Milan, 17 May 2022 – The Portuguese Rally will celebrate its 50th edition this year with the first gravel race at the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) and the first gravel race of this year's new hybrid Rally1 car, with Pirelli introducing its updated Scorpion KX WRC gravel tyre range, tailored to the needs of the top class cars.
● Why tire strategy is important
The Portuguese circuit is characterized by high speeds and a highly technical gravel surface for riders, the surface of the track will initially be soft and sandy, with extremely low grip for the initial drivers, after which the surface of the track will quickly degenerate, revealing a hard pavement base below, with sharp stones on it. Tyres must be extremely adaptable, able to balance performance and abrasion resistance, and the strategy will be different when passing for the first time and again on the same stage. In addition, weather conditions can complicate the game strategy. In this case, wet tires may play a key role as dry tires.
●Pirelli tyres used in the Portuguese rally
Scorpion KX WRC tires: Pirelli's gravel road rally tires for top-of-the-line racing, available in two formulations, both upgraded for the 2022 season, with enhanced tire construction and optimized design for the heavier weight and torque characteristics of the latest generation of Rally1 racing cars. At the Portugal Rally, hard tyres will be the main tyres, providing long-lasting performance in the most demanding road conditions, while soft tyres are another option, providing the best grip for cooler or slippery road conditions.
Scorpion K tires: Available to the less powerful Raly2 group car of the WRC2 group and the WRC3 group and the WRC junior group of the Raly3 group car, the same gravel tire, will also have hard tires (K4A) and soft tires (K6A) two formulas. It has the same characteristics as the top-of-the-line KX tires.
● Dialogue Pirelli
Terenzio Testoni, Head of Pirelli Rally, said: "As the first gravel event of the season, the Portuguese Rally will be a major test for the team and its new car, as well as a first opportunity to compare the most common road conditions in the WRC. In addition, this is the first time that the new hard and soft tires of our Scorpion KX WRC tires have been used in combat. These tyres combine the experience we have gained from last year's return to WRC with the characteristics of this year's new Rally1 group car. The hard, rocky road base of the Portuguese stage means that the hard tyres are the main tyres for this race, but we also expect the soft tyres to be favored when they first pass through some stages, especially if it rains. Unpredictable weather conditions and a variety of road conditions can occur, so this should provide a comprehensive test for tires. ”
●Number say Pirelli
Pirelli will bring around 2,400 tyres to the Portuguese Rally, of which 520 will be available to the Rally 1 car in the top class of the World Rally Championship.
Each Rally1 driver, including the road survey phase, will be able to use up to 28 tires. The gravel stop for the 2022 season means that before the road survey phase begins, each driver can choose any additional 4 tires of any formula, plus a standard tire formula combination for each car:
24 Scorpion KX WRC HA (hard tire)
8 Scorpion KX WRC SA (soft tires)
● Pirelli will also provide tyres for the other four-wheel drive WRC2 racing cars in this race, and riders participating in the road survey phase can choose between four additional K4A or K6A tires, plus their tyre combination:
✔ 22 Scorpion K4A tires
✔ 8 Scorpion K6A tires
✔ Including the road survey phase, up to 26 tires can be used.
● Pirelli will also provide 210 tires for the WRC Junior drivers who are entering the third leg of the season:
✔ 18 Scorpion K4 tires
✔ 12 Scorpion K6 tires
Including the road survey phase, up to 22 tires can be used.
● Large numbers
100。 Portugal will have a huge lineup of 100 cars, all equipped with Pirelli tyres. This includes 12 Rally 1 cars, the most in a single stop to date, and 41 WRC2 cars in the race. In addition to the regular four-wheel drive racing category, Pirelli will also provide tyres for vehicles participating in the Toyota Gazoo Racing Cup. A single-brand Peugeot 2WD race car in Libya will also be equipped with Pirelli tires.
● Worth paying attention to
Two of the most successful drivers in WRC history, Sebastian Loeb and Sebastian Ogier, will return to the race to usher in their second appearance of the season after a classic victory battle at the Monte Carlo Rally in January. M-Sport Ford driver Loeb is still fourth in the drivers' standings of the year, while Toyota driver Ogil is eighth in the table, meaning he will face more favorable road conditions in his place in the opening day race. The last to set off in the Rally 1 group will be Dani Soldo, who will share a car with Oliver Soberg for the first time this season in a modern car.
Edit: The commercial vehicle industry