Cooper Tire Agrees British Formula 3 Extension
Cooper Tire will continue as the official control tyre supplier and title sponsor of the prestigious British F3 International Series until at least the end of the 2014 season. Cooper took over the supply and sponsorship of British F3 in 2009 from its Avon Tyres brand, which had previously been sole supplier to the series for 27 years, and now supplies the British GT Championship. The Cooper Tire British F3 International Series is widely acknowledged as one of the toughest domestic single-seater championships in the world and is a recognised route to the pinnacle of the sport for aspiring Formula 1 drivers, having produced 2009 FIA F1 World champion Jenson Button, and current F1 drivers Mark Webber, Rubens Barrichello, 2008 British F3 champion Jaime Algersuari, and newly signed Sauber driver and 2007 National Class champion Sergio Perez.
Continue ReadingCooper Tire Expands Dakar Rally Assault for 2011
Cooper Tire will back an expanded team in the 2011 Dakar Rally as it aims to go one better than its debut attempt in the 2010 event. The Toyota Cooper Tire outfit finished second in the T2 Diesel class and 16th overall this January, but veteran Dakar pilot, Xavier Foj, is aiming to take the class victory in 2011. Spaniard Foj and his co-driver, Pablo Jaton, will once again compete for the team in a Toyota Land Cruiser KXR and they will be joined by a second duo – Spanish TV personality Jesus Calleja and co-driver, Ignacio Santamaria.
Continue ReadingAvon Signs Up to 3 More Years with British GT
Since Avon Tyres began supplying control tyres to the British GT Championship in 2006 drivers have clocked up some 200,000 racing miles on its products. Now they’ll have the chance to add a few more miles to the tally following the signing of an agreement to extend the tyre maker’s title sponsorship and control tyre supply until the end of the 2014 season. Avon’s first outing under the new agreement will be at Oulton Park on April 23 to 25 next year.
Continue ReadingFIM World Endurance Win a “Fantastic Achievement” – Dunlop
When the Dunlop shod Suzuki Endurance Racing Team took the chequered flag at the 8 Hours of Doha on November 14, the result ensured not only race victory but also victory in the whole 2010 FIM World Endurance Championship. Half of the season’s top-ten ranked bikes rode on Dunlop, and the tyre maker points out that this championship victory marks the eighth occasion in which Dunlop has clinched the world title in the last ten years.
Continue ReadingAvon Tyres Secures 3-Year BRSCC Formula Ford Deal
The British Racing and Sports Car Club has chosen Avon Tyres to supply tyres to both of its Formula Ford 1600 Championships for the next three years, and will also support the club to help it promote its showpiece event – the Formula Ford Festival. “Naturally, we’re delighted to have secured the agreement to supply FF1600 for another three years,” said Paul Coates, general manager, Avon Tyres Motorsport. “We’re very keen to work with the BRSCC on further initiatives to secure the long-term future of FF1600.”
Continue ReadingYokohama-Sponsored Baja Racers Happy with Geolander Tyre
One of off-road racing's toughest tests, Yokohama Tire-sponsored racers took on the SCORE Baja 1000 between 17 and 20 November using the manufacturer’s Geolander M/T+ tyres. Heidi Steele achieved a third-place finish in Class 6 for unlimited, production mini trucks. Driving her customary Ford Ranger, Steele, the two-time defending Class 6 champ, and her co-drivers and Desert Assassins teammates Rene Brugger and Pat Dailey, finished the gruelling 1061.69-mile course in 27:43:10.
Continue ReadingDunlop Ends DTM Supply, Hankook Expected to Take Over
Dunlop has announced the impending discontinuation of its exclusive tyre supply of the touring car masters’ series, the DTM. This decision to part ways with what is called Europe’s most popular touring car race series was jointly reached with series promoter ITR e.V following several months of negotiations; the official end of supply on December 31 will close the book on a relationship in place since the championship’s revival in 2000. The ITR says details of a replacement tyre and series partner will be announced ‘right after’ an agreement is officially signed. It is widely known that Hankook is to be this partner; the Korean manufacturer is said to have outbid Dunlop for the position and is expected to sign a contract up to 2013 as soon as the current race season is over.
