Michelin Notches Up 12th Consecutive Sebring Win
On March 19 Michelin became the first tyre manufacturer ever inducted into the Sebring International Raceway (Florida, USA) Hall of Fame, an accomplishment achieved through winning overall victories in the last 11 consecutive Twelve Hours of Sebring races. The following day a twelfth victory was added to Michelin’s tally. Along with its technical partner teams from Peugeot, Aston Martin, Porsche, Highcroft HPD, and Ferrari, the tyre maker secured the top six positions overall in the opening even of the 2010 American Le Mans Series. First and second places were secured by the Peugeot Sport team’s 12 cylinder, turbo diesel 908 HDI FAP cars, followed by the Lola Aston Martin in third place.
Continue ReadingMichelin Green X Challenge Starts Second ALMS Season
The Michelin Green X Challenge is described by the tyre maker as a ‘race within the race’ at motorsports events such as the American Le Mans Series (ALMS). The idea behind the challenge is summed by Michelin as “if fast is good, then faster and cleaner is even better,” and the company notes that this approach paid off for 12 of the 20 ALMS Michelin green X Challenge winners last year, as they also won their respective class on track. The 2010 US based round of this environmental motorsport awards programme gets underway at the Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 20.
Continue ReadingSandbichler new Hankook Tire Europe Motorsports Manager
A new man is heading up Hankook Tire’s motorsport activities in Europe. Manfred Sandbichler, who has almost 20-years’ tyre industry experience under his belt and joined the company’s German division in 2003, was named manager of Motorsports on March 15.
Continue ReadingDunlop New Exclusive Ducati 848 Challenge Tyre Supplier
Dunlop has been announced as the sole tyre supplier to the new Ducati 848 race series. The leading tyre manufacturer agreed a deal with New Era Motorcycle Club and Ducati UK to ensure all bikes racing in the new championship are shod with Dunlop rubber. The Dunlop control tyre will be the Dunlop D211 GP Racer, which features NTEC and MultiTread Compounds, will harness the 134hp and 70.8lb-ft of torque generated by the Ducati 848s. As part of the deal, Dunlop is offering the winning rider from each round a pair of Dunlop tyres for their race bike. The Ducati 848 Challenge starts at Silverstone on 24 April.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Tyre Issues Surface at NASCAR Again
During the 2008 NASCAR season drivers complained about excessive wear in the tyres supplied by Goodyear. The company claimed last June to have resolved the issue, yet Associated Press reports that a number of drivers have complained about the tyres used during a race on March 7. It is alleged that the compound used in the tyres was suitable for speed but low on durability when used on the high-banked Atlanta Motor Speedway track.
Continue ReadingYokohama Rubber Outlines 2010 Motorsport Activities
Motorsport participation is a stated component of Yokohama Rubber’s strategy for the global development of its flagship ‘Advan’ tyre brand. On March 5 the company announced its Motor Sports Activity Plan for 2010, in which it outlines its continued active support of motor racing in Japan and many other countries. Below are the highlights of the activity plan:
Continue ReadingGroup Aiming to Help Save Donington Race Track with Rally
A rally is to take place at Donington Race Track on Sunday 7 March, 2010 in an attempt to secure the Castle Donington facility’s future. The Facebook group behind the rally, set up by schoolteacher and racing fan Lee Coombs, has nearly 12,000 members, meaning the rally has a good chance of a high attendance – the latest estimate being 10,000 attendees, according to Derby’s Evening Telegraph. The event will be attended by the current owner Kevin Wheatcroft, who is said to be in talks with several potential investors keen to restart racing at the venue. Wheatcroft will attend the event, a source told Tyrepress.com, at which he is expected to make an announcement about Donnington’s future.
