Pirelli extends GT Cup tyre supply contract
Pirelli has confirmed that it will be the only tyre supplier to the GT Cup Championship until at least 2014. Pirelli UK met with championship organisers Bute Motorsport at Pirelli’s Didcot base last week to discuss the terms of the contract. Pirelli UK Motorsport’s operation manager Matthew Corby said: “The GT Cup Championship is home to some of the most spectacular racing cars in British motorsport, and we are delighted to continue our partnership with this prestigious series. The opening two rounds have proved very exciting and with the new regulations introduced for 2012, I look forward to watching the series grow from strength to strength.”
Continue ReadingKumho-shod Peugeot Rczs dominate class at Green Hell
The Kumho-shod cars of Team Peugeot RCZ Nokia finished first and third in SP2T, the category for 1600cc turbocharged cars) in last weekend’s Nürburgring 24 Hours. First past the flag was car 100, shared by Paul Englert, Steven Palette, Guillaume Roman and Julien Rueflin, which covered 2,077.82 miles at an average speed of 86.58mph during the course of the race.
Continue ReadingYokohama-shod Aston Martins in top three of class at Nürburgring 24
Japanese tyre manufacturer Yokohama shod two Aston Martin Test Centre cars, 'Zig' and 'Smurf', who completed the arduous event second and third in the SP8 class at the Nürburgring 24 Hours race. The cars finished 26th and 33rd overall respectively. Driven by Aston Martin CEO Dr Ulrich Bez, chief engineer Chris Porritt, Test Centre director Wolfgang Schuhbauer and journalist Richard Meaden, the No. 005 Aston Martin V12 Zagato (Zig) enjoyed a trouble-free run, despite the demanding nature of the event, the circuit and the rain which began to fall as dawn crept into the sky over the Eifel Mountains.
Continue ReadingPirelli expects heat and speed at Snetterton BSB round
Pirelli has predicted fast, exciting racing and hot weather at Snetterton’s MCE British Superbike event this weekend. The new ‘300’ track layout was well received by riders and fans last in its first year in 2011. The Pirelli team returns from the North West 200 having secured four race wins, to focus on Snetterton BSB before the start of the Isle of Man TT practice week on Monday.
Continue ReadingDunlop announces 2012 Art Car Competition winner
Goodyear Dunlop has announced the winner of its 2012 Dunlop Art Car Competition, a contest to find innovative designs for the Dunlop-sponsored JMW Motorsport Ferrari F458 GT2 car. Egidijus Gužauskas from Lithuania provided the winning design, featuring a paint-splash effect. The car will first race in its new livery at the 24 Hours of Le Mans where Dunlop has a long and successful history to its name, having 34 victories at the iconic endurance race.
Continue ReadingMaxxis Drift Championship to be televised
The 2012 Maxxis British Drift Championship will receive television coverage on the Motors TV digital channel. Highlights of Round One of the championship will be broadcast every day this week. The Championship’s organisers describe the coverage as “a huge step forward for all involved”, emphasising the value of increased coverage to a wider audience. The organisers also suggested that UK drifting is making steps towards becoming a mainstream motorsport.
Continue ReadingLassa sponsoring V1 Challenge
Lassa Tyres has become tyre sponsor for the V1 Challenge Moldova – a series held in a number of cities and run using Volkicars, a race car developed by Turkish racing driver Volkan Işık. And while Lassa’s sponsorship deal is new, the tyre maker can claim a further connection of sorts to the V1 Challenge – the series was developed by Işık, who led the Lassa Rally Team from 2007 to 2010.
Continue ReadingPirelli, Dmack, Kumho, Dunlop to supply British Historic Rally
Pirelli, Kumho and Dmack have announced that they will supply tyres to the 2013 MSA British Historic Rally Championship, following the competition’s move to an open choice era. Dunlop, the supplier to the UK’s premier historic rally series for the past four years will continue to make its tyres available to the championship, which takes in both gravel and asphalt events across the country. The championship features old-school rally machinery dating from the 1950s to the 1980s. “We firmly believe this is the right time to open up the tyre supply situation,” said championship manager Simon Marks. “More tyre manufacturers are now in a position to supply the historic market and our competitors will now be able to choose between four excellent suppliers.”
Continue ReadingTyres to play a greater role in Green X Challenge
The American Le Mans Series, launched in 1999, is the first North American motorsport series to be acknowledged as a ‘green racing series’ by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the United States Department of Energy and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International). Since the 2009 season, American Le Mans has also been linked to the Michelin Green X Challenge, which elects a winner for each race based upon a combination of energy use, emissions, speed and efficiency criteria.
Continue ReadingMaxxis supports 10th Japfest with ‘drift spectacular’
This weekend Castle Combe will host the tenth anniversary of Japfest, Europe’s biggest Japanese Car Show. On 12 May the Maxxis British Drift Championship will be the star attraction, with three extended track sessions, during which star drivers from all three classes will be demonstrating their skills and precision in a mass drift train. The title sponsor of the UK Drift series will be strongly represented at Japfest, with the Maxxis Babes joining its two sponsored drifting teams, Team Japspeed and SATS Motorsport.
Continue ReadingVipal sponsors Buggyra Formula Truck team for second year
Vipal, one of the largest manufacturers retreading and repair materials, has agreed to sponsor the Buggyra Formula Truck team for the second consecutive year. In the 2011 season, Vipal participated with a VIP area in 5 of the 10 races and brought 75 customers, mainly retreaders form across Europe to the events. The races invited partners to were at Misano, Italy; Albacete, Spain; Nurburgring, Germany; Most, Czech Republic; and Le Mans, France. This year Vipal will participate with VIP areas in Istanbul, Donington, Nurburgring, Most and Jarama.
Continue ReadingKumho to supply French F4 racing series
Kumho, who only recently was appointed official tyre supplier to the global Auto GP Series, has now also won the contract to supply all the tyres for the Fédération Française du Sport Automobile's (FFSA) F4 single-seater racing championship.
Continue ReadingPirelli honours 25 years of WSBK with ‘Silver Stripes’ tyre
This year the World Superbike Championship celebrates its 25th anniversary, and Pirelli – who has been involved in the series from its inception and as sole supplier since 2004 – has decided to mark the occasion by creating an exclusive version of the Superpole tyre the riders will use at Monza on 5 May to decide the starting order for the next day’s races.
Continue ReadingSofter BSB compounds to have their day at Oulton Park, predicts Pirelli
After the fast, abrasive Thruxton surface, the British Superbike series moves to Oulton Park where the more flowing nature of the circuit and make-up of the asphalt means softer Pirelli Diablo Superbike tyres may well be effective.
Continue ReadingHaribo Racing switches to Falken for VLN and 24 Hour races
The Haribo Racing Team has announced it will use Falken’s race tyres on its Porsche 997 GT3 R for the VLN series and Nürburgring 24 Hour race. The team said its move to the Japanese brand’s tyres, developed specifically for the 997 GT3 R, was completed after a successful test at the recent ADAC Westfalenfahrt race. “We were very satisfied with the way the race went, delivering fast, consistent lap times,” reports Marco Alfter, Haribo’s head of corporate communications.
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