Continue ReadingNew Kumho F3 Euro Series Control Tyre
Kumho has created an all-new control tyre for the 2011 Formula 3 Euro Series. The final specification of the new tyre resulted from two days of comprehensive evaluation at the renowned Vallelunga circuit in Italy. It will be made available to the teams from the first official test session onwards. Kumho supplied four different specifications of tyre for the 900 kilometres carried out by Dutch F3 driver Renger van der Zande – two completely new designs and two new compounds – each of which was compared with the 2010 specification covers. “The chosen tyre is incredibly good,” van der Zande commented adding: “The performance for fast qualifying laps and race pace consistency are equally remarkable.”
Continue ReadingYokohama Supplying Macau Grand Prix Tyres for 28th Consecutive Year
When the F3 race cars take their positions on the starting for this year’s Macau Grand Prix, which gets underway on November 18, each of the 32 competing vehicles will be fitted with tyres supplied by Yokohama Rubber. This is hardly surprising, given that the Japanese tyre maker has acted as official tyre supplier to this particular race for more than a generation. This year marks the 28th consecutive occasion in which Yokohama has provided tyres for the Macau Grand Prix, having begun in the role of official tyre supplier in 1983.
Continue ReadingMetzeler Renews National Superstock Tyre Supply Agreement
Pirelli recently renewed its tyre supply commitments to the British Superbike (BSB) and Supersport Championships, and now the company’s Metzeler brand has been confirmed as the control tyre supplier for the 1000ccc and 600cc National Superstock championships for a further five years. The German based manufacturer says these two “important production based classes within the prestigious MCE British Superbike series” have great importance as they offer Metzeler the chance to demonstrate the quality of its ‘over the counter’ tyres.
Continue ReadingKumho Sees Mortara Win Euro F3 Series to Crown “Successful” Motorsport Season
Kumho has been the official tyre supplier to the Formula Three Euro Series since 2003. The newly-crowned 2010 Euro F3 champion on Kumho’s slicks is Edoardo Mortara. He contested the series previously in 2008, then had a year in GP2 before returning to F3 this year. He holds duel Italian and French nationality but races under the Italian flag and is responsible for two firsts for the series: the first victory for the French Signature team and the first for a VW-engined car. As official supplier, Kumho makes some 10,000 tyres available to the series per annum.
Continue ReadingPirelli Renews BSB Control Tyre Supply Contract
For the past three years Pirelli has served as control tyre supplier to the British Superbike (BSB) and Supersport Championships, providing riders with a range of its Diablo tyres, some 5,500 of which are supplied and fitted over a typical race weekend by a team of 17 tyre technicians. Series organiser MotorSport Vision Ltd has now confirmed that Pirelli will continue in this role after successfully bidding for the supply tender covering the 2011 to 2015 seasons.
Continue ReadingAustralian Formula Ford Extends Contract with Avon
The Genuine Parts Australian Formula Ford Championship has extended its deal with Avon Tyres, with the brand continuing as the championship’s control tyre supplier for at least the next three years. Avon’s tyres will be distributed and engineered through the season by Gordon Leven Motorsport Tyres, which continues its 15-year involvement supplying Avon rubber to the championship. All tyres will be manufactured at Cooper Tire’s plant in Melksham, England.
Continue ReadingMichelin Power Cup 2010 Results
Last weekend saw the 2010 Michelin Power Cup race series draw to a close as the final round took place at a cloudy but mainly dry Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire. In the 1000cc class Jonathan Otter took first place with second and third places taken by Greg Allsop and Rhalf Lo Turco, respectively. In the 600cc class, Will Monie took the top spot with Adrian Allsopp and Andy Rouse following in second and third places.
Continue ReadingYokohama Celebrates 100 WTC Races in “Incredibly Busy” Motorsport Year
Japanese tyre manufacturer Yokohama celebrated its 100th race as official tyre supplier to the FIA World Touring Car Championship earlier this year, having supplied the control tyre to the series since 2006. Commenting on the season, Yokohama HPT’s Motorsport manager, Mark Evans, said: “We’ve seen another exceptional year of competition in the WTCC, which is a superb environment to showcase the brand’s performance.” The ADVAN wet and dry racing tyres have drawn critical acclaim from the competitors, with the manufacturer developing products that suit both the front and rear wheel drive cars competing.
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