BROTHER BROADLINK KTM PROUDLY ANNOUNCES PIRELLI TYRE AS NEW TEAM SPONSOR

Pirelli Tyre is today the operational holding company for a group involved in the design, development, production and marketing of tyres destined for various types of vehicle: cars, light vehicles and motorcycles (Consumer sector, 70% of revenue), buses, trucks, agricultural and earth moving machinery, and the production and marketing of steelcord (Industrial segment, 30% of revenue). Within this market, Pirelli Tyre focuses in particular on the high-end segments characterised by elevated technological contents and high performance. These are segments in which Pirelli has established itself in positions of leadership with regard to both its car and motorcycle tyres: Pirelli tyres are today seen as synonymous with quality, emotion and ultimate performance.

Drawing on its technological expertise, the group has consolidated working relationships with the world's leading car and motorcycle manufacturers; partnerships that have translated into a number of homologations for models from all the leading automotive firms.

Pirelli Tyre have established an outstanding partnership with KTM on the international off road scene by sponsoring the Red Bull KTM Factory Motocross Team and the likes of multiple Dakar winner Marc Coma, handing Pirelli and KTM the MX1, MX2, WMX as well as the FIM Rally World Championship titles. By sponsoring KTM’s South African Brother Broadlink KTM Factory team Pirelli is looking forward to promote their product in the local off road market and prove that the highly popular Scorpion range of Pirelli tyres exactly offers what factory teams as well as ‘weekend warriors’ are looking for.

The entire Brother Broadlink KTM Offroad team was very pleased to get the chance to race on Pirelli tyres at the recent National Offroad event held at Ermelo this past weekend, the second round of the South African National Offroad Championship. Competitors were hoping for rain, but both the Time Trial on Friday and Saturday’s race did not foresee any rain, therefore covering riders in clouds of dust, almost impossible to pass riders in front.

“We have realised how important it is to have a good Time Trial on Friday.”, says Gray Dick, Brother Broadlink KTM’s open class rider. “We are slowly approaching winter and cannot rely on rainfall anymore. A good time trial result is crucuial and is the key to a podium finish.”, he continues.

Gray Dick (450 EXC) finished the Ermelo Offroad National in 5th place overall (second OR1 Open class), just behind his team mate Riaan van Niekerk who finished 4th overall and second in the highly competitive OR2 250cc class on his KTM 350 XC-F. Gray Dick is now tied in points with race winner Jade Gutzeit (Yamaha) and will do his very best to take over the lead in the Open class again at the next round of the National Offroad Championship to be held at Vryburg at the end of April.

Brother Broadlink KTM riders Altus de Wet and Scott Scheepers, both riding a KTM 250 EXC-F, finished fourth and sixth in the OR3 class (200cc 2T / 250cc 4T) while 17-year-old Tyron Miller impressed everyone by winning the OR4 class for the second consecutive time on his KTM 250 EXC-F. With a 11th place overall Miller now lies seventh in the overall championship ranking.

The team is looking forward to some more technical riding and will head towards Lesotho for the first round of the Liquorland South African National Enduro Championship to take place in the mountain kingdom on 19 March.

Article and pictures: KTM