Pirelli World 27

Poste Italiane Spa-Spedizione in Abbonamento Postale-70%-DCB Milano. Reg. Trib. Milano n. 494 del 24.9.1994 – Redazione: Via G. Negri 10 Milano
W RLD
The quarterly magazine for Pirelli’s management throughout the world - March 2006 - No.45
Detroit 2006:
the Grit
Equipped
by Pirelli
CONTENTS
Executives’ Convention
Innovation and product development
as the main drivers of growth and
results excellence for 2006
page 2
Successful in Germany
Pirelli strengthens its leading position
in the premium segment in one of the
most competitive markets in Europe
page 5
Leader in OE at Detroit
Top manufacturers confirm
the American growing consensus
for Pirelli tyres
page 7
Pirelli Truck’s Dakar
The PS22 Pistas continue to win:
they have conquered the fourth final
place at the Red Lake on a Tatra
page 13
From Waste to Energy
The Cdr-P technology will be
developed in UK, according to an
agreement signed with ReEnergy
page 15
A Thrilling Championship
SBK is about to start,
with many MotoGP pilots ready
to race on Pirelli tyres
page 20
Pirelli is to continue its strategic
redeployment in 2006, focusing on
businesses and market segments with
higher added value and of advanced
technology, said Chairman Marco
Tronchetti Provera at the Pirelli
Executives’ Convention, despite a
context of stagnation in the European
economies. And even if we will see a
world economic growth of around 4%
to 5% annually in GDP terms over the
next four to five years, as forecast by
Prof. Enzo Grilli, guest of honour at
Convention, Western Europe, which
already has a lesser growth potential
of around 3%, will be lagging behind
unless we succeed in a rapid, root and
branch implementation of the Lisbon
Agenda (p. 2).
Last year Pirelli Tyres set a new
production record in Germany: 10
million high performance tyres
produced in 2005, which made Pirelli’s
Breuberg factory the leading
manufacturer of its kind. Pirelli is
achieving an increasing number of
new homologations in the German
market from prestigious car marques
for models such as Mercedes-Benz C
class, B class, S class and CLK, BMW
X3 and all versions of the Porsche
Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg (p.
5). Pirelli has definitely established its
tyres among the top product ranges in
the U.S.A., as could be clearly seen at
the Detroit (NAIA) and Las Vegas
(SEMA) motor shows (p. 7).
On the motor sport front, after the
satisfactory performance of the Pirelli
shod Iveco and Tatra trucks (the latter
ranked fourth overall) in the LisbonDakar Pan-African marathon (p. 13),
we are now about to begin a highly
promising season in the World
Superbike Championship, the third
under the mono-tyre rule and with
Pirelli as sole supplier (p. 20). A
tough challenge in the World Rally
competition with the Subaru-Pirelli
team is also being acted out, after the
retirement of the works Peugeots and
Mitsubishis (p. 22).
May the best (tyre) win.
1
STRATEGY
We publish here a summary of the speeches given by Chairman
Marco Tronchetti Provera and by Professor Enzo Grilli, guest of honour
at the Pirelli Executives’ Convention, held in Milan on 16 December 2005
Pirelli 2006: innovation A look at the future
remains the goal
of the world economy
F
irstly, we must acknowledge
that in all areas of business,
almost everything we said at
the end of 2004 came to pass in
2005. In tyres, we consolidated our
position as a high-quality brand in
all markets where we trade – an
ever-increasing number. We
achieved impressive results in all
market segments, from cars to trucks and motorcycles.
Particularly in the United States, Pirelli has become one
of the top OEM brands. As well as producing very high
quality tyres, the MIRS factory in Atlanta also is a key
factor in marketing. New manufacturing investments in
Romania and in China are moving ahead. And other
Group units have achieved significantly improved results
over the same period.
Disposal of the cable business was completed in 2005.
This was a tough strategic decision to make back in 2001,
but it was in the Group’s best interests. We managed to
keep the business whole and ensure managerial
continuity. The Unit’s management displayed great
professionalism, and to the very last showed steadfastness
and enormous loyalty to the Group.
It is thanks to the consistent results they have achieved
that this disposal realised the value it did for Pirelli.
Although they are not here with us today, I would like to
offer these colleagues a well-earned and well-deserved
round of applause.
Outlook for 2006
Though macro-economic conditions have not improved
significantly compared with the last two years, there are
grounds for us to be hopeful for 2006. World growth is
expected to be driven by the Far Eastern and US
economies. The situation in Latin America is forecast to
remain uncertain, mainly because of the political outlook.
This is an electoral year in numerous countries in Latin
America, so we can expect increased consumption,
though this obviously generates a greater risk of inflation.
2
W
hat can we expect of the
world economy over the
next four to five years?
Well, to begin with, if the world
economy is to continue to grow, the
European and Japanese economies
must recover. Europe’s economic
growth potential is around 3% in GDP
terms; Japan’s growth potential is
estimated at around 4%, so both of these economies have
ample room to improve. In an open economy like Europe,
whether or not things actually improve depends to a large
extent on short-term monetary policy and its effects on real
interest rates and exchange rates. Like the Fed in America, the
European Central Bank has to a large extent used the monetary
tools at its disposal (interest rates) to stimulate an expansionary
economic cycle. Although the recovery has been slow to take
hold, a degree of stimulation has indeed been achieved.
In the medium term, however, traditional monetary
instruments alone are insufficient. Structural reforms are
required: productivity must be raised to meet the challenge
of fiercer competition and the prudent deregulation of a
number of businesses, particularly in the services sector.
Education and workforce training must be strengthened,
while greater investment in research is required. Western
Europe’s best hope, in my opinion, lies in rapid, ongoing,
root and branch implementation of the Lisbon Strategy,
which must be a success. Large corporations like yours can
do much to ensure success.
A second key condition for ongoing world growth is that
the United States successfully handles its balance of
payments deficit, which is currently running at around 7%
of GDP, without bringing about serious monetary
repercussions for the rest of the world. China must also
balance its growth and base it more on domestic
consumption than exports, at the expense of countries near
and far, as a result of an undervalued exchange rate.
The role of Asia and China
It is my belief that Asia will continue to play a leading
Pirelli, however, has a great deal of experience with Latin
American economic cycles: this know-how allows us to
manage such spikes without suffering negative
repercussions, and on the contrary seize the upside.
Overall Group prospects are for continuing growth in
all markets, even if markets remain challenging. As ever,
ongoing innovation and product development are the main
drivers of growth and results excellence, with the focus
steadfastly on the customer. We cannot drop our guard: as
we continue to improve our results, our competitors do
likewise – some of them more rapidly than us, which
should give us food for thought.
Towards the leadership
Once again this year tyres reaped plaudits from
specialist press testing and reviews. This reflects very
well on the people who day after day and with great
passion research and develop our products and continue to
generate growth for this company. And yet we do have the
scope to do more and to do better.
We are not yet fully exploiting the potential of CCM
(Continuous Compound Mixing), a proprietary technology
that must allow us to produce higher quality mixes. I
believe that all we need is some chemical component finetuning to make a true technological breakthrough that will
give us a significant competitive advantage. MIRS could
also benefit from improvements: the main thing is that at
all times we remain focused on developing products that
match how markets are evolving.
We must never forget that the real battle is fought
through our results. Until a few years ago a 10% profit
margin in the tyre industry seemed unrealistic.
Now our profit margins already exceed this figure
considerably in motorbikes and trucks; we need to make
another push in cars. We have the people, the
technological competencies and the resources to be a
world leader not just in our products’ quality but also in
terms of profitability.
Strategies and synergies
Of our other Group businesses, our most innovative
sector is telecommunications access network components
and photonics components, where rapid growth has been
achieved by working with Telecom Italia. Here, Pirelli is
supplying added value and building on the company’s
significant tradition and expertise. Cooperation offers a
major opportunity for both Groups. Our capacity for
innovation is as great as that of much larger competitors;
we have the opportunity to strike major partnerships with
leading telecommunications carriers and research
operations. In addition, Pirelli’s multinational structure
and culture provides an opportunity to put our products
into new markets.
role in the consolidation of the global recovery, not just
because of the size of Asian economies but as a result of
high workforce productivity. This applies not just to China
either. In India growth is running at around 6% to 7% of
GDP annually (barely lower in terms of pro capita GDP),
and is continuing to accelerate.
