Opel Promotes Italian Rally Talent Tamara Molinaro

◾18-year-old to take the wheel of the Opel ADAM R2 as opening car for rallies in Austria and Germany

◾Joint effort to provide effective, lasting promotion of young talent in rallying

Rüsselsheim 2016-07-22; Tamara Molinaro will quite literally be at the front of the field in her first rally season, guided by experienced co-driver Ilka Minor from Austria and helped by the experience of multiple Austrian champion Raimund Baumschlager. From July 22-23, she will be driving her Opel ADAM R2 with around 190 hp as the opening (“zero”) car of the Rally Weiz in Austria: her second event of the season and the latest round of the Austrian Rally Championship.

Tamara, from Moltrasio on Lake Como, is gradually entering the world of rallying with the backing of strong partners, namely Opel, Pirelli and Red Bull. This year she is embarking on a learning program under the watchful guidance of BRR: Baumschlager’s established Austrian rally team that has also starred in the FIA World Rally Championship. The 18-year-old Italian has been surrounded by rally cars since the age of ten and been under the wings of Red Bull for two years already.

“A core element of Opel’s engagement is to systematically support young, up-and-coming talent on their way to the top,” said Opel Motorsport Director Jörg Schrott. “We will make every effort to provide Tamara with the best possible conditions to advance her driving skills. Tamara will find an ideal environment for this with the Opel ADAM R2. This new cooperation between Red Bull, BRR, Pirelli and Opel is an ideal platform for bundling strengths and leveraging synergies.”

Tamara added: “I’m going to be driving the zero car on three more rallies before it will be decided this autumn when and where I should start to compete officially. I’m working really hard, both in and out of the car, to take full advantage of this opportunity. So now my goal is simply to gain experience in the world of rallying in the best way possible”.

“The collaboration we have with Tamara Molinaro, together with Opel and Red Bull, fits in perfectly with Pirelli’s tradition of supporting young drivers competing in every branch of motorsport,” said Mario Isola, Pirelli’s racing manager. “I think Tamara has the potential to do very well. And she’ll always have technical help, advice and moral support from everyone in our team.”

Following the Rally Weiz, Tamara will head to Germany for the Wartburg Rally (August 5-7) and then to Trier for the German round of the World Rally Championship (August 19-21). On each occasion, she will drive the Opel ADAM R2, currently the most successful rally car in its category.

The ADAC Opel Rallye Cup has established itself as the leading rally cup in Europe since 2013. The best drivers from this competition for young talents have the chance to qualify for promotion to the ADAC Opel Rallye Junior Team. This official Opel works team has become the strongest force in the FIA ERC Junior with the ADAM R2. In the 2015 season, Swede Emil Bergkvist captured the first European Championship title for Opel in 33 years in the works ADAM R2.