Pirelli-supported British Rally Championship to open in Dorset
2011’s Rally of the Year, Rallye Sunseeker in Dorset marks the opening round of the 2012 MSA British Rally Championship. The rally begins with a ceremonial start at Poole Quay at 18:00 on Friday 24 February, with the main action taking place on 25th, during which crews will tackle 12 stages over 66 miles in the Wareham and Ringwood Forest complex. Pirelli, the official tyre sponsor since 2007, will supply asphalt and gravel specification tyres to the Ford, Citroën, Renault and Skoda crews throughout the prestigious six-round championship.
Continue ReadingAvon signs 3-year Euro and Dutch GT4 series exclusive supply deal
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe’s Avon Tyres will be the official tyre supplier to the European GT4 Cup and Dutch GT4 Championship for the next three years. Avon has ramped up its GT tyre products since its introduction into the British GT Championship in 2006, and the brand’s representatives say the latest contract shows its boosted reputation as a “world class supplier” of the product. All tyres for both championships will be manufactured in the UK at Avon Tyres Motorsport’s headquarters in Melksham, Wiltshire.
Continue ReadingPirelli launches GT Cup season
Pirelli has launched its fifth year of partnership with the GT Cup at Brands Hatch. Drivers used Pirelli’s intermediate tyres in damp conditions on the day, using the Indy circuit – the shortest configuration of the track – to test high-speed stability in fast corners such as Paddock Hill Bend and traction coming out of the slow hairpin at Druids. The GT Cup’s first round takes place at Donington Park from 28-29 April.
Continue ReadingPirelli launches MINI Challenge supply
Pirelli has supplied its first MINI Challenge event at the MotorSport Vision Racing Media Day. Hosted by Brands Hatch on Tuesday, former MINI Challenge champion Lee Allen in a Pirelli-branded MINI John Cooper Works among others demonstrated the tyres to gathered media representatives. For the Challenge’s drivers, this was the first chance to try out the new Pirelli tyres, and thanks to damp morning conditions were able to sample both the Pirelli 225/625-17 WH wet tyre and the 225/625-17 DH slick tyre; the latter used as the track dried out in the afternoon. There are two classes within the MINI Challenge: the turbocharged JCW class and the Club class. The Pirelli RX5 15” intermediate tyre is also used for the less powerful Club class. The first round of the championship takes place at Silverstone on 14 April.
Continue ReadingMarangoni agrees 3-year BMW Championship control tyre deal
Marangoni has agreed a three-year title sponsorship deal with the UK-based Production BMW Championship. The race cars, all based on BMW 3 Series models, will feature significant Marangoni and Kwik Fit branding and will race on 195/50 R15 82V Marangoni Zeta Linea Sport tyres, a track oriented version of Marangoni’s popular Zeta Linea road spec tyre. Taking into consideration that Marangoni tyres are only available through Kwik Fit in the UK, the race series will become known as The Marangoni Tyres Production BMW Championship, in association with Kwik Fit. Kwik Fit has reportedly “fully embraced” this new agreement and will be supplying the tyres to all race competitors.
Continue ReadingFederal to supply US Legend Cars series
Federal has announced that it will continue its motorsport activities through the supply of the 2012 RACEceiver US Legend Cars series, which runs from 19 February until 6 October. It has previously used its 595 ultra high performance tyre in the series in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. “Federal Tire has a lengthy and rich heritage in the leading motorsport categories across the world; we are proud and excited to enter the new chapter of such a promising partnership with US Legend Cars to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the fun and affordable racing series in which anyone can compete,” commented Taz Yeh, project manager of Federal Motorsports.
Continue ReadingAvon takes on British Hillclimb title sponsorship
Avon Tyres has signed up as title sponsor to the MSA British Hillclimb Championship, which will duly be known as the Avon Tyres MSA British Hillclimb Championship. The series, which got underway on 4 February at Leicestershire Circuit, is organised by the BARC and includes rounds at leading UK hillclimb venues, as well as Jersey and Guernsey.
