Maxxis Hails “Successful” AutoSport International

Maxxis International UK managing director Derek McMartin has declared AutoSport International “an incredibly successful show” for the brand. The brand showcased its key high performance tyres on a Caterham 7, Ferrari Scuderia 430 and KTM XPO, while a road-going Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Superbike helped promote its motorcycle range. McMartin said the show had helped Maxxis “make a major impact with a key target audience,” as many of the UK’s performance and tuning enthusiasts visited the show. The show also marked the public debut of Maxxis’ new UK website, the 2011 corporate hospitality unit and the 2011 international sports sponsorship, in addition to the promotional burlesque Maxxis Babes calendars and mobile phone app.

McMartin continued: “The stand was one of the biggest at the NEC and one of the busiest throughout the three days, and we had some really great feedback, especially about the new ZR9 UHP radial and our sports sponsorship for this coming season. Our aim is to reach the UK’s growing number of dedicated performance/styling/tuning enthusiasts because we recognise, from our involvement in some of the major performance cars shows last year, that this is a sector with huge potential.”

Maxxis also offered visitors the opportunity to see its sponsored teams and drivers in the Maxxis British Drift Championship 2011. Performance motoring fans saw Team Japspeed’s new 1JZ Subaru Impreza, which will be piloted by 2009 BDC champion Steve Biagioni, and Mark Luney’s SATS Cosworth Supra.

Further promoting Maxxis’s motorsport credentials, Team Japspeed officially opened AutoSport International’s Live Action Arena, which boasts the UK’s largest tri-oval indoor racetrack and a 4,700-seat grandstand. Drifting drivers Shane Lynch and Danny Eyles put on a display, including drifting reverse figure eights towards one another – the first time this stunt has been performed professionally by a UK team. Maxxis explains that since the two cars cross paths in the middle of the arena, it is a particularly risky move that demands inch-perfect positioning and a constant speed. Drift Championship film-maker Stephen Brooks, who produced a series of drift videos capturing the excitement of last season’s Maxxis British Drift Championship, produced a short film, currently available at his website.

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