As Mr. Tronchetti pointed out, short-term growth prospects
in Latin America depend on the region’s political cycle.
If the world recovery is to consolidate there cannot be
another oil crisis. This is the most perilous variable: the
price of oil has become endogenous and depends on
economic growth itself. Demand for oil increases more or
less proportionately to higher incomes, whereas supply, at
least over the short-term, is more or less static. In this
scenario there can be little hope that prices return to their
late 1990 levels. Prices will remain high, but we can hope
that the world economy continues to grow at the same time.
So far I have looked at growth potential, but a number of
other risks loom on the horizon. Balanced world economic
growth requires open markets and appropriate regulations
to protect trade, investment and intellectual property. The
greatest peril is that the Doha talks will break down and
that there will be a consequent return to protectionism.
Another risk is that the political and social reaction to
globalisation cannot be handled without major
repercussions on growth: either the result of greater controls
on the movement of capital or greater obstacles to trade and
investment. These risks go hand-in-hand. They do exist,
which is why it is important to try and minimise them.
In summary, I believe that we will potentially see world
economic growth in GDP terms of around 4% to 5% annually
over the next four to five years, despite a necessary
normalisation of interest rates. It should be noted that there is
significantly more downside risk than upside risk in this
estimate. In order to avert these risks and facilitate growth,
policies must be oriented towards openness and stimulus
rather than regulation and containment. A virtuous
environment must be established by maintaining freedom of
trade, fewer restrictions on enterprises and strong
competition – competition stimulates innovation and
productivity, which are the drivers of growth – through more
targeted investments in research and a significant focus on
education. In my opinion these drivers are far more important
over the medium term than monetary or fiscal policy
intervention.
The responsibilities of global enterprises
Before I conclude, I’d like to comment on the roles and
responsibilities of private enterprises, their property and
their managers, in paving the way for conditions to promote
a smoothly-functioning economy and systemic stability,
while at the same time supporting economic advancement.
In our increasingly globalised economy, modern day
3
I am aware of how strategically important this sector is
to Pirelli, just as I am aware that growth must be
increased. The internet and broadband are fuelling an
explosion in telecommunications traffic volumes: our
competencies and technologies can significantly drive
Group growth. I am also aware that another sector that is
still in its start-up phase – technology for environmental
protection – is destined to be a significant driver of
growth for Pirelli.
Our colleagues in the real estate business at Pirelli Real
Estate deserve praise for building a business model that is
increasingly acyclic: over 40% of revenues are generated
by services rather than the pure real estate sales.
This business model also launched listed real estate
funds in Italy, which make it possible to normalise a
market that in the past has been highly speculative and is
continuing to register significant growth and yield
impressive results.
Innovation across the board
Something that can spur us on to greater achievements,
is the knowledge that we belong to a Group that knows no
bounds to its improvement, to its ability to compete and
innovate. If companies so much as take their foot off the
accelerator they fall immediately behind: changes are
happening faster and faster in all business sectors.
Keeping up with our fiercest competitors requires
effective decision-making based on a transparent and
rapid flow of information, and on employing people
whose quality exceeds that of our competitors.
Every year we must be more innovative, more
dedicated in what we do; we must up the pressure –
pressure in a healthy sense: pressure to research and
achieve challenging objectives.
We are fortunate to operate in a number of sectors that
in the past were considered “mature” or speculative
(particularly tyres and real estate). We have demonstrated
that we can innovate our business models, technological
processes and products in these sectors.
Telecommunications and the environmental business have
a great future in which innovation is the key to compete.
It is up to us to seize these opportunities as best as we can.
The responsibility is ours and ours alone if we are unable
to be leaders in our own businesses.
We will reap the rewards if we are capable of
capitalising on the resources we possess. It behooves me
to say that so far everybody has pulled together in this
effort.
If we continue successfully along this path we will
continue to honour the name of a company that has
operated with complete transparency in the marketplace
for over 130 years; most importantly, a company that has
founded its growth on the respect of basic moral values.
4
enterprises fulfil a global role that entails far broader
responsibilities than in the past. And there’s nowhere for
enterprises to hide. In the past, the temptation of taking a “head
in the sand” approach was simply unwise; nowadays, it’s
actually impossible. What happens in China influences Europe
and the United States and vice versa. The results achieved in
one territory around the world depend more or less organically
on results achieved elsewhere. Nothing important happens that
does not affect and interest the world of enterprise.
For enterprises like the Pirelli Group trading in many
countries, national and international policies may be
influenced by expressing opinions, taking positions, by
earnestly and continually contributing to debate… though
not with arrogance, a sense of inferiority or a fear of
overstepping the bounds. Private enterprise plays a key role
in the production of wealth and global well-being: indeed, I
would venture that it is practically its sole driver.
Economies need businesses and governments to talk and
work together, to support one another within their own sphere.
When strategic decisions are on the table, private enterprise
has the duty and the right to make its voice heard and defend
business freedom against excessive red tape; to defend trade
freedom and the freedom to invest, with a suitable division
between the spheres of government and regulation; to defend
monetary stability. It is neither appropriate nor wise for
relations between Europe and the United States or between
Europe and China to be exclusively the preserve of politicians,
diplomats or those most directly affected.
Private enterprise must play a part in bilateral and
multilateral relations. No decisions may be ignored because
decisions transcend national borders. It has long been normal
for parties involved in public decisions to calmly and
transparently offer ideas, suggestions, solutions and critiques.
This is a direct responsibility that managers have towards
their property, whether widely spread or concentrated;
towards their employees, few or many; and towards the
collective well-being of the nations where they are productive.
Paraphrasing Bastiat, where men have legitimate selfinterest, it should be assumed that this interest falls into a
harmonious pattern. A healthy enterprise in a healthy and
well-functioning economy is a major public asset.
I would like to conclude by wishing Pirelli’s good
economic health to continue into the future. I have no doubt
that this health depends a great deal on your work and the
management’s responsible commitment to fully pursuing its
legitimate role around the world in all appropriate forums.
Enzo Grilli is Professor of International Economics at the Paul
Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at the John Hopkins
University in Washington D.C. Prof. Grilli was previously Secretary General for Economic Planning and Executive Director, first
of the World Bank and then the International Monetary Fund.
EUROPE
Production Record at Breuberg
Pirelli Leads in
Germany’s TopRange
P
10 million UHP tyres produced in 2005, excellent winter press tests and new
homologations for prestigious car brands: the German market acknowledges
Pirelli as leading manufacture within the premium segment
irelli is celebrating a new
production record in Germany:
with 10 million high
performance tyres produced in 2005,
the Breuberg factory becomes the
leading manufacturer of its kind in the
German market and is considered
Europe’s point of reference for the
high range segment.
The factory, which is near
Frankfurt, is Pirelli’s most important
industrial unit in Europe.
Established in 1903, the Breuberg
plant became part of the Pirelli Group
in 1964 and made its mark in the
German car tyre market just one year
later by producing its first radial ply
technology tyres. In 1970, over two
million steel belted radials were made
at the Breuberg factory, which
focused on high performance tyres
from the Eighties. Important
management changes were introduced
from 1993 with the adoption of Total
Productive Maintenance (TPM) and
in 1995 production climbed to 6
million units. The new century began
at Breuberg with the fusion of the
Modular Integrated Robotised System™
(MIRS™) into the entire production
system and with the incorporation of
the motorcycle tyre production unit
in 2003.
Today, the German plant covers
350,000 square metres, is highly
automated and concentrates on the
manufacture of tyres for extremely
An aerial view of the Breuberg factory, near Frankfurt, Germany
high performance cars, Sport Utility
Vehicles (SUV) and motorcycles for
top-of-the-range vehicles in the
German and European markets.
