WRC | Pirelli: in Croatia the challenge for the riders will be grip

The WRC is ready to face the fourth round of the 2024 World Championship, the Croatian Rally, the first of the season entirely on asphalt. 20 special stages for a total of 304.38 kilometers divided into 3 very treacherous stages.

What makes the event unpredictable will be the asphalt, a surface that changes grip suddenly and several times. A slippery surface with bumps and parts damaged also due to the weather.

The roads are quick, fast, but at the same time very narrow and the situation is made worse by the poor level of grip guaranteed by the tests themselves. Last but not least, the uncertainty linked to the weather, with the rain which could occur intermittently and very violently.

Rally Croatia: the tires available

Pirelli has decided to bring the following tires to the Croatian Rally:

PZero RA WRC: these are Pirelli tires dedicated to asphalt rallies and will be available in 2 compounds.

• Hard: they will be considered Prime, i.e. those most available to riders due to the abrasive asphalts and the longest special stages.
• Soft: perfect for tests with asphalt that provides little grip, slippery, or even made damp by rain and humidity.

Cinturato RW: these are the tires made by Pirelli for wet asphalt. This type of tires are made specifically for Rally1 cars, withstanding the stresses due to the greater aerodynamic load and the action of the hybrid propulsion.

Rally Croatia: tire allocation

Each Rally1 car will be able to use a maximum of 28 tires during the event and will be able to choose between:

28 PZero RA WRC Hard (considered Prime)
18 PZero RA WRC Soft (considered Option)
12 Cinturato RWB

Rally Croatia: the comment by Terenzio Testoni

Terenzio Testoni, Pirelli rally activity manager, commented on the Croatian Rally like this a few hours before the start of the event: “Tire management has always been a key factor in Croatia, where the roads are fast but also very smooth. In reality, the real challenge for all crews will be grip, which can be really poor in some sections which tend to get very dirty.”

“Last year, the dirt that accumulated in each heat was a real characteristic of the rally, which is why the use of the soft tire was widespread even on perfectly dry surfaces. I predict that it will be an unpredictable rally until the end, with lots of drama as always.”