Pirelli’s presence at the Autosport International Show, which is now in its 28th year, featured the largest stand that the Italian company has ever displayed, and several exhibits that showcased the sheer variety of Pirelli’s hundreds of motorsport programmes worldwide.
Visiting the show was Pirelli’s head of car racing Mario Isola, who heads up the company’s Formula 1 programme, along with around 100,000 other visitors over the course of the weekend. “The diversity and popularity of the show really demonstrates how strong the motorsport industry is in the United Kingdom, and we’re delighted to be a part of that,” said Isola, who spent Thursday and Friday being interviewed by the world’s leading motorsport media. “The majority of the Formula 1 teams are based in the United Kingdom and the passion as well as the know-how here is clear to see. That goes far beyond Formula 1: we are also involved in GT, rally and bike racing in Britain, as well as junior single-seater series.” All those championships were represented on the Pirelli stand, along with a stunning display of tyres for road and track: including the latest hypersoft Formula 1 tyre, which is reckoned to be up to a second per lap quicker than the current softest tyre in the range. One car prominently displayed was the iconic Lancia Stratos, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of its last championship win this year, and was taken to victory on the 2017 FIA European Historic Rally Championship with former F1 driver Erik Comas on Pirelli P7 Corsa Classic tyres. |