PIRELLI: ROHRLS PORSCHE 911 DAKAR EQUIPPED WITH THE RIGHT TYRES FROM THE DESERT TO THE ALPS

Milan, 15 February-The right tyre makes all the difference. Walter Röhrl, who in his rallying career has won on the most diverse tracks, from mud to asphalt, from gravel to snow, knows this well. And now for his Porsche 911 Dakar he can count on tyres that are specific to the type of terrain: from the Scorpion All Terrain Plus, designed for the sand of the desert, to the P Zero Winter, put to the test in the snow of the Alps, changing tyres is the key. Just like forty years ago, Rohrl explains, when he won the Monte Carlo Rally thanks to a strategy that allowed him to get the better of his opponents who, unlike him, were equipped with four-wheel drive; in order to deal effectively with both icy and dry asphalt, Röhrl's team was the only one to opt for a tyre change, switching from studded Pirelli tyres to Pirelli slicks. 

This is the first time that a Porsche 911 Dakar – a reinterpretation of the classic coupé in an all-terrain key, designed to maximise its off-road capabilities – has been fitted with a Pirelli off-road tyre as original equipment. The Scorpion All Terrain Plus tyre is specifically designed to offer resistance and support on the most demanding terrain, adapted to give the Porsche 911 Dakar the versatility of an off-roader as well as the high performance that has always been a feature of the iconic sports car, with a special development process.

Pirelli's R&D department used compounds capable of handling performance on both gravel and asphalt. In addition, the structure has been and optimised to improve the footprint on the ground. Compared to the traditional Scorpion All Terrain Plus, the new tyre for the Porsche 911 Dakar has a tread pattern that delivers competitive performance in the dry, both on the circuit and in the desert. All this is achieved without compromising on aspects that are fundamental for everyday use, such as stability, safety and comfort. For the outdoor testing of this tyre, Pirelli drove the 911 Dakar on all the main European proving grounds and on a variety of tracks representative of a wide range of conditions.

Pirelli and Stuttgart have a long-standing partnership, so much so that the Porsche 911 was the first car to receive a marked Pirelli tyre (in this case, with the 'N' symbol) in 1982. As a result, Pirelli’s 'Perfect Fit' strategy was born with Porsche, a strategy that involves the development, alongside the most prestigious car manufacturers, of tyres that are specifically tailored to the most high-performance cars.