Pirelli Cinturato WH tyres provide grip at soaked Monza

The Cinturato WH wet weather tyre from Pirelli was one of the keys to Porsche’s first victory at a Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup round for nearly seven years.

The race weekend was wet from start to finish, with qualifying – where Lamborghini went fastest – also held using the Cinturato tyre: a name that has been synonymous with performance and safety in marginal conditions since the 1950s.

The Dinamic Motorsport squad of Klaus Bachler, Zaid Ashkanani and Andrea Rizzoli eventually triumphed in their 911 GT3-R in a three-hour race that was affected by two safety cars, having started 23rd on the grid.

The FFF Lamborghini of Andrea Caldarelli, Marco Mapelli and Dennis Lind took second place, while the Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG GT3 driven by Maro Engel, Yelmer Buurman and Luca Stolz was third, making it three different manufacturers in the top three.

The Equipe Verschuur McLaren 570S won GT4 with Daniel McKay and Benjamin Lessennes.

The WH tyre, which stands for ‘wet hard’ is a tried and trusted, deeply treaded tyre, with a similar pattern to that seen on Pirelli’s road car tyres. The tread is designed to optimally disperse water, while maximising grip and turn in. It’s also got a long life in these conditions, allowing racers to keep racing, whatever the conditions.

Pirelli has been supplying Porsche with tyres since the 1970s.

The next GT Series takes place at Brands Hatch in England from May 4-5: the first race of the Blancpain GT World Challenge Europe.