From a press release issued by Pirelli:

PIRELLI MID-SEASON RACE REPORT:

PIRELLI LEADS CHAMPIONSHIPS IN WORLD SUPERSPORT, AMA SUPERSTOCK, F-USA SUPERBIKE, AND WERA NATIONAL ENDURANCE AMONG OTHERS AT MID-SEASON POINT

Also Dominated Isle Of Man Second Year In A Row

(Rome, GA) Pirelli Tires ended the 2002 race season with some pretty impressive results: 322 U.S. national and regional road race championships including a wad of F-USA and WERA titles, 20 U.S. track records broken, the World Supersport Championship, and total domination of the Isle Of Man. The logical question, even among Pirelli people, was: Can we do it again?

The answer, at least at this season’s halfway point, looks to be yes, they can do it again. Fact is, Pirelli may even surpass some of last year’s achievements.

Young Aussie sensation, Chris Vermeulen, is holding a commanding lead in World Supersport on his Pirelli Supercorsa-equipped factory Ten Kate Honda. Big point leads in WSS have been rare, especially at this point in the season. But Vermeulen, who just turned 21 years of age in late June, has set a blistering pace in this series which is gaining more and more popularity and attention for its hard-fought, paint-swapping action. He’s on a pace to eclipse the record-setting performance of last year’s champion, Fabian Foret, who also happened to be on Pirelli Supercorsas. One other big difference in 2003 is that Pirelli isn’t alone in the top group; five of the current World Supersport Top 10 are Pirelli mounted. (The company’s stock has also been rising in World Superbike. DFX Ducati’s Steve Martin has given Pirelli a number of top-10 finishes, some as high as sixth, in what is still termed a “development season”. The highlight has easily been Martin’s surprise provisional pole in Misano.)

In AMA Superstock, Vincent Haskovec, in his first season on Pirellis and a Hooters Suzuki, is leading the championship with six of 11 rounds completed. The popular Czech also won his first AMA national this year. He’s also not alone at the top: Pirelli riders hold four of the top 10 AMA Superstock points positions with Chris “Opie” Caylor, John Haner, and Mike Ciccotto, in addition to Haskovec.

Matt Wait retains a slim lead in Formula-USA Superbike, but behind him sit a group of other Pirelli riders, including Scott Harwell, Des Conboy, Lee Acree, Mike Himmelsbach, and Dave Stanton, giving Pirelli six of the Top 10 championship leaders in this class. Over in WERA, current champion Vesrah Suzuki again leads the National Endurance Series Overall Points on Pirellis, as do six WERA National Challenge class leaders.

Last year Pirelli set a modern-era record at the Isle of Man by not only winning all six major TTs, but by sweeping the podiums in all of them. Again in 2003, Pirelli riders won all six TTs they entered, captured 16 of the 18 podium positions, and took a staggering 54 of the 60 total Top-10 places available in those six TTs! (No, Pirelli was not the only tire company at the Isle of Man. It may have just seemed that way.)

Racing’s racing, and they don’t hand out championships for half seasons. But as the first half of the season has clearly shown Pirelli is again clearly at the top of the pack, and growing.