Andrew is an editor for WhatTyre, Tyrepress, and Tyres & Accessories magazine. He has more than a decade of experience in editing, writing, and journalism.
Romain Febvre claimed his second consecutive victory in MXGP, winning the inaugural FIM Motocross World Championship round in Lombok, Indonesia. It was the second time in two weeks that the Monster Energy Kawasaki Racing Team rider visited the top of the podium. Febvre used Geomax MX34 front and MX14 rear tyres to manoeuvre through the mix of sand and dirt terrain in the high heat and humidity.
Repairify has been awarded ISO 14001 for its Luton and Peterlee offices. It is the first company within the Repairify Inc group to achieve the accreditation for its environmental management system. Repairify met the required certification by ensuring its UK sites are compliant with specific environmental criteria and demonstrated strict monitoring processes and awareness of environmental policies. These include effective waste management, battery containment, spillage kits, energy usage, and fire regulations.
Bridgestone is reporting a buoyant sales period to coincide with the start of summer, with its upgraded Duravis range credited for a significant share of success. Bridgestone says the Duravis Van tyre is gaining more traction than ever before, due to its impressive performance characteristics. In TÜV SÜD testing carried out on the request of Bridgestone in July-August 2022, the tyre secured best in class mileage against key premium brand competitors (the tests were conducted on a VW Caravelle 2.0 TDI with the tyre size 205/65 R16C). The testing organisation also found the Duravis Van to be ahead of the competition in dry and wet braking performance and fuel or energy efficiency when it pitted the tyre against premium competitors at ATP Papenburg, fitted to VW Caravelles and Mercedes-Benz Sprinters. Bridgestone says these performances have left a lasting impression on van fleets.
Bridgestone will sponsor the EV Rally 2023 for the first time, using its “EV Ready” tyre technologies on the 1,200 mile, five-day event. The rally spans the UK and Ireland between 3 and 7 July, commencing in Cardiff. The new Bridgestone Turanza 6 and Duravis Van tyres, designated ‘EV Ready’ by the manufacturer, will be in the spotlight as the rally demonstrates the countries’ charging infrastructure.
Pirelli has signed up to supply tyres exclusively to the Moto2 and Moto3 classes in 2024-26, replacing long-term supplier Dunlop. Pirelli calls the series “the strongest feeder classes in global motorsport.” The new three-year agreement is being finalised, with Pirelli set to become an integral part of the lightweight and intermediate classes of Grand Prix racing, adding to its portfolio of apex motorsport series supply deals. It will also supply various feeder series, known collectively as The Road to MotoGP. In global two-wheel racing, Pirelli is long-term exclusive tyre supplier to all classes of the Motul FIM Superbike World Championship. Pirelli will supply its Diablo Superbike slick tyres to both classes, following its strategy of closely aligning its racing and consumer products.
Support services provider Altrad will roll out Michelin Connected Fleet’s connected management services across its 1,000-strong fleet of vans over the next year. The company says it will use the solutions and insights to improve driver behaviour, help reduce accident rates and assist in the transition to electric vehicles. It also wants to make its operations more cost-effective, safer and more sustainable.
Giti Tire has launched the new GT Radial Maxmiler AllSeason2 across Europe. The next generation van tyre achieves A-grade wet braking on the EU tyre label and is supplied in bigger sizes and higher speed ratings to meet the demands of the latest vehicle rollouts. The next generation update on the brand’s original all-season tyre for van and light truck markets, wet braking has been enhanced by more than 15 per cent, while wet handling is improved by 20 per cent over the predecessor.
Goodyear has developed a bespoke version of its ultra-ultra high performance Eagle F1 Supersport tyre for the different versions of the Maserati GranTurismo. The car will be available with a V6 twin-turbo configuration with two different levels of performance. The tyres have been tuned to suit the characteristics of the new Maserati models and carry MGT markings to show that they have been specifically developed for the Italian brand.
There are many tyre technologies on the market to resist damage and punctures, such as reinforced sidewalls and self-healing inner linings for the rubber, but tyre manufacturers have continued to develop the airless tyre as an optimal way of ensuring tyre damage does not dent operators’ businesses. The Michelin Uptis is the first tyre of its kind to hit the road, with nearly 50 DHL Express vans in Singapore fitting the product in 2023. Now French postal service La Poste will help the tyre take its European bow in real-world conditions, with 40 vans due to fit the Uptis in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France by the end of 2024.
Pirelli will support the US Tire Manufacturers Association’s (USTMA) annual National Tire Safety Week campaign from 26 June to 3 July. The initiative seeks to educate drivers on the importance and simplicity of everyday tyre maintenance as a part of general road safety. The association argues that tyre safety is “on par with wearing a seatbelt and following speed limits” in terms of driving safety, since tyres “are the only part of a vehicle that truly touches the road.”
Nearly half of UK motorists will make the switch to an electric vehicle in the next five years despite heightened concerns about charging point infrastructure and range anxiety, a survey commissioned by tyre manufacturer Bridgestone suggests. The survey of 2,000 UK car owners was conducted online by Research Without Barriers (RWB) between 23 February 2023 and 28 February 2023. 40 per cent said they would buy an EV by 2028, up 11 per cent from a similar result in a 2022 survey conducted by YouGov for Bridgestone (29 per cent),. 67 per cent raised fears about the availability of charging stations, a rise of 1 per cent versus 2022, while half of all respondents continue to have range anxiety, an increase of 21 per cent over the 2022 survey.
Pirelli engineers predict its soft compound Scorpion KX WRC are the optimal choice for World Rally Championship contenders in Kenya, as the WRC Safari Rally commences on 22 June. Rain and muddy conditions, as well as loose stones and rapidly changing road conditions greet competitors, who have chosen to load up on the soft version of the Scorpion KXs. 28 sets per car – the 24 assigned by regulation plus the additional four for the shakedown – allow drivers to fit four new tyres at each of the seven services over the course of the race weekend.
Toyo Tires with Ring Racing had a successful outing in its recent visit to the Nordschleife, achieving a podium finish in the Nürburgring Langstrecken Series race. After qualifying fourth in their Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2023, Heiko Tönges took the start in car number 170, with Michael Tischner taking over for the middle stint and team principal Uwe Kleen bringing it home for the finish. The Toyota GR Supra was equipped with Nürburgring-soec Toyo Proxes Slicks.
Apollo Tyres has bolstered its Vredestein agricultural tyre range with a further six sizes of the Traxion Optimall VF. The new additions focus on bringing the tyre to powerful tractors of 160hp and above. The Traxion Optimall series boasts good self-cleaning properties, grip, comfort and a long tyre life, the manufacturer states. The six new sizes are: VF750/70R44, VF900/50R42, VF650/65R38, VF650/60R38, VF710/55R30 and VF540/65R28.
Pirelli is expanding its Collezione range of vintage tyres with the Scorpion BK for the 1986 Lamborghini LM002. The tyre’s size and strength put it at the cutting edge of tyre technology when it was introduced, while its distinctive “ears” helped the tyre stand out further: lateral winglets that allowed the tyre to float across the desert sands. Recreated as part of the Pirelli Collezione range dedicated to historical cars, the tyre was shown at FouriConcorso: an event for the collectors’ cars near Lake Como. Pirelli has supplied tyres to Lamborghini’s SUV range from 1963, through the LM002, to the modern Urus.
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