Continue ReadingJK Tyre Hail VW Scirocco Cup Prodigy
You may not have heard of him before, but tyre maker JK Tyre is backing Aditya Patel as a driving “prodigy and India’s most promising driver.” JK Tyre’s comments come in advance of the forthcoming VW Scirocco Cup that starts in April 2010 in Germany. 21-year old Aditya will also be the first Indian to drive a Green Racing car as the Scirocco runs on ERD Bio gas, something which is said to be global first. JK Tyre, which has been supporting Aditya in his professional training and participation in various national and International motorsport events, is also one of his lead sponsors in this endeavor. The Scirocco Cup will be held as the partner series of the hugely popular DTM in its 2010 debut season. Staged as the most eco-friendly one-make championship in the world, the sporting equipment: the racing version of the Scirocco is powered by an innovative biogas engine that achieves an 80-per cent reduction of CO2 emissions compared with conventional engines.
Continue ReadingMaxxis Offers Over $1 million for 2010 Racer Incentives
Maxxis is offering cash rewards or ‘contingency payments’ totalling more than a million dollars to ATV and motorcycle racers competing in eight major US race series this season. “Historically, Maxxis has offered cash for certain classes and free tyres for the rest. This year, we’ve gone to an all-cash contingency since racers are having a harder time than ever coming up with the money for things like gas, hotels and all other race expenses. And of course, the extra cash will help when they need to replace their well-used Maxxis tyres,” said Maxxis senior sales representative Harry Tripp.
Continue ReadingMaxxis British Motocross Championship Starts Sunday
The Maxxis ACU British Motocross Championship will begin on Sunday 28 February at Little Silver near Exeter, when a host of GP stars and top British riders will contest the spoils.
Continue ReadingNew Pirelli Awards Intended to Up the Superbike Ante
Pirelli has served as sole tyre supplier to the Superbike World Championship since 2004 and now the Italian marque has announced several performance awards it says will act as additional incentives for a “faster and more spectacular environment.” Three new types of awards have thus been added to the total prize pool: Pirelli “Best Lap”, Pirelli “Best Jump Forward”, and “Best Lap Winner 2010: Fastest Rider of the Year”.
Continue ReadingBFGoodrich Shows its Sovereignty at King of the Hammers
Its ‘hammer time’ at BFGoodrich – the tyre maker has once again come out on top at the challenging King of the Hammers desert rock race. More than 30,000 fans witnessed Loren Healy and co-driver Rodney Woodey, who started in 53rd position, take home the chequered flag at the 2010 event. Healey’s winning vehicle was equipped with 39-inch BFGoodrich Krawler T/A KX tyres, designed for strong grip on extreme rocks, mud and dirt. And while Healey’s and Woodey’s first place result is a win for BFGoodrich, the fact that 34 of the 43 competitors who finished the event also drove vehicles fitted with the manufacturer’s rubber can also perhaps be seen as an even greater victory.
Continue ReadingHankook Competition Australia Makes Strong Motorsport Debut
In its motorsport debut, Hankook Competition Australia has claimed a wholly respectable outright fifth place and third place in its class at the Bathurst 12 Hour production car race, held at the Mount Panorama circuit in New South Wales. The Hankook team competed in a newly built Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X fitted with its Ventus TD (Z221) tyres – a road legal R-Spec tyre – and the tyre maker said it used the event as an extended test to better understand the new tyre and how it would perform on one of the world’s most unique and demanding race circuits.
Continue ReadingPirelli-Shod Top Five in Le Touquet Beach Race
Pirelli continued its domination of the Le Touquet beach race as Mickael Pichon led home a Pirelli top five in front of 300,000 spectators. The gruelling three hour sand battle was dictated by riders using the impressive Pirelli Scorpion MX SOFT 410 as the brand took victory for the seventh consecutive year. Pichon, returning from an injury sustained fifteen days ago, won the Enduropale du Touquet for the first time in his career, a win that he dedicated to his previous team mate, Tim Potisek.
Continue ReadingKumho Australian Rally Supply Begins with Successful Testing
Kumho has successfully completed preseason tests on its tyre selections for the Australian Rally Championship. The R900, designed for compacted gravel, the R800 for loose gravel and the wet-weather and muddy conditions R700 all impressed drivers with their high levels of grip, longevity and predictability having used them in the scorching temperatures of a Melbourne heat wave.
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