“We beat all four-wheel drive cars. That's what it means to believe in the perfect tyre”: these are the words of Walter Röhrl, one of the most able and versatile rally drivers ever. Versatile because his victories cover a range of terrain, from mud to asphalt, dirt and snow. Forty years ago, with the Lancia Rally 037, Röhrl won the Monte Carlo Rally thanks to a strategy that allowed him to overtake all his opponents who, unlike him, had four-wheel drive vehicles: in order to tackle both dry asphalt and the icy part of the road effectively, Röhrl's team was the only one to opt for a tyre change, switching from Pirelli studded to Pirelli slick tyres. Today, just as back then, driving the Porsche 911 Dakar, Röhrl has shown us the importance of having tyres specific to each type of terrain: in this case the Scorpion All Terrain Plus, fitted on the sand of the Moroccan desert, and the P Zero Winter, put to the test in the snow of the Austrian Alps.
SCORPION ALL TERRAIN PLUS, P ZERO AND P ZERO WINTER CUSTOMISED FOR THE PORSCHE 911 DAKAR
The Scorpion All Terrain Plus, the tyre chosen for the Porsche 911 Dakar's original equipment, was developed to enable the car to express its full potential also in challenging off-road situations. This is the first time a Porsche 911 has been fitted with a Pirelli off-road tyre as its original equipment, and it is the first Scorpion All Terrain Plus to have a speed index V, thanks to research and development work that has optimised its structure, compound and tread. The task of the Pirelli engineers was aimed precisely at maximising the versatility of the car, designed to speed through even the most extreme conditions. In addition to the Scorpion, Pirelli made two other tyres tailored to the 911 Dakar, namely the P Zero Winter, for low temperatures, and the P Zero summer, for a more sporty use on asphalt surfaces.
Photo Credits: Stephan Bauer
