred years," explained Paul Hembery, Director of Pirelli Competizioni.
"In the specific case of the World Rally Championship, operating in perfect synergy with the FIA, the ISC, the drivers and the constructors, we decided to make a concrete contribution to the promotion of this magnificent sport in which Pirelli has obtained memorable victories and which has provided experience that has been invaluable in the development of production tyres."
Source Pirelli