The plant’s research and
development centre, which is key to
servicing the German car makers and
the continual renewal of the products
typical of the ultra-high performance
and winter ranges, also helps secure
about 100 original equipment
homologations a year.
The management systems in the
factory for the manufacture of both
car and motorcycle tyres are the most
advanced in the world: that is
confirmed by the company having
received in recent years the Special
TPM Award plus QMS TS 16949 and
OHSAS 18001 certifications for
quality and safety respectively.
So it is little wonder that Pirelli
5
Some of the MIRS™ robots in operation at the Breuberg plant
recently scored outstanding results in
product tests carried out by some of
Germany’s most authoritative
motoring magazines. ADAC
Motorwelt, Auto Zeitung, Auto Motor
und Sport, Autobild, Sport Auto,
Automobil Tests and Promobil all
returned highly positive verdicts on
Pirelli UHP tyres, among them the
winter run-flat and tyres for the SUV
and Touring segments.
Magazine
6
In particular, the Winter Sottozero
fitted to the Audi A3, BMW 5 Series
and the Volkswagen Golf V GTI
produced first-rate performance in
terms of grip and traction on snowy,
wet and dry surfaces. Scorpion
Ice&Snow on the Volkswagen
Touareg showed their optimum
drivability on snow and excellent
roadholding under aquaplaning. The
Winter Snowsport Run-Flat on a
BMW 1 Series won its test for the
results it achieved in grip and reduced
braking distance on snow.
Important recognition also
continues to come in from some of
the most prestigious German car
manufacturers, from which Pirelli has
obtained new homologations for the
Winter Sottozero, Winter Snowsport
and Scorpion Ice&Snow. They
include the fitment of Winter
Sottozero to the Mercedes-Benz C
Class, S Class and CLK, the Winter
Snowsport to the BMW X3 and
Mercedes-Benz B Class. On the SUV
tyre front, the Scorpion Ice&Snow
was homologated recently for all
Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen
Touareg models.
These results, achieved by the
company in one of the most
competitive and demanding markets
in Europe, are further confirmation of
the success of its products in the
premium segment of the marketplace.
P. W.
2005 Pirelli winter tyre tests carried out by the German press
Issue
Size
Tread pattern
Car
Comment
10/05
175/65 R 14 T
195/65 R 15 T
W190 Snowcontrol
W190 Snowcontrol
Ford Fiesta
VW Golf V
*** Strongly recommended
*** Strongly recommended
40/05
225/55 R 16 H
W210 SottoZero
BMW 530 i
Best result – exemplary
11/05
255/55 R 18
ScorpionIce&Snow
VW Touareg
Best result – exemplary
21/05
205/55 R 16 H
W210 SottoZero
Audi A3 Sportback
Strongly recommended
11/05
225/45 R 17 V
W240 SottoZero
VW Golf Vsehr
Recommended
20/05
195/55 R 16 H
195/55 R 16 H
W210 Snowsport RFT
W210 SottoZero
BMW 120
BMW 120
Winner
Second place
06/05
235/40 R 18 V
W240 Snowsport
Audi A 3 2.0T FSI
Highly recommended
Winner
11/05
225/70 R 15 C
Chrono Winter
MB Sprinter
Excellent
11/05
225/55 R 16 H
Wintter 210 Sottozero
BMW 530i
Best result – exemplary
US MARKET
Pirelli expands in North America
Best ever USA
Shows
Pirelli has equipped one seventh of the cars exposed at the NAIA in Detroit and the most
exceptional modified models displayed at the SEMA in Las Vegas
T
Leader of original equipment
at Detroit…
he Detroit Motor Show is,
undoubtedly, one of the most
important events of its kind in
the international calendar. Apart from
the imposing presence of the
America’s Big Three – DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors
with their many different marques –
the 2006 show in Michigan in early
January also hosted a really strong
contingent from the Japanese and
European constructors.
Japanese cars are especially popular
in America and demand for them
continues to rise, as has been the case
for years. Meanwhile, the Old
Continent’s vehicle manufacturers are
committed to expanding their
presence in the U.S. and playing a
role of prestigious actors in the North
American market.
In that scenario and with the Detroit
rated as the top show by the world’s
manufacturers, Pirelli confirmed itself
to be one of the original equipment
protagonists on a world scale and had
its tyres on many of the new vehicles
on display. Four fifths of Pirelli’s
tyres in evidence on the American
show’s stands were from either P Zero
or Eufori@. Further confirmation of
the leading role
being played by
Pirelli in the OE
market, especially
as no fewer than 23
of the top vehicle
manufacturers
showed new models
on tyres from the
two ranges. An expanding presence
and extraordinary volumes from the
global point of view, which assume
even greater proportions in a huge
market like the United States.
The current tendency in major
markets is for the ultra-high
performance, the ever-popular Sport
Utility Vehicle and the run flat tyre
segments to register the biggest
increases in sales volume related to
models in those sectors. All segments
in which Pirelli has a
substantial share,
and which are
c o n s t a n t l y
expanding in line
Original equipment:
top to bottom,
Scorpion STR on the
American Ford Edge
and Lincoln MKX;
P Zero on the new
Lamborghini Miura
7
Equipment top to bottom:
Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico
on a Dodge SRT10;
Scorpion ATR on a Ford F150;
P Zero Rosso on a Ferrari 612
Scaaglietti
with the models in those areas;
vehicles of increasingly high
performance, which are certainly able
to meet the demands of practicality,
versatility and simplicity of use
required by the world’s motorists.
8
The high technological
standards inherent in all
Pirelli tyres are attracting
an increasingly widespread
consensus, not only among
Europe’s manufacturers of
high performance cars, but
also among the best known
American marques. They
include Ford – most of whose
Focuses sold in the United States are
fitted with the P6 Fourseasons –
Cadillac, Chevrolet and Dodge.
Cadillac, the prestigious American
marque par excellence, pays
particular attention not only to
performance but also to practicality,
as confirmed by its adoption of the
Pirelli Eufori@ run flat for its STS
and XLR models.
And Pirelli certainly has not lost its
top place as the supplier of tyres for
supercars. Products from the P Zero
range are original equipment on the
latest models from many of
the world’s leading
constructors. Their cars
on P Zero include the
Ferrari 612 Scaglietti and
F 4 3 0 Challenge racer,
Lamborghini Miura, the
Gallardo and Murciélago
roadsters,
Maserati,
especially
the
new
GranSport Spyder, Porsche
Cayenne, Bentley, who
unveiled its highly
luxurious Azure cabriolet
fitted exclusively with
Pirelli P Zero Rossos at
Detroit’s Cobo Center, Audi S8, RS4
and the new generation A3 and Aston
Martin, who were present with the
anxiously awaited Rapide four door,
derived from the DB9 coupé.
by Enrico Campioni, Milan
… most desirable
brand at Las Vegas
They say in the US that ‘what goes
on in Vegas, stays in Vegas’. Maybe
that’s why it is the Americans’ favorite
resort for a weekend away. But Las
Vegas has become famous in recent
years also for its SEMA Motor Show –
and what goes on there certainly does
not stay in Las Vegas! Rather, it has
become the automotive tuning world’s
shop window for all the new trends,
latest fashions and the most wildly
modified cars and trucks. What goes
on at SEMA in December is seen all
around the world in the following year
– in magazines, TV shows and on the
garage floor. It is the Mecca for car
tuners… and of course Pirelli is there.
The beauty of SEMA is that it is a
truly international, cosmopolitan,
modern motor show where everyone is
welcome and almost anything goes.
This year the Italian influence was
everywhere as everyone seemed to
embrace the concept of ‘Lamborghini
doors’. Virtually every Chrysler 300C
had the lift-up devices – maintaining
Pirelli’s stand
at the SEMA Show
the model’s role as a ‘hot car’, but
also almost every Hummer had them,
as did the new Escalade sporting 26”
Scorpion Zeros on the Pirelli stand.
