Pirelli launches new RK asphalt tyre evolutions in Germany

Pirelli will debut the first evolution of the RK tyre, a tyre that was introduced only at the beginning of this year specifically for the latest World Rally Championship regulations, at Rallye Deutschland this weekend.

The latest RK will be brought to Germany in both RK5A hard and RKW7 soft compounds, the hard being the prime choice and the soft being the option. The consistency and durability of the hard tyre has improved, while the soft benefits from improved wet-weather performance.

Nonetheless, both RK5A and RKW7 use the same tread pattern and construction, in accordance with the latest WRC regulations that require a single pattern for all asphalt events.

Also available to the WRC1 cars for the first time this year is the ‘emergency tyre’. As required by the regulations, this is a direct evolution of the Sottozero snow tyre first seen in Monte Carlo, which will be used only for heavy rain and deep pools of standing water.

Rallye Deutschland is the first sealed-surface event of the year and one of the most diverse rounds of the WRC, as originally it was made up of three national rallies rolled into one. Day one takes place on tight and twisty vineyard roads; made slippery by grape mulch, while day two includes the concrete roads of the notorious Baumholder military terrain. The final day is held on open and faster roads, meaning that the tyres experience every different type of asphalt surface possible.