Rockingham to host three Dunlop MSA BTCC races
The Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship will be at Rockingham Motor Speedway in Northampton this weekend, as rounds 22, 23 and 24 all take place on Sunday. With nine of the 30 races remaining the top four drivers are separated by 30 points, with over 200 points still up for grabs. Honda Yuasa Racing’s Matt Neal only six points clear of Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan at the top. The weekend marks the tenth anniversary of BTCC’s landmark first visit in 2003. Tyre supplier and title sponsor Dunlop is anticipating an exciting weekend following 15 year high attendances at Knockhill in Scotland, where 2009 BTCC champion Colin Turkington scored twin victories in his eBay Motors BMW on the tight, twisty Scottish track. Rockingham provides an excellent contrast, with fast sweepers and tight hairpins sure to provide some of the best overtaking opportunities of the season. The entire race day will be broadcast live and in high definition on ITV4 from 10:45, providing the sort of branding opportunity that has made the series so attractive to Dunlop.
Continue ReadingHankook Ventus Race Plus to provide decisive boost in Oschersleben
Previewing this weekend’s DTM racing at the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, Hankook’s racing engineer has predicted that the company’s softer option tyre could prove the difference for the cars able to use it best. Michael Eckert explained: "I expect that the option tyres will enable a large number of fast laps before any significant drop-off effect becomes discernible here at Oschersleben. The teams who are able to find the right vehicle set-up with which to make optimum use of the Ventus Race Plus will be among those to land the front positions.”
Continue ReadingFormula E car, tyre shown at Frankfurt
In March 2013, Michelin was confirmed as tyre supplier for the first two seasons of the new FIA Formula E Championship. Race fans attending the IAA show in Frankfurt this week have been amongst the first to see this new tyre up close; the unnamed, new generation 18-inch tyre was displayed fitted to the Spark-Renault SRT_01 car that will be used by all teams during the first year of this city-centre electric racing championship.
Continue ReadingYokohama involved in track, rally action during August
While many motorsport series take a summer break in August, Yokohama says there was still plenty to keep its tyre engineers busy across Europe and the world last month. The Japanese brand supports more than 35 race series in the UK and Europe with more around the world, including the USA and Asia, including the FIA World Touring Car Championship, the FIA European Rally Championship and the UK BRDC Formula 4 series.
Continue ReadingGoodyear debuts new road-derived NASCAR tyre in Atlanta
Goodyear is unveiling a new Eagle race tyre with roots in consumer tyre technology at this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Reversing the usual development trend of racetrack-to-road, Goodyear’s newly designed right-side tyre marks the introduction of its Multi-Zone Tread Technology, combining two different rubber compounds in a single tread to face the conditions of one of NASCAR’s most demanding speedways.
Continue ReadingLotus principal backs Pirelli tyre supply
Michelin’s confirmed interest in the Formula One tyre supply deal may have caused a stir, but it appears the French brand’s approach remains limited to detailing its desire for regulation changes to governing body, the FIA. F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has confirmed that the sport’s teams currently have a deal with Pirelli, and Lotus team principal Eric Boullier has suggested that fewer changes at this stage would be welcome, considering the regulation changes already due to take place this winter.
Continue Reading‘We have a deal with Pirelli’ – Ecclestone
Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone has dismissed whispers that Michelin is readying a move to supply the series in 2014. While it seems that the French manufacturer has confirmed some level of contact with the FIA – thought to be about changes it would require to the series’ regulations to supply its tyres – Ecclestone said this was irrelevant, since Pirelli has a contract with F1’s teams (FOM). He also restated his opposition to competition between tyre manufacturers.
Continue ReadingMichelin dominates Dakar following three-year commitment
Michelin has begun its three-year commitment to the Dakar Rally as it means to go on, with its tyres fitted to victors in the Bike, Truck and – on the tyre manufacturer’s comeback to the category for the first time since its 2001 victory – Cars. The French tyre giant brought its Latitude C tyres for the Car class, the Bib Mousse-equipped Desert Race for Motorbikes, and the XZL for Trucks, showing the strength and versatility required for competitors to tackle the frequently punishing conditions encountered.
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Toyo finishes 2013 Dakar with 6 stage wins, 13 podiums
Toyo Tires racers won six stages and 13 podiums during the 2013 Dakar. Team Toyo’s Robby Gordon finished the Rally strongly, winning Stages 11 and 13 while two past Dakar champions, Carlos Sainz and Nasser Al-Attiyah, used the Toyo Open Country M/T-R to win Stage One and Stages Three, Four and Six respectively. Sainz drove the American-built #303 Team Qatar Red Bull buggy, Al-Attiyah the #300 Team Qatar Red Bull buggy, while Gordon competed in the Toyo-supported #315 Speed Energy/Toyo Tires/Mapei Hummer.
Continue ReadingRace2Recovery team completes Dakar
The 2013 Dakar Rally saw history created as Race2Recovery, the group of predominantly injured soldiers who formed a rally team to raise funds for Forces charities, became the first ever disability team to complete the world’s toughest race. The team’s Land Rover Defender-based Wildcat race vehicle, running on Cooper Tire’s Discoverer STT, and its crew of driver Major Matt O’Hare and co-driver Corporal Phillip Gillespie, crossed the finish line of the final stage in Santiago, Chile on Saturday evening, ending two weeks of racing that saw the team’s other three Wildcat vehicles fall out of the race.
Continue ReadingToyo-supported Robby Gordon takes Stage 11, 2nd in Stage 12 at Dakar
Toyo Tires supported driver Robby Gordon won Stage 11 and finished second at Stage 12 of the 2013 Dakar. Gordon’s victory at Stage 11 came after the competition portion was shortened amid safety concerns. Originally intended to run from La Rioja to Fiambalá in Argentina, the Stage was cut at the first checkpoint, taking the distance down from 219km to 70km, since heavy rains had flooded two rivers along the route.
Continue ReadingMilltek Racing switches to VW Golf for 2013 Time Attack
Exhaust manufacturer Milltek used the occasion of Autosport International to reveal the car in which its team will compete during the 2013 UK Time Attack Championship. Having won the 2012 Club Classes with a Nissan GT-R in the hands of driver Richard Marshall, the Milltek team will return to its VW Group roots with a prepared VW Golf GTI Mk6, as it goes head to head with the reigning Club Pro 2WD class champion, Bo Nielsen in his Astra VXR Coupe.
Continue ReadingYokohama supplying Formula 4
Building on a pre-existing relationship with series organiser Motorsport Vision Racing (MSVR), tyre manufacturer Yokohama has announced a deal that sees it become the first tyre supplier to the new Formula 4 series. Both car and tyres were unveiled in parallel with the official announcement of the news at this year's Autosport Show.
Continue ReadingMarangoni sponsors BMW Compact Cup
Italian tyre company Marangoni has signed a three-year joint title sponsorship agreement with the hugely popular BMW Compact Cup Championship. Now in its third year it has become one of the UK’s fastest growing championships, with over 50 cars expected in 2013. The race cars, all based on BMW E36 318Ti Compact, will feature significant Marangoni branding and will race on 195/50 R15 82V Marangoni Zeta Linea Sport tyres as well as the Zeta Linea road spec tyre. The new agreement brings with it a new name for the championship which from now on will be known as The Marangoni Tyres/GAZ Shocks BMW Compact Cup.
Continue ReadingPirelli supports Richard Burns Foundation
The Pirelli International Rally has been renamed as the Pirelli Richard Burns Foundation Rally in support of the former world rally champion, with the event remaining the second round of this year's MSA British Rally Championship.
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