The other major Italian influence
was of course Pirelli itself. In recent
years Pirelli in North America has
been working away at positioning
itself as the most ‘desirable’ brand to
have on a modified vehicle, this
supported by a continuing flow of
new tuning sizes for both cars and
trucks. This approach has worked for
consumers and tuners alike, and
everywhere one went in SEMA you
could find Pirelli – sometimes in the
most unlikely of places! How about
24” Scorpion Zero on a Rolls Royce
Phantom? Or 22” P Zero Nero on a
McLaren Mercedes SLR? or 20” P
Zero Rosso on a Corvette Z06? Even
P Zero Corsa on a Ford Hot Rod!
The Pirelli stand was, as always, a
major meeting point. Where else
would Buster Rhymes meet Tyson
Beckford? Or Bobby Rahal meet New
York Yankees’ star Gary Sheffield!
But it is also a serious meeting place
for Pirelli and its customers. Almost
without exception all of Pirelli’s top
customers, and many of the smaller
ones too, come to SEMA. It’s an
opportunity to exchange ideas, make
plans for the following year,
cement alliances for the
future, develop new
business.
Equally serious are
the technological
and fashion driven
trends on display at
SEMA, in particular
with respect to wheels and tyres.
SEMA alone has driven the ‘diameter
war’ for Car, SUV and Light Truck
sizes. Pirelli had on display its latest
28” Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico, fresh
off the newly installed line 4 at the
Rome factory – though it appears that
some competitors may even tout 30”,
flouting the legal requirements on
Load Index, incredible as it might
seem. Pirelli first showed its ideas for
‘signature tyres’ last year at SEMA
with limited edition prototypes of
‘Sean Jean’ aka P Diddy and Ralph
Lauren’s ‘Tyson Beckford’ tyres and a
couple of competitors followed that
idea this year.
For those with a serious budget for
their wheels the undoubted biggest
‘excess’ of the show came in the form
of Lexani’s million-dollar wheel set!
For your $1 million you get a set of 4
wheels studded with 12,000 diamonds
and 800 sapphires crafted by Icelink
Jewelers of Los Angeles.
Significant in 2005, and very
evident at SEMA, has been the trend
One of the spectacular bikes equipped
with Pirelli’s tyres
in the SUV and Light Truck tuning
market towards bigger flotation sizes
and more aggressive tread patterns on
22” and 24” sizes in particular. Pirelli
is with that trend with the introduction
of its new Scorpion ATR line,
displayed at SEMA for the first time.
As ever, SEMA is a great
opportunity to understand ‘who is
fitting what sizes to what’. Reason
enough to have key personnel from the
Milan ‘Prodotto Department’ there.
This is no longer necessarily an easy
matter to be followed as many tuners
Pirelli tyres equipping a Hummer
experiment with the ‘look’ of the tyres
and how they fit on the wheels! Very
often tyre manufacturers guidelines
will be thrown away and, for example,
a tyre stretched on to a rim for which it
is normally considered too narrow –
just to get the look of the sidewalls
angulated into the wheel-well of the
vehicle. It doesn’t matter if the wheel
is overexposed to damage, that the ride
quality is compromised, or that the
steering is too sharp; we are
sometimes all slaves to fashion!
Above all, it is important to be at
SEMA. To see first hand what is
going on. To stay ahead of
the trends. And always be
ready for ‘the next new
thing’. Diamond
studded winter tyres
anyone…?
by Peter Tyson,
Las Vegas
9
THE CAL 2006
Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott’s Pirelli Calendar presented in Paris
Freedom to Beauty,
Power to Seduction
Six contemporary female icons pose with knowing beauty and impeccable professionalism
for the 27 pictures of the 2006 Pirelli Calendar, with the sensual complicity of water,
which dominates the suggestive scenario of the French Riviera
M
ert Alas and Marcus Piggott
had the honour of taking the
pictures for the 2006 Pirelli
Calendar, which was unveiled in
Paris on 18 November in the elegant
and suffused surroundings of the
fashionable Avenue Lafont, in the
January: Jennifer Lopez
10
presence of VIPs, press and television
from all over the world.
But let’s take a step back in time to
May 2005 in the sunny Cap
d’Antibes, where two emergent
young photographers chose to hold
the new Pirelli Calendar shoot.
Their task was to evoke, in a
contemporary manner, the mood of
the swinging Sixties, when the
legendary Brigitte Bardot reigned
supreme on the beaches of France.
That is why the new calendar was
March: Gisele Bundchen
July: Kate Moss
photographed on the Riviera, with its
elegant and extraordinary seascape,
abounding with cliffs, luxurious
yachts and imposing villas.
The photographic programme was
based on a rigorous and precise
schedule, stretched taught by rapid
pace. Ten days on the set, 45 people
who attentively followed the stages
of the shoot, over 2,000 photographs
Guinevere Van Seenus in an unpublished
photograph
Credits: Karen Elson
taken, 27 selected for the pages of the
anxiously awaited Cal.
The result is a masterly blend of
tradition and innovation, in which
Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott were
able to impress their identity as
young photographers on the work and
still pay homage to tradition, which
has consolidated itself in over 40
years of Pirelli Calendar history.
The six women who interpret ‘the
Cal’ are extraordinary for their beauty
and sensuality: Jennifer Lopez,
Giselle Bundchen, Guinevere Van
Seenus, Kate Moss, Karen Elson and
Natalia Vodianova.
Making her debut in the Pirelli
Calendar, Jennifer Lopez opens the
new edition with the cover and the
winter months in two surprising
roles: as a diva of the Forties, elegant
and refined and then as the ‘femme
fatale’, entwined in small strips of
black leather. “What they’re doing is
not important, whatever it is I know I
will look beautiful”, said the actress,
sure of herself.
The year continues with Giselle
Bundchen, who already appeared in
Mario Testino’s 2001 Pirelli Calendar,
dedicating her sculptural and perfect
body to spring, with a suggestive strip
of white skin that opens an alluring
black swimming costume.
Then Guinevere Van Seenus, nude
and sensual, who indulges in a game
with two dolphins. The summer
months belong to Kate Moss, who
made her Pirelli Calendar debut in the
celebrated 1994 Herb Ritts edition:
stretched out with her eyes closed and
photographed in a car, dressed only in
a black choker, recalling Brigitte
Bardot at the height of her fame.
Karen Elson, who was extremely
young when she appeared in Herb
Ritts’ 1999 and in Mario Testino’s
2001 Pirelli calendars, was
photographed for 2006 in all her
11
‘rebellious elegance’, exceptional
beauty imbued with softness and
austerity.
Finally, Natalia Vodianova. She
first appeared in the 2003 Pirelli
Calendar by Bruce Webber and
continued in 2004 in the Nick Knight
edition: ethereal, sexy, wonderful.
Seduction and freedom of
expression are the absolute
protagonists of the 2006 Pirelli
www.pirellical.com
Record number of visits
A backstage photograph of Jennifer Lopez
November: Natalia Vodianova
12
With the new Internet site devoted to ‘The Cal’, Pirelli has registered an absolute record
number of daily visits for a Group site: 89,459 is the number of accesses recorded on 25
November, just seven days after the launch of the 2006 calendar.
That is an increase of 81% compared to the previous year and +42% for the duration of the
visits: it is a trend in constant evolution.
Born three years after the launch of the first official site, the new portal has been renewed
in its graphics and especially in its content and usability: it makes the photographs usable to
any navigator without the need to register, and shows unpublished pictures for the first time,
as well as previously unseen backstage films in the premium area.
The site, which is navigable in either Italian or English, offers images from all 42 editions of ‘The
Cal’through their precise organisation by decade, year and month, making the pictures easy to find.
The site’s character is strongly oriented towards interactivity: each visitor can cast his or her
vote for the Calendar’s photographs, so making a personal contribution to the success of a legend.
