Burton upon Trent, November 20th, 2011

Korhonen, the first driver not from Great Britain to win the award in its four-year history, will receive a fully-funded drive on next year’s British Rally Championship in a Skoda Fabia R2 run by TEG Sport. The car will run in a unique Pirelli Star Driver livery, highlighting the exceptional opportunity that Pirelli continues to give young rallying talent in Britain.

The 27-year-old Finn won the drive following a two-day selection process held earlier in the week, during which six drivers went head-to-head for the coveted prize. They were assessed by a team of judges that comprised Pirelli senior tyre engineer Matteo Braga, former British Rally Champions Gwyndaf Evans and Jim McRae, and World Rally Championship co-driver Chris Patterson. The tests included interview technique and pace-note preparation, as well as a driving assessment over a specially-created stage at Rowrah circuit in Cumbria with the Skoda Fabia R2, together with other practical exams such as a timed wheel change.

Korhonen, co-driven by his compatriot Marko Salminen, was announced as the winner at the British Rally Championship Awards in Manchester tonight, having impressed the judges in every area. The Finn won the Fiesta Trophy in Finland this year, taking five dominant victories, and also impressed with a stellar performance on the Pirelli International Rally in April, where he won the R2 class and finished sixth overall.

The other finalists for this year’s Pirelli Star Driver nomination were Tommy Doyle, Desi Henry, Osian Pryce, Siim Plangi and Peter Taylor – all of whom performed brilliantly during the selection process.

Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery commented: “First and foremost, I’d like to say that all the drivers can feel proud of themselves for having got to the final selection. But we can only pick one winner, and all the judges thought that Jukka would make an excellent ambassador for Pirelli on the British Rally Championship as part of the prestigious Star Driver scheme, with the right performance and mental strength to really make a difference.”

Korhonen added: “I’m very grateful to Pirelli for this fantastic opportunity – and I fully intend to make the most of it. I really enjoyed my first taste of the Skoda Fabia R2 during the shoot-out and I think that we can fight for overall wins with this car. Coming to compete in Britain with Pirelli is one of my dreams, and I am so happy to have achieved it.”

Korhonen follows in the footsteps of Darren Gass (2008), Adam Gould (2009), Keith Cronin (2010) and Elfyn Evans (2011): all of whom are previous winners of the Pirelli Star Driver prize. Next year’s British Rally Championship takes in six rounds on gravel and asphalt.

Milan, 22 July 2011

Based in the university city of Jyväskylä in the centre of the country, Rally Finland represents a huge test of commitment for the sport’s future stars as they drive flat-out over high-speed, tree-lined stages, where blind crests are commonplace.

The stage surface in Finland is formed of compacted, albeit smooth gravel. While this is not as arduous as the rocky roads found on the island of Sardinia, venue for round two of the six-event FIA WRC Academy Cup, the rapid nature of the tests in Finland puts the onus on tyre wear.

In order to counter this threat, Pirelli, the official tyre supplier to the WRC Academy, will provide crews with its medium-compound Scorpion K4 tyre to ensure a balance between endurance and high levels of grip in the event of rain, which can occur during Finnish summers. Each driver receives a total of 18 tyres for use during the pre-event test and the rally itself, which covers 18 special stages over a competitive distance of 278.28 kilometres.

“Finland is the ultimate test for any young driver, just because of the speeds and the commitment involved,” said Paul Hembery, Pirelli’s Motorsport Director. “It’s a rally that every driver wants to win – particularly the Academy drivers who are all out to prove a point. We’ve seen great performances from the drivers, cars and tyres this year but Finland is one of the biggest tests yet, because of the constant jumps and compressions. The tyres that we supply to the Academy have a particularly hard life, as the young drivers who are the stars of tomorrow push them to their limits to try and get noticed.”

Seventeen of the sport’s brightest young talents will be on WRC Academy duty in Finland. They will all drive identical Ford Fiesta R2s prepared and run by the British M-Sport operation from a base in Poland and using Pirelli control tyres. After two rounds in Portugal and Italy, Estonian Egon Kaur heads Argentine Miguel Baldoni by 32 points in the WRC Academy Cup standings. Australian Brendan Reeves, one of six Pirelli Star Drivers competing in Finland, is third overall.

