Is it safe to delete the recovery partition?

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question.

I have Acronis True Image. I've already created a backup image of my Vaio VGN-Z56.

I need an extra partition badly. Sony already has 3 partitions created - one standard primary partition, one for recovery and one MBR. That leaves me space for only one more partition (for data), seeing that the maximum partition I can have on my HD is 4. I need another partition for dual booting, which prompts me to wonder whether it's safe to delete the recovery partition. Will Acronis True Image successfully restore my working partition even though the recovery partition is deleted? I imagine the recovery partition is only necessary if I use the recovery software that came with Sony, right?

Thanks in advance.