Credits: Guinevere Van Seenus (wearing a P Zero watch)
TRUCK
Racing a normal production tyre
Pan-African
Marathon
The Pirelli PS22 Pista standard production truck tyre is
making quite a name for itself in racing. Now, it has come
fourth overall in the 2006 Lisbon-Dakar
T
Guinevere Van Seenus, in Paris, wears the
velvet jacket specially designed by Pirelli
P Zero
Calendar, the main theme of which is
summarised by the expression ‘libres
et puissantes’. Aware of their renown
and beauty, the six models feel free
to disrobe and appear sensual and
intriguing. The body is photographed
as if an uninhibited instrument of
power: sensuality becomes a dolphin
on a lead or a cat imprisoned in the
naked arms of a mischievous young
woman. Water becomes a dominant
element that exalts the brilliance of
the skin and creates extraordinary
plays of light on wet bodies, making
the pictures especially voluptuous
and captivating. Black and white,
strong and seductive, amplifies and
completes the effects of the sea,
creating an immediate feeling with
two of the greatest exponents of
photographic images.
by Fabia Snider, Milan
he 2006 rally-raid season
opened with the LisbonDakar, the gruelling African
marathon that this year started from
the Portuguese capital on 31
December. A caravan of 574 roaring
vehicles set off for Senegal, but only
193 got to the finish on the beach of
the Red Lake on 15 January. Among
them were 33 trucks, fewer than half
the strarters.
Competing in the Truck category
for the second year, Pirelli came
close to taking a podium position
with fourth place in the final results,
having taken three seconds and two
thirds on the rugged stages that make
up the hard marathon: a more than
satisfactory result, as was the fact
that the number of vehicles
competing on Pirelli this year
increased five fold over 2005.
The protagonist of the 10,000kilometre race over unmade tracks
and the desert sand was Pirelli’s
completely standard P22 Pista road
tyre in size 14.00R20, produced in
the Izmit factory in Turkey. Having
made its debut last year in the
Barcelona-Dakar fitted to two Iveco
Eurocargo trucks, the tyres produced
outstanding “floatation” qualities at
exceptionally low pressure in
extreme conditions on sand surfaces
Pirelli’s Dakar service truck on location
13
and returned optimum resistance to
tears and cuts. Result: seventh place
in the 2005 Dakar and a number of
competitors who asked to test the
PS22s.
This year, no fewer than 25
vehicles competed on the PS22 Pista
over the harsh terrain of the 2006
Dakar, on which the tyre produced
outstanding traction. Team
Motorsport Italia started from Lisbon
with an exceptional line-up of three
Iveco Trakker AT190T44Ws dubbed
Italia 1, Finland 1 and Espana 1,
driven respectively by two ex-world
rally champions Miki Biasion of
Italy, Markku Alén of Finland and
Spanish champion Pep Vila, plus two
Iveco Eurocargo 140E24Ws in the
hands of Italians Luisa Trucco and
Riccardo Garosci, the Epsilon team
from Spain and others from France,
Belgium, Germany and Hungary.
The Petrobras entry, sponsored by
Pirelli in Brazil, was the real
revelation in the 2006 event: the
highly professional team ran a Tatra,
which was the truck that gave Pirelli
its fourth place overall – three higher
than in 2005 – and came close to
clinching a podium finish. The
The Petrobras team celebrates the fourth
final place at its Dakar 2006
14
The Tatra truck, equipped with the PS22
Pista tyres
truck’s Brazilian driver, André De
Azevedo, confirmed he is a major
talent on even the toughest stages
and made sure the Pirelli-shod Tatra
became the highest placed privately
entered truck in the event.
The 2006 Lisbon-Dakar was a
success on a number of fronts for
Pirelli’s Truck Tyre Business Unit, in
which R&D, Marketing and Quality
worked closely together to strengthen
the BU’s presence in the legendary
marathon, a mono-tyre race until just
two years ago. It was a sporting
success due to De Azevedo’s fourth
place overall in the PS22 Pista-fitted
Tatra, but it was especially successful
on the techno-performance front,
because the PS22 Pista came out of
the 2006 Dakar with a stronger
endorsement than ever.
The PS22 Pista has racked up other
significant results: it came second in
the last world championship Orient
Rally of Turkey and won the world
title Baja Aragon in Spain and
Egypt’s Rally of the Pharaohs.
Pirelli is committed to supporting
crews competing in the future rallyraids, sure of its tyres’ performance in
the Lisbon-Dakar on a wide variety
of surfaces including sand, the loose
and even light snow in the early
European phase.
So the PS22 Pista now has a
pedigree that includes a series of
positive results scored in prestigious
events over the last few months. And
in addition, last September Pirelli
won a tender to supply the Germany’s
Federal Ministry of Defence with the
tyre for the German army’s armoured
vehicles and trucks as a result of its
outstanding performance in terms of
traction in all conditions, high
mileage and excellent wet grip, which
beat off all its competitors.
And the chance of more success is
in the air...
by Marco Carrara, Milan
JOINT VENTURE
Pirelli Ambiente
Converting
British Waste
into New Energy
A five-year agreement has been signed with ReEnergy for the development in Great Britain of
the Cdr-P technology, transforming solid waste into energy. Columbia University has also
recognised the excellence of this innovative system
T
he Cdr-P technology by which
Pirelli Ambiente, converts solid
waste into energy, has come
ashore in the United Kingdom. The
company has signed and agreement
with ReEnergy, the innovative British
company active in the renewable
energy sources sector, for the
development there of Pirelli’s means of
transforming solid refuse into energy.
The accord stipulates that, as a result of
Pirelli Ambiente receiving about £Stg
2 million from ReEnergy, the U.K.
firm may produce and commercialise
the Pirelli Cdr in British territory over
the next five years. Pirelli Ambiente
will provide the necessary technical
assistance with which to implement its
technology.
Through this operation, Pirelli
Ambiente intends to evaluate the
development potential in one of the
most attractive European markets for
the use of Cdr-P in partial substitution
for fossil fuel in the process of
electrical energy production.
“In the United kingdom”, explains
Nicolò Dubini, Managing Director of
Pirelli & C. Ambiente, “about 35% of
electricity is produced in power
stations fuelled by coal, compared to
about 8% in Italy: it is, therefore, an
extremely interesting market for the
introduction of Cdr-P as an alternative
fuel, especially if one considers that
our technology does not require the
construction of new chimney stacks. In
addition, the use of Cdr-P permits the
fulfilment of electrical energy
production obligations by renewable
energy sources and the reduction of
CO2 emission”.
Pirelli Ambiente will also evaluate the
possibility, already included in the
agreement, of further strengthening its
operations in the United Kingdom with
a direct operational presence through
the constitution of a joint venture with
the British company. ReEnergy, which
was recently quoted on the Alternative
Investment Market of the
London Stock Exchange, is an
innovative company whose
portfolio contains various
projects in the field of refuse
management and water
treatment, including a
technology to obtain energy
from the tides.
But the agreement with
ReEnergy is not the only
international success accomplished
by Pirelli Ambiente in 2005. During
Columbia University’s prestigious
Waste-to-Energy Research and
Technology Council, an event
spotlighting technology for recovery
from refuse, Cdr-P was recognised
as the only combustible fuel of
quality derived from waste able to
partially substitute coal and offer a
constant yield.
The patented Pirelli Ambiente Cdr
system is a renewable source of energy,
almost completely derived from the dry
portion of solid urban refuse to which
high power calorific components are
added, such as non-chlorinated plastics
The Cdr-P mix, comprising the dry portion
of solid urban refuse and components of
high calorific power
15
MARKETING
A special event in Sicily to introduce the Sportec M3 to
the international press and top European dealers
A Meeting
with High
Performance
The Cdr-P drying plant at the IDEA
Granda factory at Roccavione, Cuneo, Italy
and granulated rubber. Energy recouped
in this way is prevalently used in cocombustion as a partial substitute for
coal in existent industrial units, like
thermo-electric power stations and
cement factories, without having to
build new chimney stacks.
