Pirelli Sesquicentenial -- 2022 is a milestone year for Pirelli as they celebrate 150 years of operation.

Pirelli Sesquicentenial -- 2022 is a milestone year for Pirelli as they celebrate 150 years of operation.

The origin of Pirelli dates back to 1872, the year Giovanni Battista Pirelli founded a limited partnership, "G.B. Pirelli & C.", in Milan to produce elastic rubber items.

For 150 years, Pirelli’s pursuit of technical excellence, quality and safety has included a storied history of accolades and championships in motorsport. From its beginnings in the 1907 Peking-Paris endurance rally to its current partnerships on the worldwide motorsport stage, Pirelli is the leader on- and off- track. 

Pirelli brings its P Zero Racing Slick tires to SRO America as the Official Tire Supplier, as well as the naming partner of the Pirelli GT4 America championship. P Zero is the ultimate expression of Pirelli technology on road and track, where the highest level of competition and security is considered to be the minimum standard.

Whether competing with factory teams at the highest level or with club drivers on their local circuits, Pirelli supplies over 50 racing series around the world. In recent years Pirelli has become best known for its activities in grand prix, sports and GT categories where, in addition to winning many different championships, there has been a direct technology transfer between P Zero racing tires and P Zero road tires. This continues as a testament to Pirelli’s motto: “We Race What We Sell And Sell What We Race.”

The story of P Zero began over 35 years ago with the invention of ultra-low profile tires in conjunction with Lancia for competition. This platform for extreme experimentation created a new segment in the tire business – one where Pirelli is the recognized leader (ultra-high-performance), and where generations of enthusiasts, racers and drivers of all stripes rely on P Zero to be the pinnacle of performance driving. Whether on the track or in one of Pirelli’s R&D laboratories, P Zero has benefited from drive time at racing venues around the world, which has provided Pirelli the real world data for research and development that fuels its strong sporting image.

Today’s World Challenge P Zero Racing Slick has an external profile and internal structure that is designed to maximize the dimensions of the contact area. The tire’s belt geometries and highly aromatic oil-free (HAOF) materials have been developed to optimize the lateral force generated in cornering on the racetrack. Beginning with the 2016 season, all top-level GT championship series world-wide will compete on the same high performance compound.

The Pirelli Group has made significant efforts towards continuous quality improvements in all fields, from research, productive processes, products for the final consumer and continuous development propelled by motorsport. Pirelli is at the forefront of cutting-edge product creation, and is dedicated to sustainability as a Group and amongst each of its individual business units. This dedication is one of the key factors in the development of some of Pirelli’s most important products to date – including the P Zero Racing Slick used in the Fanatec GT World Challenge America presented by AWS, GT America powered by AWS, Pirelli GT4 America, and TC America powered by Skip Barber series.

###