The Polish Rally returns to the spotlight this weekend as one of the events that make up the 2024 WRC calendar.
Having left the slower gravel, the World Championship is preparing to begin a triptych of rallies on fast gravel. The first of these will be held this weekend in Poland.
19 special tests divided into 4 days: the first on Thursday evening, then 7 on Friday and the same number on Saturday, and then closing on Sunday with 4 stages. As regards the surface of these tests, the pilots will have to take into account the different surface changes in the various stages, not to mention the dangers caused by the weather and rain.
Polish Rally: the tires brought by Pirelli
Pirelli, sole supplier of the WRC, brought to Poland two Scorpion compounds, tires made for dirt roads. We are talking about the Soft and Hard compounds.
The Scorpion KX WRC SB (Soft) will be the Prime tire due to the nature of the tests. Despite being soft compounds, they will be able to tackle all the stages included in the route, being more resistant and consistent than the previous version.
The Scorpion KX WRC HB (Hard) will instead be considered as Options. These compounds are ideal on rougher surfaces and for longer tests.
Polish Rally: Terenzio Testoni’s impressions
“Although the Polish Rally has been out of the world championship calendar for a few years, it is well known to many drivers and also to ourselves, given that a year ago on these roads we took the first three places in this round of the European Championship , thanks to the versatility of our tyres”.
“Overall, I would say that the soft compound Scorpion was able to comfortably tackle all the special stages, leaving little room for option. The aspect that the crews will have to pay most attention to is the variation of the surfaces, which are often different from stage to stage per stage and tend to have deep grooves in the second passages”.
Rally Poland: tire allocation
Each crew of a hybrid and non-hybrid Rally1 car will have the following compounds available:
28 Prime (Soft) erasers
8 Option tires (Hard)
We remind you that drivers can increase the number of Option tires up to 12, while decreasing the number of Prime tires available by 4 units.
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