In Italy, the Pirelli technology has
been used for over two years in the
Cuneo area, where an approximate 32%
energy recovery from refuse is superior
to both the 8% average in Italy and
Europe’s 25%. As well as providing an
effective solution to the problem of
waste disposal, the use of Pirelli Cdr
instead of coal in existing plants also
produces a reduction in oxidised
nitrogen and carbon dioxide. In
addition, the Pirelli Cdr system also has
financial advantages to add to those that
benefit the environment. According to a
study carried out by the Istituto di
Economia delle Fonti Energetiche of
the Bocconi University in Milan,
electrical energy produced with the
Pirelli Cdr system is a renewable
energy source with a low production
cost – after the large hydroelectric
installations – and is equal to 30 euros
per Megawatt against, for example, the
121 euros of biomass incinerators.
by Salvatore Ricco, Milan
16
Two weeks of road and track testing to ‘live’ the excellent
performance characteristics of the new tyre from Metzeler
for the supersport segment
T
he winning combination of
Pirelli and the Italian
motorcycle industry has
pulled off an important new
achievement: the presentation of the
Sportec M3 tyre for supersport
bikes, produced by Metzeler, the
Milan Group’s long established
brand, and a leader in technological
innovation.
A special event, able to
communicate to the international
press and Europe’s top dealers the
commitment and ability of the men
at Metzeler – qualities that enable
the brand to play a leading role in
the marketplace – was the right
occasion on which to preview the
new
product’s
exceptional
performance.
The Sportec M3 completes
Metzeler’s ‘TEC family’ of tyres,
which has renewed its high
performance radial range. It follows
A moment during the pre-test presentation of the Sportec M3 to the press and leading dealers
The positioning of Metzeler’s ‘TEC family’
in the tyre market
the earlier introduction of other
successful products called Roadtec
Z6 (July 2003), Racetec (March
2004) and Lasertec (June 2004).
“The realisation of this strategy
reflects the attention paid by the
German brand to new market trends:
as well as performance, the
company has a deeper interest in
tread pattern design and mileage as
a means of satisfying the growing
expectations of motorcyclists
throughout the world. In addition,
we have a well-defined range from
which anyone can select the “Best
Equipment” for his or her
motorcycle. We offer products of
different characteristics to better
satisfy the riding style and
expectations of the motorcyclist,
while maintaining a high level of
technological content which has
always distinguished Metzeler
products”, affirmed Gabriele
Morosini, Marketing Director of the
Motorcycle Business Unit.
So the organisational and logistics
aspects of this product’s
presentation had to reflect the
growing attention Metzeler is
paying to the new demands of the
market.
The choice of the location for the
launch was of prime importance,
especially as the preview was to
take place in the autumn and that
the high performance capability of
the tyre had to be suitably
emphasised. For those reasons,
Racalmuto in Sicily immediately
appeared to be the winning solution.
An extremely new and technical
circuit, enjoyable to ride and,
therefore, of great interest, but
above all one that was unknown to
many of the invited journalists. A
track at which Metzeler also wanted
to emphasise the tremendous
synergy with which R&D and
marketing had worked so well with
A group of Metzeler’s guests at an event
before testing the Sportec MC on the
Racalmuto circuit
Sportec M3 close up – technical secrets
With both the front and rear Sportec M3, Metzeler has taken a further innovative step forward in the technology of Multiradius, while the tread compounds of the two tyres are different to ensure excellent riding precision, guarantee maximum grip and an immediate ‘feel’ for the tyre.
This front and rear Sportec M3 duo has once again been designed using CMT – colour modelling technology – to ensure the motorcycle handles
perfectly in all situations.
The front tyre has a rounded and linear profile, while the rear has a differentiated curvature from the crown
to the shoulder to give a maximum support surface however much the bike leans. The result is an increase in
stability and speed when going into a corner, while the linearity of response when heeling over is translated into
precision under acceleration when coming out of it.
In addition, the new profile accompanies a tread pattern of modern appearance, developed to produce important advantages. The land/sea ratio has been created to offer the best in dry grip, guarantee a good ‘feeling’ in
the wet and especially to reduce the incidence of aquaplaning due to the special design of the grooves, which
maximise water drainage.
This equilibrium between diverse constructional elements and research into optimisation also included mileage, which has been increased over that of the M-1, and tread wear.
Even wear enables the tyre to maintain its high level of performance and predictability to ensure control in
all situations, whether riding on the road or at the limit on a circuit.
17
the test department at the nearby
headquarters of Giarre in the
development and refinement of this
new product.
The Sportec M3 has been
developed for the Supersport segment
of the motorcycle tyre market, in
which the power of the motorcycle
has increased and at the same time
the motorcycle manufacturers have
worked on weight. They have now
reached a power to weight ratio of
almost 1:1, which was unthinkable
for normal production machines just a
few years ago.
The increase in performance and
sophistication of motorcycles has
modified the expectations of the
user, now more interested in sports
riding: exploitation of the real
potential of a motorcycle in search
of performance on the road, but also
Sportec M3 going into a demanding corner during track testing at Racalmuto
on the track, a more frequent
requirement than in the past.
Both road and track were to be the
stage on which the Sportec M3 was
Motorcycle test department and R&D: a winning
alliance in the development of the Sportec M3
The Motorcycle Test Department was established in 1986 as part of the Technological Test
Service. Over the years all activities, including the functional dependence of Latam and replacement homologations in the German market – with its incredible increase in homologations
under direct management – were allocate at the Giarre centre. The unit now employs 20 people
sub-divided into four groups, each one specialised in specific areas of behavioural analysis. Tests
mainly take place on four tracks, always in close co-operation with Research and Development:
Vizzola Ticino in the Malpensa area of northern Italy, and Sumare in Brazil, twin circuits where
wet testing is carried out. The two enable tests to be conducted within 24 hours in temperature
differences of almost 30 deg C. Then there is the Nardo oval near Brindisi for stability verification, while near Siracusa there is the brand new circuit of Racalmuto for handling tests on the
track. The latter, born of the enthusiasm of a local businessman with technical consultancy from
Giarre personnel and the Pirelli Materials department, has asphalt representative of a large
number of European circuits of reference, making it ideal for handling, grip and intensive wear
testing.
Many of the more than 300 tests carried
out during the development of the Sportec
M3 took place at Racalmuto, reinforcing
and further demonstrating the effective
and solid synergy between the Test Department and R&D. The Metzeler team was,
therefore, able to present its latest product
fully confident that it had achieved the
technical performance demanded by the
market, due to the validity of the effective
teamwork between the technical and
18
to star. And it did so with
assertiveness and reliability on the
roads near the temples of Agrigento
and the surrounding hills, as well as
between the kerbs of the tortuous,
technical Racalmuto circuit.
Before handing over the
motorcycles’ keys to journalists
attending the event, R&D, the test
department and marketing made a
full joint presentation of Sportec
M3, peppered with many new
elements and details that were later
discovered, experienced and
appreciated on the track.
Riding on road and circuit, a
range of the latest and most popular
motorcycles in the Supersport
segment, about 10 guests from all
over Europe: every day for two
intense weeks was packed with
immense satisfaction as the Sportec
M3 lived up to expectations. It was
able to meet the most severe
demands made on it by the specialist
press and always delivered a high
level of performance, even after
many hours of hard use. The track
brought out the new tyre’s advanced
characteristics of handling and
riding precision to confirm it is a
product developed for road use
while being competitive against its
sporting opponents at the same time.
by Luca Zaccomer, Milan
ARCHITECTURE
Towards the completion of ‘Progetto Bicocca’ in Milan
An International
Competition for the
City of the Future
The projects of Archea Associati and Michael Maltzan Architecture studios will redesign.
600,000 sqm, once occupied by the Ansaldo steel works.
And a joint venture between Pirelli RE and Morgan Stanley will redevelop the old industrial area
A
rchea Associati of Florence
and the Californian studio
Michael Maltzan Architecture
have come equal first in the
international
architectural
competition for invitees promoted by
the Pirelli RE/Morgan Stanley joint
venture. The contest took place to
determine the planning of the layout
for industrial and commercial use of
an approximate 600,000 square
metres of the Milan area, which
belonged to Ansaldo and is bordered
by Via Chiesa, Viale Sarca and Viale
Privato Ansaldo.
