Pirelli claimed much of the silverware on offer on a challenging Ulster Rally, the latest round of the British Rally Championship.
Represented by many of the best drivers in Britain and Ireland, Pirelli was in the thick of the battle for victory on the asphalt event, where heavy rain and changeable conditions on both days of competition made for slippery stages and difficult tyre choices.
The challenging weather meant that the Pirelli N3 rain tyre was used in addition to the RK range of asphalt tyres. It was difficult for the drivers to predict in service which tyre would be the best choice over a whole loop of stages, but the adaptability of the Pirelli products mean they still deliver good performance even when the choice is not optimal.
Come the finish, Pirelli could celebrate claiming a double podium and four of the top five places in the overall standings, as well as further success in the respective championships.
Taking second overall on home ground, Alastair Fisher also scored the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship win in his Ford Fiesta R5. Jonny Greer, Keith Cronin and Josh Moffett made it an all-Pirelli top four in the ITRC, where Fisher and Cronin will battle for the title on the final round in October.
With Fisher not registered for the BRC, Greer claimed his second runner-up position of the season in his Citroen DS3 R5, matching his result from the championship’s previous visit to his native Northern Ireland on the Circuit of Ireland in April. David Bogie also repeated his Circuit result of third in his Skoda Fabia R5.
Three-time British champion Cronin was fighting for the overall win when he was forced into a gearbox change on his Citroen at mid-day service on the final day, with a penalty relegating him to fifth overall.
Pirelli won half of the event’s 14 stages, with two of them going to Swede Fredrik Ahlin, who displayed great speed on his less favoured surface even though a strong result escaped him. Still, he remains in the fight for the runner-up position in the championship along with Greer, Moffett and Bogie heading to the final round, the Rally Isle of Man on September 15-17.
Matthew Corby, Pirelli UK Motorsport Operations Manager, said: “The Ulster Rally was one of the toughest this year. The weather conditions made it very hard for the drivers to choose the right tyres, but the wide range offered by Pirelli helped them in this regard. Furthermore, our tyres are designed to perform well even when the conditions change. This meant our drivers were always at or close to the top of the times, and occupied five of the six final positions on what was an attritional event.”
