There’s no better endorsement for a performance product than results. For a tyre manufacturer, results are not only measured in wins and podiums but also in puncture-free competitive distances. The insight and data gathered in these extreme situations has proven invaluable for lab technicians when designing and engineering newer and more advanced technologies. Paolo Andreucci needs to don a white lab coat on his rallies, as this Italian Rally Championship ace not only wows the spectators but also tests the tyres to their performance limits.
A run of successes in the opening three rounds of the Italian Rally Championship, Pirelli’s official test driver is aiming to make it four wins in a row with this weekend’s Rally Targa Florio. Piloting his Peugeot 207 S2000, this five-time Italian Champion, with co-driver Anna Andreussi, are firm favourites for a win on this specialized event: they have dominated the past five editions!
This iconic rally takes place on the island of Sicily, and this year celebrates its 95th running. The stature of this event is not to be undermined: it has lent its name to many supercars, such as the Porsche 911 Targa. Characterised by its mountainous asphalt roads, the Rally Targa Florio is an event of endurance as the route twists and snakes its way through a challenging 255km.
Andreucci commented: “I love the Targa Florio but it is a very intense sprint with lots of short stages, where there are some very strong local specialists. Grip is really important here as the surfaces are incredibly slippery and the speeds quite high: on the rare occasions that it rains, the roads become almost impossible.
Other top drivers competing on the Targa Florio include Alessandro Perico in a similar Peugeot 207 S2000, as well as last year’s Targa Florio winner Toto Riolo. In the two-wheel drive class, the leading Pirelli competitors are Citroen Italia DS3 R3T drivers Simone Campedelli and Andrea Crugnola. The rally also counts towards the Italian Renault Clio Trophy and the Mitsubishi Evolution Cup.
The Targa Florio begins at 20h00 on Thursday 2 June in the city of Palermo outside the Piazza Castelnuovo. The drivers then go on to complete SS1, a special stage of just 1.65km, before heading up to the mountains of Montemaggiore for the start of Friday’s action at 08h15. The rally continues on Saturday and finishes at approximately 16h30 in Palermo.