Pirelli, Grand-Am Announce PaceSetters Program For 2008 Rolex Series

The top teams in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 will be eligible for $300,000 in cash bonuses during the 2008 season under the Rolex Series’ Pirelli PaceSetters program that goes into effect today. At the end of the season, the Italian tire manufacturer will award a $100,000 bonus to the top Daytona Prototype team.

Last season’s top-15 Daytona Prototype teams and top-10 GT class teams are eligible for the 2008 Pirelli PaceSetters program. Teams earn bonuses for activities such as attending autograph sessions and displaying the PaceSetters flag in their garage area. In addition to monetary bonuses, participants in the Pirelli PaceSetters program will be eligible for other at-the-track bonuses, including priority rig parking upon arrival at events and preferred pit selection.

Pirelli also announces that it will provide, free of charge, three sets of rain tires to each team that competed in the Rolex 24 At Daytona and also commits to run the entire 2008 Grand-Am schedule. These tires are in addition to the free set of rain tires that Pirelli provided each team that competed in January’s season-opener.

“We are serious in our commitment to Grand-Am and in doing our part to help take the series to the next level. Supporting the teams and developing our relationship with them is one of the pillars that we intend to build upon as we move forward,” commented Hugh Pace, Chairman and CEO of Pirelli Tire North America. “Our product and support to the competitors in this series is the cornerstone of the image we are building upon to demonstrate to our customers and consumers in North America that Pirelli means business.”

In addition to the bonuses offered by Pirelli under the Rolex Series’ Pirelli PaceSetters program, the Gianfranco Martelli Award will be presented at the end of the season to the Pirelli Pacesetter team who has earned the most PaceSetters points. Gianfranco Martelli led the development of the Grand-Am Pirelli P Zero used on all Rolex Series machines. He tragically passed away just prior to Pirelli’s first official Grand-Am test in November 2007. Martelli is one in a long list of names that have contributed above and beyond the call of duty to ensure Pirelli’s continued success over the last 100-plus years of Pirelli Motorsport history.

“We are very proud to be able to recognize our colleague in cooperation with Grand-Am for the commitment he made – not only to our company, but the Grand-Am Rolex series as well,” commented Pierluigi De Cancellis, Global Director of Circuit Racing for Pirelli. “Rewarding a team’s technical excellence and attention to detail captures Gianfranco’s spirit and is a fitting tribute.”

Pirelli will also make a donation to Camp Boggy Creek in the name of the award winner. Camp Boggy Creek is a Hole in the Wall Gang camp founded by racer and actor Paul Newman.

The Pirelli PaceSetters participants and the rest of the Rolex Series return to the track for the GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami on March 29.

Pirelli Tire North America specializes in manufacturing and marketing high-performance tires for passenger vehicles, motorcycles, ATV’s and motorsports. An industry leader in technology and quality, Pirelli’s commitment to excellence is demonstrated through innovative programs such as the highly advanced Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) operating at the company’s North American headquarters in Rome, Ga. that allows Pirelli to better serve the American OEM and Replacement markets. For more information please visit: www.us.pirelli.com.

The Grand American Road Racing Association, which operates and sanctions the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 and the Grand-Am KONI Challenge Series, is the premier road racing organization in North America. The 15-race 2008 Rolex Series and the 11-race KONI Challenge Series calendars deliver professional sports car racing to key markets throughout North America in addition to being televised in the United States and Canada on SPEED and distributed globally through ESPN International. Learn more about Grand-Am at www.grand-am.com.