The other eight studios that
competed and submitted project
proposals by 19 September were
GMP Architeckten, Maurizio
Varratta Architetto, Exposure
Architects, MCA-Mario Cuccinella
Architects, Metrogramma, Progetto
CMR, Beniamino Servino and
Zucchi Architetti. Their projects
were architectural studies for the
redevelopment of derelict urban
areas, adjudicated, in particular, for
their ability to meet the
requirements of environmental
sustainability.
The tender calls for the
redevelopment of a first lot of more
than 52,000 square metres into an
office building, while a remaining
area of about 8,000 square metres
(gross surface plane) will comprise
compatible functions, predominantly
for commercial use. The construction
of around 17,000 square metres of
prevalently underground car parking
is also planned.
The preliminary project by Archea
Associati is conceived as “a dialogue
between two lots”, alternating solids
with voids, concave with convex. It
The plastic model of Archea Associati’s
project
19
CHAMPIONSHIP
A great new season is on the cards
Supertyres on
Superbikes
The plastic model of Michael Maltzan
Architecture’s project
proposes a large volume of 52,000
square metres, which will be hollow
inside to provide room for
quadrangles, gardens and squares. It
also includes a parallelepipedon
raised six metres from the ground,
where the connecting walkways from
the lower to the upper regions will
lead the public spaces to those which
are private.
Instead, Michael Maltzan
Architecture has proposed the
construction of two square towers of
different dimensions, connected to
each other by a suspended glass
bridge and immersed in a large park.
The competition marks the first
time the Green Building Challenge
project selection system was applied
in Italy to evaluate the environmental
sustainability of a proposal. A system
co-ordinated by iiSBE, the
International Initiative for a
Sustainably Built Environment, who
will provide certification on
conclusion of the undertaking,
together with the collaboration of
CNR, the Consiglio Nazionale delle
Ricerche, and the Parco Scientifico e
Tecnologico of Italy.
So Breda-Ansaldo, once a
chimneyed symbol of Milan, now a
derelict area, will soon be the centre
of a metropolis, which will look to
the future and will be
environmentally friendly.
by Simona Gelpi, Milan
20
Pirelli’s technicians have been hard at it developing
new tyres for a 2006 World Superbike Championship,
which will include five MotoGP riders
A
fter two seasons as
the official tyre
supplier to all
competitors, Pirelli is
preparing for its third
mono-tyre year in the
World
Superbike
Championship.
Last season closed with
the race at Magny Cours,
France, and a new record
to testify to the continued
improvement of the tyres
and the non-stop work of
Pirelli’s technicians. It is
this
research
and
development work that
has been at the basis of
tests carried out by Pirelli
in recent months, while
the championship was
taking its winter break
and champion Troy
Corser was on holiday.
Valencia, Almeria,
Cartagena, Doha, Phillip Island,
Sepang: many circuits throughout
the world played host to Pirelli’s
winter tests, which produced
consistently positive results and a
clear improvement in times.
Meanwhile, the championship
has featured strongly in the press.
There have been many SBK rider
changes and a number of new
developments in the paddock. The
Suzuki’s reigning world champion Troy
Corser testing in Australia
first important name is that of
Troy Bayliss, who returns to the
Superbike championship as a
member of the team with which he
won the 2001 title and came
second the following year. His
team mate at Ducati will be the
young Lorenzo Lanzi.
Roberto Rolfo has come back to SBK with
the SC Caracchi team and is seen here
testing in Valencia, Spain
Bayliss has competed in
MotoGP for the last couple of
seasons and when he tested his
new bike and tyres in Qatar – he
had never previously raced on
Pirelli – he was immediately
unexpectedly fast. In a simulated
race, he shattered the times of the
previous season, improving ‘race’
performance by 40 seconds.
Bayliss spoke enthusiastically of
the ‘Italian rubber’ and it soon
became clear that there is going to
be a tremendous duel between him
and his fellow Australian,
Suzuki’s reigning world champion
Troy Corser.
GP riders have rediscovered
SBK, a championship that
continues to grow and one that
adopted the new single sourcing
formula for tyres, which has
proved to be a formidable relaunch platform. The paddock is
also preparing to celebrate the
return of Ruben Xaus with Team
Sterilgarda: he finished his last
season in second place in 2003.
Another important return is that of
Roberto Rolfo, a highly
experienced and sensitive Italian
rider despite his rather tender age.
After a season in MotoGP
campaigning a Ducati for Team
Dantin, Rolfo rejoins the
Superbike circus with Team SC
Caracchi. Another MotoGP
fugitive is Franco Battaini, who
will ride for Team Bertocchi.
On return from Qatar just before
2006 World SBK Calendar
February 26 - Doha (Qatar)
March 5 - Phillip Island (Australia)
April 23 - Valencia (Spain)
May 7 - Monza (Italy)
May 28 - Silverstone (UK)
June 25 - Misano (San Marino)
July 23 - Brno (Czech Republic)
August 6 - Brands Hatch (UK)
September 3 - Assen (Netherlands)
September 10 - Lausitz (Germany)
October 1 - Imola (Italy)
October 8 - Magny Cours (France)
October 22 - Kyalami (South Africa)
Christmas, another two riders were
named as possible competitors for
2006, both of them highly
experienced and of great charisma.
The first to find a place in the
paddock was Alex Barros of
Brazil, who has been a Honda and
Yamaha GP rider for years. This
season, he will have an SBK
Honda on Pirelli!
There has been talk in the Suzuki
camp of a new rider to reinforce the
line-up, but at Phillip Island Troy
Corser was able to set times that
were almost two seconds faster
than those of last season. This was
a clear indication that Pirelli’s tyres
had improved once more and that
the 36-year-old, whose bike carries
the number one this year, has no
intention of abdicating.
Five riders have switched from
MotoGP to world SBK and there
may well be more.
The season about to get under
way will be a bigger winner than
ever, with about 10 riders ready to
fight it out for victory and put on a
fantastic spectacle as they do so.
Pirelli can count on their enormous
experience as it continues to
develop new solutions bolstered by
the mono-tyre formula, which has
created a direct link between
normal production and racing
motorcycle tyres for the first time.
The sports motorbike market is
expanding and new generation
machines are increasingly
comparable to ‘race replicas’,
returning levels of performance
that were unthinkable until a few
years ago. And that is how road
bike tyre development benefits
from the Superbike and Supersport
world championships, finding an
immediate correspondence on the
market with which to offer
products of reference that
underline once again Pirelli’s
claim that “we sell what we race
and we race what we sell”.
by Luca Zaccomer, Milan
21
RALLY
Pirelli Competizioni’s commitment
The 2006 WRC
Starting off
on the Right Tyre
T
New to the championship is the arrival of Chris Atkinson and Stéphane Sarrazin,
loose and asphalt surface specialists respectively, at Subaru-Pirelli, P Zero competing
in Group N and the reorganisation of the championship fixture list, now split into
five distinct periods by the type of surface on which the events take place
he 2006 World Rally
Championship fired up at the end
of January at Monte Carlo and
saw Pirelli on the start line in a
decidedly optimistic mood. Mario
Isola, Pirelli Competizioni’s Rally
Manager revealed: «The season that
has just started has Pirelli Competizioni
competing together with the works
22
Subaru World Rally Team, which will
enter its Subaru Impreza WRCs for
2003 world champion Petter Solberg of
Norway and two specialists, Australian
Chris Atkinson for loose surfaced
events and Frenchman Stéphane
Sarrazin for rallies on asphalt».
In an effort to best meet the needs of
the engineers and crews of the Japanese
company, Pirelli Competizioni recently
acquired a highly evolved Impreza
WRC, which will be used by the team
headed by Fiorenzo Brivio, which will
have Sarrazin as its principal test driver.