Italian tyre firm and the FIA, motorsport’s world governing body, established the Pirelli Star Driver scheme in 2008 to unearth future young talents from across the planet. The other members of the programme are Fredrik Ahlin, Craig Breen, Jan Cerny, Andrea Crugnola and Molly Taylor.

The first crew is set to cross the finishing ramp at 18:30hrs local time on Saturday 30 July.

Milan, 20 September 2009 – Sixteen young drivers, sixteen super-cars fitted with Pirelli tyres, asphalt roads and dusty dirt tracks, enthusiastic spectators and masses of adrenalin. These were the ingredients for the last race in Pirelli Star Driver’s Euro-American selection, the programme promoted by Pirelli and the FIA to identify and support the new generation of world rally drivers.

The stars of the shoot-out, held in Freistadt (Austria) on 18 and 19 September, were the two winners: the Sammarinese Alex Raschi, (22) and the Estonian Ott Tanak (21).

The two drivers joined the New Zealander Hayden Paddon, who dominated the selection in the Asia-Pacific area, and the Kenyan Peter Horsey, the African champion. One final driver still has to be chosen to complete the quintet of promising youngsters who will race in a number of WRC rallies next year alongside the “old” champions. This will be the Middle East’s promising youngster and the shoot-out will take place at the Dubai Rally, this coming 3-5 December.

In the Austrian competition, Alex Raschi showed excellent driving style and strong competitive abilities. The driver from San Marino is currently leader of the R3 class in the Italian Rally championship; Ott Tanak is known as one of the most promising drivers in global rallying, the undisputed heir of his fellow countryman and driver Markko Martin. Thanks to the qualities they demonstrated, both drivers will take part in six World Rally Championship races next year, in a Mitsubishi Evo X entered by Ralliart Italy.

The selection featured 14 European and 2 American drivers, who competed in driving tests on asphalt and dirt roads, as well as personal presentation and physical fitness tests, under the watchful eyes of a qualified jury of rally world experts, made up of Paul Hembery (Pirelli Motorsport Director), Timo Joukhi (manager and talent scout), Joao Passos (organizer), Anthony Peacock (rally journalist), Petter Solberg and Markku Alen.

Milan, 16 September 2009 – At the starting blocks for the decisive date in the European selection of the Pirelli Star Driver, the programme organized by Pirelli, in collaboration with the FIA, to promote new Rally drivers. On 18 and 19 September near Freistadt, in Austria, in fact, the European shoot-out of the Pirelli Star Driver 2010 programme will be held, leading to the selection of the young drivers who will have the opportunity next year to take part in six Rally World Championship races.

During the season, 14 drivers were selected for the two-day event in Freistadt, where they will undergo driving tests on asphalt and gravel roads, personal presentation and physical fitness. They will be assessed by a qualified jury of rally world experts, made up of Paul Hembery (Pirelli Motorsport Director), Timo Joukhi (manager and talent scout), Joao Passos (organizer), Anthony Peacock (rally journalist), Petter Solberg and Markku Alen.

After a tough selection, only two drivers will be proclaimed winners. Together with the New Zealander Hayden Paddon, winner of the selection of the Asia-Pacific area, and the winners of the Africa and Middle East area, who have not been chosen yet, the two Freistadt champions will make up the group of five young Pirelli Star Drivers who will get their chance in the spotlight during the 2010 World Championship.

The drivers chosen for the Freistadt finals are: Valentin Porcisteanu (Romania), 26, Vytautas Svedas (Lithuania), 26, Alex Raschi, (San Marino), 22, Jan Cerny (Czech Rep.), 19, Victor Henriksson (Sweden), 21, Andrea Torlasco (Italy), 25, Marko Jeram (Slovenia), 26, Anders Kjaer (Norway), 23, Brian Lavio (Switzerland), 25, Maris Neiksans (Latvia), 26, Ott Tanak (Estonia), 21, Todor Slavov (Bulgaria), 25, Timo van der Marel (Netherlands), 20, Daniel Wollinger (Austria), 22, Juan Manuel Marchetto (Argentina), 24 and Josè Andres Montalto (Costa Rica), 19.