Kumho Mentioned in BBC Motorsport Coverage
Kumho reports that it enjoyed 4mins and 35secs of exposure during the BBC’s recent Korean Grand Prix coverage. Not in relation to F1, but through footage of the recent rally success of the show’s ebullient anchorman, Jake Humphrey, and long-standing Kumho-sponsored rally driver and Sky TV pundit, Tony Jardine. The event, the Cambrian Rally, was Humphrey’s first ever rally and he took to the sport sufficiently quickly to guide the Ford-Fiesta-mounted pair to an impressive second in class. Running on Kumho rally tyres, their Fiesta was suitably adorned with Kumho stickers, while Kumho logos were clearly visible on the crew’s overalls. The team’s exploit’s also received a good airing in The Sun newspaper, which was another of their sponsors.
Continue ReadingHankook’s Mikkelsen to Build on Scottish 2nd in IRC Final Round
Hankook says it is ready to round off its Intercontinental Rally Challenge campaign in style with driver Andreas Mikkelsen when Cyprus hosts the final round this weekend. The Norwegian finished second overall in the recent Rally of Scotland and is hoping to be back on the podium on the FXPro Cyprus Rally which gets underway on Thursday. Mikkelsen and co-driver Ole Fløene will once again be in the Hankook Ford Fiesta S2000 – the M-Sport prepared car the team has used during its 2010 programme of events.
Continue ReadingToyo Tires Enjoys “Successful” Goodwood Revival
Having attended Goodwood events in the past Toyo Tires has reported another “successful” year at the Goodwood Revival, at which it was the exclusive Tyre Partner for the first time. To mark the occasion, VIP Toyo customers previewed two brand new road tyres in the Proxes range, the ultra high performance Proxes T1 Sport and the Proxes C1S, tyres built for performance and ride comfort respectively. Both tyres will be made available from 2011. Toyo said that it was looking forward to continuing its deal with the event in 2011.
Continue ReadingYokohama’s Home WTCC Stage to Equal Japanese Entrant Record
Japanese racing talent will go head-to-head with some of the world’s best touring car drivers when the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) returns to Okayama, Japan, on 31 October, 2010. The home race of official tyre supplier Yokohama will have four local drivers competing, equalling the 2008 record for the most Japanese entries in a WTCC race.
Continue ReadingKaram Wins Cooper Tire-backed USF2000 Championship
Fifteen-year-old American, Sage Karam, has marked himself out as a race star of the future by dominating the 2010 Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda. Sanctioned by the IRL, the USF2000 National Championship is part of the IRL’s “Road to Indy” ladder system and was restarted this year, with Cooper immediately initiated as the sole tyre supplier to the series.
Continue ReadingMichelin to Give Away 100 Racing Tyres to Monte Carlo Rally Amateurs
To mark the occasion of the Monte Carlo Rally’s centenary, French tyre giant Michelin has announced that it will reward the efforts of the top 25-placed amateur competitors with a free set of its racing tyres. The 79th Monte Carlo Rally is the first event of the 2011 Intercontinental Rally Challenge and is scheduled to take place between 18 and 22 January 2011. The rally will begin in Valence, France.
Continue ReadingPirelli Development Driver Andreucci Wins Italian Rally Championship
Paolo Andreucci has claimed his fifth Italian Rally Championship, and the fourth title that he has taken with Pirelli, on the Costa Smeralda Rally in Sardinia last weekend. The Italian is one of the Italian manufacturer’s development drivers, and was fulsome in his praise of Pirelli’s role in his victory: “Pirelli has played a huge role in this latest success, because for the past two years we have been extremely competitive everywhere.
Continue ReadingPhil Morrison Wins Maxxis British Drift Championship On Federal
The 2010 Maxxis British Drift Championship reached a thrilling climax at Knockhill, Scotland over the weekend of September 25-26. It proved a stern test of vehicles and drivers, with BDC newcomer Phil Morrison eventually emerging victorious in his 700 bhp S15, shod with Federal 595 RS-R high performance tyres, making it a day to remember for both Phil and his Team Driftworks.
Continue ReadingDunlop-shod BMW Crowned American Le Mans Champion
The BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team has clinched the 2010 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) GT Manufacturer and Team Championships, a feat that was helped by Dunlop, which provided the grip for its BMW M3 GT2. The team’s fourth place finish at the final round last week was enough to score the points needed to stay ahead of Ferrari and Porsche in the Manufacturers Championship by a point. Most racing observers considered the GT segment to be the most competitive class in the ALMS during 2010, with teams from BMW, Ferrari, Porsche and Corvette battling it out, and each winning a race this year.
Continue ReadingAvon Tyres British GT titles claimed at Brands Hatch
David Ashburn claimed the 2010 Avon Tyres British GT Championship title at the penultimate round of the series at Brands Hatch in Kent last weekend. The 63-year-old and his Trackspeed Porsche teammate, Glynn Geddie, collected a win and a fifth place in the weekend’s pair of hour-long races and enough points to put the overall title beyond the reach of anyone but Ashburn.
Continue ReadingCharlie Shears Seals Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Championship
With a victory and a third place finish in Rounds 12 and 13 of the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Championship at Mosport, Canada, Charlie Shears clinched both the Lites1 class overall championship and the Masters Class Championship with a race weekend to spare. The American tyre manufacturer-backed Championship features racing between two sports racer prototype classes, Lites 1 and Lites 2, presenting a dimension of competition as drivers must be aware of classes with distinctly different speeds, a similar challenge to that faced by the drivers of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón.
Continue ReadingBest European Rallycross Drivers Use Avon Rubber
Avon Tyres has reported a very successful 2010 FIA European Rallycross Championship, with every competitor in the top 10 of all three divisions using Melksham-made rubber. In an open-choice formula where the demands on the tyre are great – competitors need a product that performs on both gravel and asphalt over the course of a race – Avon was delighted to be proved the tyre to be selected throughout the field and across all classes.
Continue ReadingDriver Chooses Infinity Tyres for Dutch Drifting
Drifting driver Oliver Harrsch recently competed in a round of the Dutch Open Drift Championship held in Kalkar, Germany (held 11 - 12 September) equipped with Infinity tyres. Harrsch was supplied the tyres by Venlo-based Infinity distributor Euro-Tyre and according to the company, the small and technical course was suited to lower powered cars and the more skilled drivers. On the first day, dry conditions allowed Harrsch to push the Infinity 050 UHP tyres to their limits and to experiment with tyre pressures. He commented: “Lots of grip and very smokey! Infinity are unbelievably good tyres!" In extremely wet conditions on the second day, Oliver took a very commendable fourth position.
Continue ReadingFull Grid on Anglesey as Dunlop Supplies NBC Control Tyre
On 10 September the No Budget Cup (NBC) came to the UK for the first time, staging a one off race at Anglesey. The peninsula saw a strong grid of 48, the maximum amount of racers allowed on the grid at the Welsh circuit. Dunlop tyres partnered with the NBC to become the control tyre for the championship, which has plans for more UK-based events in 2011.
Continue ReadingMaxxis-Sponsored Team Japspeed Hosts US Drift Champion at TRAX
Maxxis-sponsored Formula D champion Chris Forsberg was at TRAX on 5 September, where he took the wheel of Team Japspeed’s 450bhp Nissan S15 to demonstrate his skills in a series of high speed stunts. The American drift star flew in specially to take part in “the Ultimate Performance Car Event”, making his UK debut with demonstrations in the TRAX Action Arena. Forsberg signed autographs on the Maxxis stand and treated eight lucky fans to a passenger ride around Silverstone.
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