The WRC is ready to face a new rally, the debut Central European Rally, which will involve 3 different nations taking place between Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria. It will be the penultimate race of the season and also the penultimate on asphalt before the Rally Japan scheduled for November.
The main feature of this event will be linked to the type of roads that the crews will encounter. The Czech ones, which will be used first, are treacherous due to the little grip they offer; the Austrian ones for the high speeds proposed while the German ones, which will close the race, will be tortuous.
The issue related to the weather is also very interesting, because the humidity and low temperatures – we are talking about 10-15 degrees – will make the routes even more treacherous, with rain expected on Friday on the Czech special stages.
Central Europe Rally: the tires available
For the penultimate round of the season, Pirelli, sole supplier of the WRC, has decided to bring the following tyres:
Pirelli PZero RA WRC: this tire is dedicated to asphalt rallies and will be available in two versions. The Soft, considered ‘prime’ for the event, will be perfect for slippery and low-grip conditions. The Hard, however, will be recommended for the most abrasive and long routes of the entire route.
Pirelli Cinturato RWB: designed for Rally1 and Rally2, they will be used for wet or extremely wet asphalt.
Central Europe Rally: the comment by Terenzio Testoni
Terenzio Testoni, Pirelli rally activity manager, commented thus on the penultimate event of the World Championship with just a few hours left until the start of the first special stage.
“A test so uncertain in its strategies and outcome, all in all it falls at the right point of the season. In Chile the Championship has crowned the winning team of the season, but the fight for the drivers’ title still remains open with two races to go.”
“It will be interesting to see how the various crews and teams choose to approach the rally, who will go on the attack and who will choose caution.”
“Furthermore, the return of Sebastian Ogier adds even more spice to this race and raises the level of the challenge. From a tire point of view, I see a race characterized by the soft P Zeros and the wet Cinturatos, which will be the protagonists below the rain”.
Central Europe Rally: tire allocation
At the Central European Rally each Rally1 car will have a total of 28 tires available for the entire event, plus a further 4 tires to use during the Shakedown (the compound will be chosen by each crew).
The tire allocation for the event is as follows:
- 28 PZero RA Soft tires
- 18 PZERO RA Hard tires
- 12 Cinturato RWB tyres
From these, each crew will have to select 28 (plus the 4 for the Shakedown) to use for the 18 planned specials.
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