After an absence of 36 years, the World Rally Championship returns to the roads of Poland, where this weekend's race promises to be one of the best of the season. The Rajd Polski WRC, from 26-28th June, presents numerous new challenges for both drivers and teams, and will be a treat for the public.

The new stages prepared for the WRC and the notoriously tricky gravel terrain will put the teams to the test, but Pirelli technicians will be bringing the soft version of the Scorpion, the tyre developed specifically by the Italian company, to guarantee the highest performance and safety on the soft ground and mud.

The closely-fought leadership battle between Ford's Mikko Hirvonen and Citroen's current World Champion Sebastian Loeb dropped to just seven points after the Acropolis Rally two weeks ago.

"It looks like it's going to be a rally to remember. In fact, it's a new challenge for us, for the drivers and the teams," said Mario Isola, Pirelli's Rally Manager. "The roads we'll be running on in the Rajd Polski WRC are quite sandy, so the surfaces will change as cars pass. One of the crucial points of the event, therefore, will be the starting order.

"Furthermore, as this is a new rally for all involved, it'll be very interesting to see who is the first and fastest to adapt to the new conditions, exploiting the grip of the Scorpion Soft for the best results," Isola added.

The materials used in the Scorpion for the World Rally Championship represent the latest innovation in terms of resistance. The Scorpion has been designed with "run flat" technology solutions, which reduce the risk of a puncture to a minimum and let drivers finish the race without significant delay and without damaging the mechanics or bodywork of the car.

The Scorpion soft played a vital role at Rally in Argentina, one of the toughest events in the WRC programme.