Heading into the final GRAND-AM race of the Pirelli era this weekend, Pirelli has tallied an impressive record that has contributed to Daytona Prototype and GT competitors setting a massive 147 qualifying, race and race laps records since it partnered with the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series in 2008. GRAND-AM’s Daytona Prototype and GT competitors will race in Saturday’s Utah 250 on Miller’s 3.048-mile outer course layout for the first time - which can be seen live on SPEED - Saturday, September 11 at 2 pm EST/11 am PST.
“We are very proud of the performance of the Pirelli P Zero racing tires throughout our tenure as the official tire supplier of the GRAND-AM Rolex Series” said Tom Gravalos, Pirelli Tire North America’s Vice-President of Marketing, Motorsports and Original Equipment. “Beginning in 2008, Pirelli brought an unprecedented level of competition, speed, safety and technical innovation to the series, and our outstanding Pirelli engineers and technicians proved they were up to the challenge of the ultra-competitive series. Pirelli is able to utilize this platform for dealer and consumer outreach, and to showcase our brand heritage of performance, particularly through the P Zero family of products. Excellence on the track is directly related to our street tire program, and with recent awards by JD Power & Associates and No. 1 ratings by the world’s authorities on tire testing and quality, we are able to demonstrate our technical prowess and our commitment to innovation and safety.”
While the Pirelli era of GRAND-AM racing is on track to produce more than 147 official on-track records, numerous other milestones, historical achievements, additional records and incredible accomplishments on and off the race track also stand out. One of the first notable achievements came early on when Pirelli set the tone for its tenure in GRAND-AM by just meeting the colossal logistical and volume demands for its debut in the 2008 Rolex 24 At Daytona.
“Pirelli’s motorsport heritage, with over a century of winning behind us and a global network of R&D, manufacturing and technical support available, means that we are able to meet the demands of our partner championships head-on,” said Rafael Navarro, III, Pirelli Tire North America’s Director of Motorsports and Media Relations. “Our first Rolex 24 back in 2008 was like completing a full year of competition before the first green flag even waved, as the logistics and engineering demands were high. We met the challenge, and successfully and started each season with the Rolex 24, and all of the testing that precedes it. Our outstanding technical and field personnel would accomplish in well under two months what was realistically more than a year’s worth of planning and preparation, but we delivered with flying colors.”
