PIRELLI WINS FIRST PRO RALLY IN THE U.S.
WITH WILD WEST WIN BY LAWLER AND BRADLEY

Pirelli Tire has secured it's first win in the Michelin/SCCA U.S. PRO Rally Championship with a number one finish by factory-backed team, Noel Lawler Motorsports. Driver Lawler and co-driver Charlie Bradley competed in their Hyundai Tiburon in the Wild West PRO Rally in Shelton, WA, beating 11-time national champion, John Buffum who was experiencing overheating problems with his Hyundai Elantra.

Pirelli rally tires have been extremely successful in the World Rally Championship, winning three straight Championships for Manufacturers for the Subaru 555 Prodrive Impreza team. The tire company sponsored Lawler's team this season to test the rally tire's performance on U.S. roads and test the market for possible distribution.

"The Pirelli tires were incredible," said Lawler, "they cornered like the edge of a ski." The Washington logging roads are notoriously rough and rocky for racing, but the Pirelli KM40s gave the team a huge advantage, according to Lawler. "The wider block pattern allows the little rocks on the road to get kicked out which puts more rubber on the road surface. This gives us better grip, better braking and better cornering."

The team started first on the road and won a majority of the rally stages, including a brutal 23-mile stage which was run twice. Previously this season, Lawler and Bradley took second in Pennsylvania at Susquehannock Trails PRO Rally, and fourth in California at Rim of the World.

Lawler and Bradley now lead the U.S. championship and the Open Class by nine points over teammates Paul Choiniere and Jeff Becker, who also drive a Hyundai Tiburon prepared by Buffum's Libra Racing. The only difference between the two cars is the engine - Lawler's Tiburon features Hyundai's developmental engine which is being tested for the World Rally Championship and has slightly less horsepower.

In addition to Pirelli Tires North America, the team has four other major corporate sponsors for the 1999 season, including Cargotec, a heavy equipment manufacturer; Hansen's Beverage, makers of Energy drink; Hella International, automotive lighting specialists; and Hyundai Motor America.

Lawler and Bradley have been rallying together for the past nine years. Last season, they took second in the U.S. Championship, and also competed in Jamaica and Ireland. Both are Irish natives - Lawler from County Mayo and Bradley from County Donegal. They recently earned their FIA seeding.

The rally action in Washington will be broadcast on Speedvision on August 23 at 8 p.m. and August 24 at 12 a.m. The fourth full national event of the season takes place July 30-31 in the deep forests of Maine.