[Zytek_Fan]

Pirelli and Aston Martin announce their participation in the 54th running of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, the opening round of the 2006 American Le Mans Series.

"Since we returned to the Series in 2002 we have been seeking a top GT1 team to take on the factory Corvettes," commented Peter Tyson, vice president of Communications for Pirelli Tire North America. "The Aston Martins are a known winning force, witnessed by their performance at Sebring last year, and we will aim to supply them with the best rubber on the circuit."

Initial testing has already taken place at Vallelunga in Italy with very positive results. The team will run two cars with Tomas Enge (Czech Republic), Darren Turner (UK) and Nicolas Kiesa (Denmark) in the No. 007, while No. 009 will be driven by Pedro Lamy (Portugal), Stephane Sarrazin (France) and Jason Bright (Australia).

The choice of Sebring for the debut of this partnership is perfect; America's oldest established sports car circuit hosting two of the oldest recognized racing brands. Pirelli won its first race in 1907. Aston Martin's international racing debut was in 1922, when two cars competed in the French Grand Prix, rapidly establishing the marque's racing credentials.

"Aston Martin and Pirelli is a perfect match – both have a glorious past but both are totally modern companies at the top of their game using cutting-edge technology to produce market leading products," Tyson added. "The recent unveiling of the Aston Martin Rapide concept car on Pirelli tires at the Detroit Auto Show is a superb example of how our two companies can work together in addition to producing truly exciting high-performance road cars."