Kumho Sees Mortara Win Euro F3 Series to Crown “Successful” Motorsport Season

Kumho has been the official tyre supplier to the Formula Three Euro Series since 2003. The newly-crowned 2010 Euro F3 champion on Kumho’s slicks is Edoardo Mortara. He contested the series previously in 2008, then had a year in GP2 before returning to F3 this year. He holds duel Italian and French nationality but races under the Italian flag and is responsible for two firsts for the series: the first victory for the French Signature team and the first for a VW-engined car. As official supplier, Kumho makes some 10,000 tyres available to the series per annum.

Kumho is also the official supplier to the annual blue riband ‘Masters of F3’ event at Zolder (for which it provides over 1,200 dry and wet weather tyres), which was this year won by the flying Finn Valtteri Bottas for the second season in succession – the first time back-to-back victories have been achieved. Kumho also supplies the Australian F3 series and, since the start of this season, has been an official partner of the Italian F3 championship, the three highest points scorers in which each win an F1 test with Ferrari.

In rallying the Kumho-shod Focus WRC pairing of Damian Cole and Craig Drew are the 2010 REIS MSA Asphalt Rally champions. Kumho-shod cars claimed numerous other class victories and placings around Europe – especially in Scandinavia and Ireland, where the company has provided strong grassroots support. Further afield, regular Kumho runner Paul Bird put his Ford Focus WRC car on the podium in the perennially popular Sol Rally Barbados.

In saloon racing Kumho has sponsored the popular BARC-run BMW saloon car series for some 12 years now. The series boasts regular 30-strong grids and plenty of close-fought entertainment for the crowds. All cars use the same compound of proven Kumho V70A race tyre, be it in 15, 17 or 18-inch rim size.

Kumho has for some time supplied the control tyre for the very competitive French Rallycross Championship – its C03 tarmac rally tyre in a single compound for all four divisions. It also supplies road covers for the Dacia Logans running in what’s known as the ‘Logan Cup’. All French rallycross cars carry strong Kumho branding and run before crowds of 25,000-30,000 as well as French TV.

Kumho has also supported the works Skelta G-Forces in their native Australia, where they regularly clean up in the nation’s premier sprints and hillclimbs and this year finished second overall in the gruelling Targa Tasmania rally – beaten only by a 570bhp semi-works Lamborghini Gallardo. European Motorsport manager Steve Thompson said: “While we have lacked a few of the big names of recent years due to competitors’ own budget cuts, our sales have held up very well and we have continued to enjoy success across a wide range of motorsport disciplines. Whatever the economy inflicts on motorsport in 2011, it is nice to know we are continuing to develop and sell extremely competitive products at equally competitive prices.”