Kwik Fit pit stop on global tour

Just before the Christmas break the Ipswich branch of Kwik Fit in Nacton Road received a very special visitor from Turkey – who dropped in to have his tyres changed from Pirelli Cinturato P1 to Pirelli Winter Snowcontrol 3.

The driver was Okan Altan: a well-known Turkish motoring journalist who was completing a gruelling world tour in a Fiat Egea (known as the new Fiat Tipo here in the UK).

Since setting off from his homeland, Altan had driven through Asia and America on some of the toughest roads in the world including the Trans-Siberian highway in Russia and the Carrera Panamericana in South America.

In total, he racked up 18,000 kilometres on the car’s original set of Pirelli Cinturato P1 tyres. This contributed to a total of 40,000 kilometres covered on the trip including the various ocean crossings needed to complete his adventure, which was sponsored by Fiat Turkey and the Turkish national motoring federation.

But although the Egea’s Pirelli Cinturato P1 tyres still had plenty of life left in them, Altan needed a serious set of winter tyres before embarking on the chilly final leg back to Turkey in December.

And that’s where our Ipswich branch in Nacton Road stepped in: one of 116 Pirelli Performance Centres in the UK designed to guarantee the highest standards of service. Keeping the store open specifically to accommodate their special guest, the technicians efficiently swapped the Fiat’s original Cinturato P1 rubber for a new set of Winter Snowcontrol 3 that had been shipped to the branch by Pirelli UK.

Suitably equipped, Altan was then able to catch the ferry and face the very worst of Europe’s winter weather: especially in Turkey, where conditions in the mountains can be among the harshest on the whole continent.

“A very big thanks to Kwik Fit and Pirelli,” said Altan after he had safely returned home. “The staff were really helpful, and we specifically chose Pirelli tyres that we could rely on during every leg of our adventure.”

Pirelli has close links with Turkey through its Izmit manufacturing plant, which has been active since 1960 and is now one of the Italian tyre firm’s biggest and most advanced facilities, supplying tyres a number of key European markets and the FIA Formula One World Championships.