As well as the works Subarus, Pirelli
will also provide tyres and service to
other leading drivers, including Gigi
Galli and his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
for the Monte Carlo, plus Kristian
Sohlberg and Thomas Radstrom, who
will be competing in ex-works Subarus
in the Swedish rally.
Director of Pirelli Competizioni Paul
Hembery explains: «The commitment of
Pirelli’s technicians will not end with top
competitors in the championship, but
will also include Group N, which saw
Pirelli excel last year with the Subaru
Impreza STi of Toshihiro Arai. For
example, our tyres were on the Impreza
STi entered for the Monte Carlo Rally
for Patrick Heintz of Switzerland, who
won his national championship in 2004,
supported directly by the Swiss
subsidiary of Subaru, which has been
sustained by Pirelli for some time.
Bearing in mind the commitment to tyre
development and the need to also offer
service and support to competitors
who enter the various national
season will see crews
championships – as in the
taking on classic winter
2006 World Rally Championship
case of the 2005 European
events in the snow and ice
championship Renato
of the Monte Carlo and
Travaglia, who will drive a
Rallye Automobile Monte Carlo
January 20-22
Sweden, which will be
Mitsubishi
Lancer
Uddeholm Swedish Rally
February 3-5
followed by asphalt rallies
prepared by Ralliart Italy
Corona Rally Mexico
March 3-5
in Spain and France,
fitted with Pirelli P Zeros
Rallye de Catalunya – Costa Daurada
March 24-26
after which will come
in the Italian national
Rallye de France – Tour de Corse
April 7-9
the punishing hard,
championship – one can
Rally Argentina
April 28-30
unsurfaced stages of
well understand the
Rally d’Italia Sardegna
May 19-21
Greece and Cyprus, then
breadth, substance and
Acropolis Rally of Greece
June 2-4
the mixed loose of the
variety of effort Pirelli
OMV ADAC Rallye Deutschland
August 11-13
Rally of Italy in Sardinia
Competizioni technicians
Neste Rally Finland
August 18-21
and finally the relatively
must sustain during the
Rally Japan
September 1-3
soft loose stages of
season that has just
Cyprus Rally
September 22-24
Australia and Great
begun».
Rally of Turkey
October 13-15
Britain. There are one or
Among the important
Telstra Rally Australia
October 27-29
two exceptions, like the
developments affecting
Propecia Rally New Zealand
November 17-19
Rally of Mexico, which
the 2006 WRC is the
Wales Rally of Great Britain
December 1-3
takes place between the
retirement of the works
snow of Sweden and the
Peugeot and Mitsubishi
teams, although Lancers and 307 CCs many years. And an able rival of asphalt of Spain during the first week
will still be seen in rallies, Pirelli’s in circuit racing and other of March, but in general the approach
taken by FIA of reducing costs in the
campaigned by private or semi- forms of motor sport.
The arrival of B.F. Goodrich short term and also simplifying
official teams. Another significant
occurrence is the disappearance of coincides with the regeneration of the logistics for teams competing in the
Michelin from the championship and world championship calendar, for World Rally Championship seems to
their substitution by B.F. Goodrich, which a sub-division has been created have brought about a degree of
an American tyre brand, which has of five distinct periods, in line with general satisfaction. We will see how
been an integral part of the French the kind of surfaces on which the cars the situation develops.
company’s commercial structure for will compete. So the first part of the
by Enrico Campioni, Milan
Settimo Torinese, the birthplace
of Pirelli’s road and racing masterpieces
Pirelli’s P Zero tyres, which are widely known in international rallying and FIA-GT motor
racing, in endurance racing like the “24 Hours of Le Mans” and in the United States – with
Maserati and Panoz in the American “Le Mans Series” – all have one common denominator:
they are the products of Settimo Torinese, the factory Pirelli has designated for the production
of these state-of-the-art tyres. Pierluigi De Cancellis, Circuit Manager of Pirelli Competizioni
and for many years a specialist in compounds at the plant on the outskirts of Turin, explains: «At
Settimo, we have a limited production as far as volume goes, but one of exceptionally high quality. In other words, we produce units in decidedly reduced quantities but with production specifics so precise that they are practically the work of artisans. The factory makes the P Zeros destined to take on the snowy special stages of the Rally of Sweden, as it does tyres that must withstand two laps against the clock on a track like Spa in Belgium, where cloudbursts and sultry
heat are often interspersed without any form of continuity. Again, technicians working for Pirelli Competizioni in this plant produce the latest evolutions of tyres for testing and test driving.
Tyres that are used as a basis on which to create the P Zero UHPs, which are the pinnacle of Pirelli road car tyre production and are selected as original equipment by prestigious manufacturers
like Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Bentley, Maserati, Saleen and so on».
A Settimo Torinese technician fine
tuning a P Zero tyre for motor sport
23
Essen Motor Show
A 500 square metre stand right next
to the southern entrance: that was the
spectacular way in which Pirelli took
part in the 38th Essen Motor Show in
Germany, a showcase for new
developments from the car
manufacturers and tuners.
Between 24 November and 4
December, about 400,000 motoring
enthusiasts visited the Pirelli display,
in which the real protagonists under
the floodlights were PS tyres, 15
different models from the summer,
winter, racing and 4x4 ranges.
Supported by technological
partners Novitec, Brabus, Hartge,
RUF, Domanig and Giacuzzo, Pirelli
showed over 2,500 tyres, offering
visitors demonstrations of their
performance in the tuning world.
Experts and technicians advised the
right compromise between aesthetics
of the elaborated car and safety at
the wheel.
Pirelli had optimum visibility
even beyond the car sector at the
Essen show: it included a preview
of the new collection of P Zero
clothing and accessories, suggestive
photographs of feminine beauty
from the 2006 calendar around the
24
boxes of the offices and in the
poster that announced Pirelli Film,
the Group’s new communications
project.
Pirelli at the first Cow Parade
In Latin America
Pirelli took part in Latin America’s
first ‘Cow Parade’, one of the biggest
and most successful street art events
that has been travelling 24 cities by
now, raising more than $11 million for
social welfare projects in the world.
«Pirelli is closely linked to culture.
Here in Brazil, we are in partnership
with the Museum of Modern Art, so
supporting a contemporary event like
the Cow Parade, which is part of the
city of San Paolo, is something very
much in line with our traditional
commitment to advanced technology
and socio-cultural initiatives», said
Marco M. Tronchetti Provera,
Marketing Director of Pirelli in Latin
America.
The four Pirelli Cow Parade entries
were auctioned at the end of the event
and they raised the impressive sum of
over R$1,500,000, which was
donated to ABRINQ, a Brazilian
foundation for the defence of children
and young people.
Strengthening tourism real estate
with a new partnership
In February, Pirelli RE and Merrill
Lynch International signed a binding
agreement for the constitution of a
joint venture - Merrill Lynch with
65% and Pirelli Re with 35% - to
invest up to a maximum of 1.5 billion
euros in Italian tourism-hotel real
estate over a period of five years. The
joint venture, which unites Pirelli RE’s
experience in real estate patrimony
management and the international
financial capability of Merrill Lynch,
aims to assume a leading role in the
tourism-hotel sector, which is
characterised by strong growth and
development potential.
With this new agreement, the
number of partnerships increases to
five between Pirelli RE and top
international financial operators for
opportunistic investments in Italy in
the various segments of the real
estate market in line with a business
model that provides for coinvestment by Pirelli RE with a
minority qualified share in the
initiatives undertaken, together with
the activities of fund and asset
management and specialised services.
WORLD
The quarterly international newsmagazine
for Pirelli management
MARCH 2006 - NO 45
www.pirelli.com
Published by Pirelli & C. S.p.A.
Direzione Comunicazioni Esterne
Editor Fabio Magrino
Assistant Editor Cinzia Storti,
the C’ comunicazione S.r.l.
Translation Robert Newman
Paging up the C’ comunicazione S.r.l.
Printed by Print Solution, Legnano