Recent Podiums Offer Encouragement to GTS and GT Ranks

Braselton, Georgia, Oct. 15, 2003 – Fresh from a triple
podium at the Grand Prix Americas on the streets of Miami, Pirelli
is looking to continue its recent trend of podium appearances at
this Saturdays American Le Mans Series (ALMS) finale Petit
Le Mans. Although Pirelli is focusing primarily on GTS and GT
customers during 2003, the baby prototype of Essex
Racing has been more than a pleasant surprise this season. The
reliable #18 entry prepared by Tony Dowe and managed by Mike Gue
has earned five podiums this year, including a third-place finish
at Miami, and is only three points behind the Intersport team for
second place in the 675 championship. Lead driver Jason Workman
will be joined by Scott Bradley (San Jose, Calif.) and Andrew Davis
(Lilburn, Georgia) at Road Atlanta this weekend.

Pirellis strong bond with Ferrari includes two World
Sports Car championships in 1995 and 1998, as well as winning the
inaugural Petit Le Mans overall and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the
prototype class in the latter year.
With a deficit of only eight points going into the final round,
Ferrari 550 Maranellos have already demonstrated that they are
capable of dethroning the Corvettes in the GTS championship this
year and Gabriele Rafanellis Team Olive Garden is hungry to
help. Drivers Emanuele Naspetti (Italy) and Mimmo Schiattarella
(Monaco) have scored two podium finishes so far, including a third
place at Miami where three Ferraris kept a Corvette off the podium
for the first time in years. Team Olive Garden is already assured
of improving on last years fourth-place finish in the GTS
championship.
The two-car team of London-based PK Sport has shown promise
throughout the ALMS season, often running in the top three in
class, only to fall to the vagaries of racing. However, Scot Robin
Liddell and ex-F1 driver Alex Caffi (Monaco) earned a well-deserved
podium at Miami in the #60 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. At Petit, they will
be joined by David Warnock (UK) while veteran Vic Rice (San Rafael,
Calif.) will compete in the #61 Porsche with Jon Groom of New
Jersey.

Pirelli will also fit the #71 Carsport America Viper of team
owner Tom Weickardt (Whitefish Bay, Wisc.), experienced Frenchmen
Jean-Phillippe Belloc and Eric Cayrolle that finished fourth in GTS
at Sebring.
In addition to these seasoned teams in the ALMS, one of the most
interesting developments of the season has been the debut of Hyper
Sports Panoz Esperante GTLM.
Built ” just down the street” from Road Atlanta, the Panoz
Esperante GTLM with the 5.0-liter Elan power plant will be the only
American-bred car challenging the likes of the German and Italian
thoroughbreds in the ALMS GT class this season. The Hyper Sport
team that made its debut at Sebring has an interesting
background.
Team principals Rick Skelton (Atlanta) and Brad Nyberg (Houston)
are graduates of the Panoz GT and Pro Series where they were top
competitors for the past two years while Joe Foster, Chief Driving
Instructor of the Panoz Driving School, is the teams lead
driver.
SPEED Channel will broadcast seven hours of Petit Le Mans beginning
at 11 a.m. (EDT) on Saturday, Oct. 18. Race fans can listen to live
coverage of the race on the American Le Mans Series Radio Web at
www.americanlemans.com

Founded in 1972, the Pirelli Group is one of the worlds
leading manufacturers of tires for most cars and light trucks plus
cables for telecommunications, electronic data and power
transmission. Pirelli tires are fitted as original equipment to
more than 350 different vehicle models, from the worlds most
powerful supercars to modest gas-, diesel- and electricity-driven
city cars.
Pirelli Tire North America specializes in the manufacture and
marketing of high-performance car, light truck and motorcycle tires
and currently has three of its highly advanced MIRS (Modular
Integrated Robotized System) modules in operation in a new factory
in Rome, Georgia, to better serve the American OEM and Replacement
markets. For more information, visit the Company’s web site at:
www.us.pirelli.com.