Pirelli is celebrating reaching 81 titles in the FIM Motocross World Championship after the penultimate round of the 2023 World Championship (Maggiora Park, Italy). Two new world titles were secured one round early by Jorge Prado Garcia (Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing) in MXGP and Andrea Adamo (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) in MX2. Both riders have used Pirelli’s Scorpion MX32 tyre range throughout the season to dominate.
Pirelli has claimed leadership in supplying tyres for premium and prestige electric cars at the IAA Mobility car show in Munich. Pirelli equipped almost 25 per cent of the BEV cars and 30 per cent of the plug-in hybrids among the new electric cars on display. The cars were fitted with a mix of Pirelli’s products, such as its P Zero performance and its Scorpion SUV ranges, all featuring the company’s “Elect” marking that signifies that the models have been developed with EV-specific technologies. The Italian brand said that its original equipment homologations for EVs have grown at a rate more than double that on the previous year.
German consumer automotive magazine Auto Motor und Sport (AMS) has published the first winter tyre test of the season, pitting seven high-performance 20-inch profiles against each other. The clear overall winner was the reigning WhatTyre Winter Tyre of the Year, Bridgestone’s Blizzak LM 005, yet the tyre benefitted from the magazine’s decision to reduce the share of snow performance in the overall score to 20 per cent; the tyre was rated lower than all but one of the other six competitors in the test. The Stuttgart-based testers fitted 255/45 R20 105V XL tyres on both conventional and electric Kias.
Pirelli engineers predict its soft compound Scorpion KX WRC are the optimal choice for World Rally Championship contenders in Kenya, as the WRC Safari Rally commences on 22 June. Rain and muddy conditions, as well as loose stones and rapidly changing road conditions greet competitors, who have chosen to load up on the soft version of the Scorpion KXs. 28 sets per car – the 24 assigned by regulation plus the additional four for the shakedown – allow drivers to fit four new tyres at each of the seven services over the course of the race weekend.
Pirelli is expanding its Collezione range of vintage tyres with the Scorpion BK for the 1986 Lamborghini LM002. The tyre’s size and strength put it at the cutting edge of tyre technology when it was introduced, while its distinctive “ears” helped the tyre stand out further: lateral winglets that allowed the tyre to float across the desert sands. Recreated as part of the Pirelli Collezione range dedicated to historical cars, the tyre was shown at FouriConcorso: an event for the collectors’ cars near Lake Como. Pirelli has supplied tyres to Lamborghini’s SUV range from 1963, through the LM002, to the modern Urus.
For the first time in the model’s 59-year history, Porsche is specifying an off-road tyre as original equipment for the 911. It has turned to Pirelli, who is delivering the Scorpion All Terrain Plus, a tyre it claims to have “designed for the most challenging conditions.” The tyre will be standard equipment on the new Porsche 911 Dakar, a reinterpretation of the classic coupé with maximised off-road capabilities.
Pirelli has announced the continued evolution of its Scorpion range of bicycle tyres, adapting its offering to suit the increasingly varied and high-performance bikes available on the MTB (mountain bike) market today. The new additions are focused on tyres for enduro bikes, as well as on e-MTBs. The Scorpion Enduro and Scorpion E-MTB lines currently include three different treads: S (Soft Terrain), R (Rear Specific) and M (Mixed Terrain).
Safer, more comfortable, better performance. These three qualities are what Pirelli says motorists can now expect from its Scorpion range of SUV tyres following the range’s recent revamp, which the tyre maker undertook in response to forecasted global growth in SUV sales over the next few years.
For the past two years, Pirelli has supplied vehicle manufacturers with original equipment tyres tailored for electric and plug-in hybrid cars. The tyre maker is now offering Pirelli Elect products as replacement fitments and states that these are “now widely available” for aftermarket customers. Pirelli has integrated Elect into all P Zero, Cinturato and Scorpion lines, thereby offering the technology for summer, winter and all-season ranges.
Three different cars using Pirelli’s Scorpion gravel tyres took the podium places on Rally Poland, the latest round of the European Rally Championship. The Skoda Fabia of Mikolaj Marczyk led the Hyundai i20 R5 of Tom Kristensson and the Ford Fiesta Rally2 of Ken Torn. Each driver made the most of the reliability of the Pirelli Scorpion. Marczyk took the lead after Hyundai driver Nils Solans – also running Pirelli tyres – encountered problems on SS6, while Kristensson and Torn finished 13 seconds ahead of the fourth-placed crew. Pirelli said the highly variable conditions of the roads in Poland put the Scorpion tyres to a challenging test.
Pirelli is displaying its most cutting-edge products that contribute to more sustainable mobility at its stand at The Tire Cologne 2022 (Hall 6.1, Stand A020-B029). “With its appearance at Tire Cologne 2022, Pirelli is underlining its leading position as a high-performance development partner of leading automobile manufacturers for the original equipment of tyres for their models from the premium and prestige segments,” says Wolfgang Meier, chairman of the management board of Pirelli Deutschland GmbH. “In addition, we present ourselves as an attractive and reliable partner of the tyre trade and as a company that is aware of its responsibility for the environment and climate.”
Product testing at the Pirelli Sottozero Centre in Lapland, Sweden is now taking place in summer as well as winter. Pirelli says it switched the facility to year-round testing in response to increased demand for product development on both wet and dry roads, particularly for all-season and winter tyres. The team at the Sottozero Centre recently wrapped up its winter test programme for the season and is now beginning the summer programme.
Pirelli’s latest Scorpion gravel tyre will make its debut on the milestone Rally de Portugal. The first gravel event of the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship season is also the 50th edition of the event, with the new hybrid Rally1 cars running on Pirelli’s updated range of Scorpion KX WRC gravel tyres. Pirelli will bring around 2400 tyres to Portugal, of which 520 will be for the top class of Rally1 cars. Rally1 drivers may use up to 28 tyres during the rally and shakedown.
Earlier today Pirelli launched a totally overhauled Scorpion SUV tyre range. In short, the company is taking great steps towards a leading position in the future electric SUV tyre market and is already dominating in the SUV/CUV tyre sector of today. With the new tyres scoring 100 per cent AB tyre label ratings as well as upwards of 7 per cent improvements across the range in wet and dry braking, the company is making a strong case that it can achieve its goals.
Technology, sustainability and support for young talent – Pirelli states that these are the three cornerstones of its 2022 motorsport campaign. During a live-streamed press conference hosted by Mario Isola, the tyre maker’s head of motorsport, supported by rally activity manager Terenzio Testoni and GT circuit activity manager Matteo Braga, Pirelli set out its plans and priorities for the year.
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