Riders on Dunlop Take First 3 Isle of Man TT Wins
Having begun on Saturday, the 2010 Isle of Man TT’s first three races have been won on Dunlop tyres, with six of the nine available podium places taken by riders using the manufacturer’s rubber. Saturday saw the first of the two Superbike races, with Iain Hutchinson finishing first and company namesake Michael Dunlop finishing in second on Dunlop’s Ntec slick tyres. This was followed on Monday by the first of the two Supersport races, won by Hutchinson and Dunlop coming in third. The Superstock 1000cc race saw Hutchinson complete a hat-trick of wins with Ryan Farquhar taking a close second, both riding on Dunlop D211GP’s.
Continue ReadingDunlop Introduce New Le Mans Tyre Technology
At this year’s Le Mans 24 hour race Dunlop will be using a new wet tyre designed to “improve grip and driver feedback.” The latest Dunlop tyre will be used in the top class of the event, the LMP1 Le Mans Prototype category, and features Dunlop’s both a new compound technology and a new tread pattern that the company reports has been successfully tested in recent events. According to the company, this new tread pattern (which will be used on all Dunlop Le Mans wet weather tyres) features design technology that has also inspired Dunlop’s latest high performance road tyres. Like the recently launched Dunlop SP QuattroMaxx road tyre, the new Dunlop TF23 wet race tyre features different zones in the tread pattern to maximise the grip and driver feedback in changeable conditions and under different loads.
Continue ReadingFederal Signs as Nippon Challenge Supplier
The Nippon Challenge, described as “the nation’s premier racing series for Japanese cars”, will roll out this year with Federal’s new motorsports extreme tyre, FZ-201 semi-slick, as one of the spec tyres. The Taiwanese tyre brand will also be the title sponsor for all of the 14 races over seven weekends between April and October.
Continue ReadingJapfast Puts Maxxis “Face to Face” with Performance Crowd
Maxxis has put its brand in front of 15,000 performance car enthusiasts this May, attending in force the first round of the Adrian Flux Auto Series “Japfest”, the UK's longest running circuit-based event for all Japanese performance cars. The brand says it took over the platinum village with its bright orange events unit with a 10m Maxxis arch. The stage hosted DJs, the infamous team of Maxxis Babes and three high specification cars to support the Maxxis brand.
Continue ReadingYokohama Title Sponsor of Italian WTCC Round
Races seven and eight of this year’s FIA World Touring Car Championship – better known to you and I as the WTCC – are scheduled to run at Monza on Sunday May 23, and during this round of the series Yokohama Rubber will be title sponsor. Therefore, prepare yourself for the delights of the “FIA WTCC Yokohama Race of Italy.”
Continue ReadingDunlop Riders Take 11 NorthWest200 Podium Places
The International NorthWest200 came to a close on Saturday 15 May with Dunlop given particular reason to be satisfied with the performance of riders using its tyres. First places in the Superbike, Superstock and Supersport races went to McGuinness, Amor and Hutchinson, all using Dunlop rubber; in total 11 out of the 18 available podium places went to riders using the manufacturer’s products. Company representative Pat Walsh thought the weekend’s successes boded well for the rest of the season: “This impressive start puts us in a good position for the Isle of Man TT which starts in two weeks time.”
Continue ReadingBMW and Dunlop Win at Nurburgring
Dunlop tyres were the choice of BMW Motorsport in winning the Nurburgring 24 hour race this weekend. The classic race, held on the tortuous circuit that Sir Jackie Stewart once described as the ‘greatest and most challenging’ in the world, was won by the latest BMW M3 GT2, equipped with Dunlop Sport Maxx race tyres. The Dunlop tyres were designed, developed and manufactured in the company’s Motorsport centre at Fort Dunlop in Birmingham, England.
Continue ReadingPirelli “Delighted” With Opening GP3 Round
Pirelli’s return to open wheel racing after an almost two-decade absence got underway last weekend with the opening rounds of the inaugural GP3 series at Spain’s Circuit de Catalunya. A full grid of 30 GP3 cars lined up for the opening two races, held on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, all fitted with Pirelli’s newly developed PZero 13-inch control tyres. Prior to each weekend’s races a soft, medium or hard compound tyre must be nominated for use by all drives, and on the weekend of May 8 and 9 – as will commonly be the case this year – the medium compound was employed.
Continue ReadingPirelli Returns to Single-Seater Racing at Spanish GP
Pirelli is to supply tyres for single-seater racing for the first time since 1991 in the new GP3 Series, which will support Formula One’s Spanish Grand Prix on 7-9 May. The Italian manufacturer says it will use the event to submit a tender to supply Formula One from next season. Pirelli will be the sole supplier for GP3, which the manufacturer says has been pitched as “a stepping-stone to GP2, a direct feeder category to Formula One”. The supply agreement is the most clear indication of Pirelli’s intentions for the Formula One tyre supply slot due to be vacated by Bridgestone at the end of the 2010 season.
Continue ReadingMichelin Power Cup moves to Cadwell Park
The second round of the 2010 Michelin Power Cup moves on to Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire this weekend (8-9 May) following the first round at Snetterton last month. The riders will take their places on the grid to compete in the 600 and 1000cc classes and take on the demanding 2.25 mile circuit, which includes the infamous Mountain section where riders can get airborne at high speeds.
Continue ReadingAvon Tyres backs Molyneux at the 2010 Isle of Man TT
Avon rubber is once again the tyre of choice for Isle of Man sidecar legend, Dave Molyneux. Last year, Molyneux took his victory tally on the Island to 14, thanks in part to the Avon Tyres on his outfit. This year, it is all changed as Molyneux has a new passenger – Patrick Farrance – and now has Kawasaki power for the coming road-race season.
Continue ReadingCooper Tires British Formula Three Series Starts Easter Weekend
Cooper is looking forward to another season as title-sponsor and tyre-supplier to the British Formula Three Series. The company says that British F3 is one of the world’s most successful championships for aspiring Formula One drivers; with stars including Ayrton Senna, Mika Hakkinen, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton all racing in the series on their way to F1, it isn’t difficult to back up that claim. Most recently the last two champions have leapt straight to F1 – 2008 title winner Jaime Alguersuari now races with the Toro Rosso team while last year’s champion, Daniel Ricciardo, has been appointed official reserve driver for both Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso in 2010.
Continue ReadingFormula Three, British GT “Great Opportunity” for Cooper, Avon Branding
At Silverstone for the season launch for both series, Cooper Tires’ UK representative Sarah McRoberts stated that the company—sponsored Formula Three and the Avon Tyres British GT championships represent a “great opportunity” for both brands’ extension in the UK. While Cooper was praised for providing great consistency – each brand was involved in their respective championships last year – McRoberts also noted the changes required to the compounds “across all our tyres” following EU legislation requiring clean oils in all road and track products. She said the company would be “aiming again for consistency of performance”.
Continue ReadingMaxxis Commits to 3 More Years with British Motocross
Maxxis has extended its title sponsorship of the ACU British Motocross Championship for a further three years. The company believes continued commitment to the series, which this year comprises eight rounds including at a new track at Silverstone, will provide the “best national series in the world” with added security, stability and a strong financial and promotional footing.
Continue ReadingAvon’s Motorsport Season Opens at Easter with British GT Championship
Avon is looking forward to another season of motorsport, opening on Easter weekend as the title sponsor of the British GT Championship. The brand is the title sponsor and sole tyre supplier of the prestigious Championship for the fifth consecutive season, with cars built by manufacturers such as Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lotus and Porsche set to line up on the grid this year.
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