Rally Sweden. Pirelli evolves its studded tire

Pirelli puts the rubber on the rally from Sweden (February 24-27)! By setting up the event in Umeå, which is located 400 km south of the Arctic Circle, the organizers hope to benefit from real winter conditions. This event, which is the only one on the calendar to be run on completely snowy and icy stages, requires specific equipment. The regulations authorize a single type of studded tire. Pirelli offers the Sottozero Ice J1B. This is an evolution of the J1A which appears in order to adapt to the new Rally1 hybrids which are both heavier and occasionally more powerful with the boost provided by the electric motor.

READ ALSO : Ogier replaced by Lappi for the Swedish rally

The J1Bs feature 384 tungsten-tipped studs, each protruding seven millimeters from the tread blocks. At Pirelli, these spikes are installed using the vulcanization process, whereas on Michelins of previous years, they were implanted one after the other by hand. “ The new Rally1s forced us to optimize our entire range, explains Terenzio Testoni, responsible for the rally activity. Like its predecessor, the J1B will provide riders with incredible grip. The new location of this sleeve should ensure ice and snow in which the studs should work well, although our tires still perform well when temperatures are milder and there are sections of frozen ground. »

Pirelli will bring 1400 envelopes to Sweden, including 1200 J1Bs for Rally1 and WRC2 competitors. In WRC, each driver can use up to 26 tires during the rally, while in Rally2 the quota is 24.