Isle of Man TT lap record broken on Pirelli tyres

ERJ staff report (DS)

Isle of Man, UK -- Tony Pond's Isle of Man TT Race circuit lap record was broken on Monday 6 June 2011 by a production-spec Subaru WRX STI, was on Pirelli's P Zero road-legal tyres.

The Subaru, prepared by TEG Sport and driven by Mark Higgins, flew around the 37 mile long closed demonstration lap of the Snaefell Mountain Course in just under twenty minutes, clocking an average speed of 113mph, considerably faster than the record-holder British Rally Champion Tony Pond. Pond set the record 21 years earlier, to the day.

Paul Hembery, director of motorsport at Pirelli, comments: “The Subaru was driven on Pirelli P Zero Trofeo tyres. These are road-legal track tyres that are designed for high performance driving. When Pond set the record in 1990, he drove on slicks, which will have enabled him to set a fast pace while sticking to the winding roads. However, it takes a seriously good road tyre to achieve grip and control at speeds of up to 170mph, which is what Mark achieved yesterday.”

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Press release from Pirelli