PIRELLI 2003 WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

Subaru’s Solberg Wins First Drivers’ Crown and Pirelli’s 19th World Championship

ROME, Georgia, Nov. 10, 2003 -- Petter Solberg drove his Pirelli-fitted Subaru Impreza WRC to a dominant victory yesterday at the Rally Great Britain, 14th and last WRC event for the 2003 season. This was the Norwegians 4th win this season (most in the series) and 5th of his career, thereby earning him the 2003 FIA World Rally Drivers’ Championship. Citroën scored its first World Rally Championship for Manufacturers. On the very tricky gravel stages of Wales, Pirelli scored a really impressive result.

This 130th win of P Zero tires in the World Championship history becomes even more precious if you consider that Solberg won 13 stages out of 18 of the last WRC event. On the slippery Welsh gravel, Pirelli fitted the Imprezas WRC with its P Zero KM tires in soft and super-soft compounds which offered the maximum performance and durability under the conditions. The P Zero supremacy was confirmed by four-time World Champion Tommi Makinen’s 3rd place, and also by the fantastic 7th place scored by Manfred Stohl at the wheel of and ‘old’ Peugeot but nevertheless capable of fighting at same level with the works 206 WRCs.

With this victory, Pirelli recorded its 19th World Rally Crown: 8 for Drivers’ and 11 for Manufacturers. This year’s success brings even more satisfaction, considering that Subaru and Pirelli had been unable to win a single rally until May, and from then one they scored 4 wins out of the 8 remaining events. Some of these victories clearly came thanks to a superb tire performance, as happened in Cyprus, on the flooded Corsican asphalt and once again in Great Britain. “A special thanks to the Subaru Team,” commented Paul Hembery, head of Pirelli Motorsport. “With them, Pirelli scored a total of 6 World Rally Crowns in 10 consecutive WRC seasons.”

This was Pirelli’s second “championship” of the week as Guy Mannino, president of Pirelli North America, received the J.D. Power & Associates trophy for “Highest in Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction” last Tuesday evening at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.