Continue ReadingAvon deploys new tyre for British GT Championship
The Avon brand, manufactured by Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe Ltd, has unveiled the fourth generation of its GT racing tyre since it took over as sole supplier and title sponsor of the series in 2006. Avon Tyres Motorsport technical manager, Mike Lynch, believes the new tyre will be around a second quicker than its predecessor around most circuits on the British GT calendar but, importantly, will also be durable enough for teams to use strategies demanding longer stints.
Continue ReadingInterview with Pirelli’s Georgio Barbier
Starting in 2013 Pirelli will supply World Superbike Series (WSBK) riders and teams with 17-inch racing tyres instead of the previously used 16.5-inch rubber. This decision prompted Tyres & Accessories to ask Pirelli racing director Georgio Barbier what led to this “important step”, as Pirelli itself describes it, and how it can benefit the average rider. Unsurprisingly, Barbier retained a professional silence regarding the costs involved in Pirelli’s role as Superbike tyre supplier and how this compares to its Formula 1 commitment. The same applies to questioning on whether the planned switch to 17-inch tyres in 2013 is a sign of Pirelli’s intention to seek a continuation of its WSBK tyre supply beyond 2015.
Continue ReadingAvon supplies tyres for inaugural Gulf 12 Hours
Avon Tyres Motorsport has supplied tyres to the inaugural Gulf 12 Hours event in Abu Dhabi on 20 January. The event was held at the Yas Marina Grand Prix circuit, featuring GT3 cars and CN2-class sports prototypes competing in a two six-hour races, the first of which took place in the heat of the day, the second under floodlights in the evening.
Continue ReadingKumho awarded Auto GP supply contract
Kumho will be the sole tyre supplier to the international Auto GP series for 550bhp single-seat racing cars. In a change for the 2012 season, all Auto GP teams will be required to use two specifications of tyre per weekend, a parallel to the tyre regulation in Formula One. Kumho says the management of prime and option compounds will strengthen the series’ role as a “premier schooling grounds for Grand Prix drivers”. Auto GP will also include a KERS-style boost system giving drivers an extra 50bhp up to 10 times per race, and a mandatory pit stop for each race.
Continue ReadingHankook supplying two further touring championships
Starting in the 2012 season, Hankook Tire will serve as exclusive tyre supplier to two Italian-organised events, the Superstars International Series touring car championship and the GTSprint International Series grand touring championship. The company will provide tyres to both series within the framework of what it calls a “long-term partnership.” The tyres to be used in both championships are the Ventus F200 slick and the Z207 rain tyre.
Continue ReadingYokohama to supply Irish Touring Car Championship
Yokohama will be the new control tyre supplier for the Irish Touring Car Championship or ITCC starting in the 2012 season. Touring cars have become something of a speciality for Yokohama’s motorsport activity; its Advan range is currently used as the control tyre in the FIA World Touring Car Championship as well as the Russian, Chinese and Scandinavian national iterations.
Continue ReadingFalken drifters provide novel Top Gear celebration
Falken’s 2011 British Drift Champion, Matt Carter and his teammate, Paul Cheshire have marked British television programme and magazine Top Gear’s ascension to 10 million Facebook fans. Using a number of Sumitomo brand, Falken’s FK452 tyres, a stretch of old runway in Oxfordshire and two of its cars, the drift drivers used techniques from the sport to write the number 10 on the tarmac. A video of the stunt, completed in a single take, is available on the Top Gear website.
Continue ReadingBirmingham rider collects Pirelli-Blackhorse BSB prize
Birmingham motorcyclist, Mitu Rahman has won a Pirelli Yamaha YZF-R1 British Superbike ‘pace bike’ in a competition organised by the Italian tyre company and Black Horse Consumer Finance. The bike was also signed by 2011 BSB champion Tommy Hill, and comes equipped with the latest Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa tyres. The bike helped Hill beat American rival Hopkins to take the series crown in the final round at Brands Hatch by 0.006 seconds.
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