F1 Slicks Not a Certainty
Despite the anticipation from some quarters for the return of slick tyres to Formula One in 2009, FIA president Max Mosley has warned that their reintroduction is by no means certain. The grooved tyres currently in use are scheduled to be scrapped after 2008, but Mosley has told Autosport magazine that if new bodywork rules, intended to reduce aerodynamic downforce by up to 50 per cent, to not sufficiently reduce cornering speeds, the return to slicks may yet again be postponed.
Continue ReadingF1 Slicks to be Tested in Jerez?
Reports indicate Bridgestone will supply slicks for Formula One teams to trial at the upcoming test in Jerez, Spain. These tyres have not been used in Formula One since rule changes at the end of 1997 prohibited them, and earlier this year the FIA announced that the 2008 reintroduction of the tyres would be delayed. News printed in the Netherlands based magazine Formule 1, however, indicates that the smooth tyre’s return is still on the agenda. The article, which quoted a spokesman from the BMW Sauber team, said that every team testing at Jerez in early December will be given several sets of slicks to experiment with, ahead of their likely reintroduction in the 2009 season. However Bridgestone has not confirmed any such activity, claiming that it is too early to discuss its plans for 2009.
Continue ReadingLamborghini Selects Beru f1Systems for TPMS
Automotive engineering specialists BERU f1systems has announced that it is supplying its award-winning digital tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) DigiTyre to Lamborghini for the Gallardo and Murciélago platforms. The safety feature, developed using Beru f1systems’ motorsport experience, is based on the technology of BERU’s Tire Safety System (TSS), which is fitted on vehicles by Audi, BMW and Porsche. DigiTyre is standard fit on US Gallardo and Murciélago models to comply with the TREAD act. (The TREAD act makes it mandatory for passenger vehicles and light trucks sold in the USA to be fitted with a pressure monitoring system). Specialist and niche vehicle manufacturers rightly demand robust and integrated solutions,” says BERU f1systems’ managing director John Bailey. “The higher speeds, higher cornering forces and demands experienced by performance cars rule out many solutions currently available. Our system is robust, light yet still retains all the integration features such as end of line testing and dealer diagnostics that OEMs require.”
Continue ReadingMore Praise for Goodyear’s Eagle F1
Goodyear’s UHP Eagle F1 Asymmetric has bagged another award, this time at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. The widely read US publication Popular Mechanics selected the new for 2007 Goodyear rubber from the 4,000 plus displays and countless new products at the SEMA exhibition and awarded the tyre its Popular Mechanics Editor’s Choice Award for New Products. “It is an honour to receive this award on behalf of Goodyear and the engineers who invented this tyre for the demanding enthusiasts in this segment,” said Bob Toth, marketing manager for Goodyear Auto Tires. “Goodyear’s Eagle brand of tyres have long been known for ultimate performance, and this recognition again helps to provide further credibility.”
Continue ReadingGoodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric Wins Autocar 2007 Tyre Test
The Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric has been declared ‘Best Tyre’ by Autocar magazine, just a month after the new tyre’s domination of the Evo Magazine tyre test. Autocar tested Goodyear, Michelin, Continental, Pirelli and Bridgestone tyres on both front wheel drive and rear wheel drive cars. The Goodyear was the clear overall winner after winning in both categories. The renowned UK weekly magazine had chosen the 138bhp Mondeo TDCi and the 268bhp Mercedes C350 to give a comparison between a typical large family car and a powerful rear wheel drive sports saloon respectively.
Continue ReadingING Renault F1 Switches Support Fleet to Bridgestone
ING Renault F1 Team, 2005 and 2006 world champions, have converted their entire fleet to Bridgestone tyres. This means the Warwickshire-based tyre giants will now supply tyres for not only the team’s Formula 1 cars but also all the team’s support vehicles. Last season, Bridgestone supplied a number of F1 teams with tyres but this year saw the remaining teams also transfer to Bridgestone. As a result many team support vehicles are now following suit, converting to Bridgestone tyres from other leading brands. Truck Point dealer Tructyre fitted over 300 new tyres to the Renault F1 Team fleet mainly utilising Bridgestone’s latest generation of highway tyres encompassing the R249 steer-axle, M749 drive-axle and R168 trailer-axle. Tructyre was recently awarded Expert Level recognition by Bridgestone UK for their high levels of customer service and administration to fleets.
Continue ReadingF1 Tyre Rule Change for 2008 Rumoured
A German motor racing magazine has disclosed that Formula One decision makers may be in favour of modifying the championship’s tyre regulations for the 2008 season. Auto Motor und Sport magazine reported on July 30 that Bridgestone could be asked to offer a wider selection of tyre compounds at each grand prix – a move intended to increase the strategy options available to participating teams. The championship’s smaller teams are reportedly more strongly behind the idea, while the major players have given a lukewarm response to any such changes. Bridgestone too is said to be less than enthusiastic, as implementing the proposed changes for next year’s season would involve additional expense and preparatory work.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Confirms F1 Tyre Choices
Following three days of testing at Belgium’s recently reconfigured Spa-Francorchamps circuit Bridgestone has deemed the time right to reveal the tyre compounds to be used by competitors for the final races of the 2007 season. “Last weeks (July 10-12) test at Spa provided the final pieces of information we needed before we could confirm our choices of Bridgestone Potenza compound for the remainder of the season,” said Kees van de Grint, Bridgestone Motorsport head of Track Engineering Operations. The usual soft and medium compounds will be put into play at the Italian, Belgian and Japanese Grands Prix, while the race in Shanghai will see the use of medium and hard compound tyres. At the season finale in Brazil Bridgestone has opted to make use of the soft and super soft tyres.
Continue ReadingF1 Gives Indianapolis the Red Flag
The famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway will not resound to the screeching of Bridgestone Formula One tyres in 2008 following the decision to scrap the event after eight lukewarm years. Bernie Ecclestone’s verdict on the race was announced on July 12, a decision that the speedway’s CEO hopes will be a temporary one. “Its my sincere hope that well have the opportunity to bring it back in the not-too-distant future,” said speedway CEO Tony George. “Eight years ago, it was our intent to host this event on an annual basis. While I still hold hope for the future that we’ll be able to bring it back, its tough to have a hiatus like this, and I view it as such. I’m going to continue to work on this to try to bring it back to the best of my ability as soon as possible.” The US Grand Prix on average attracted around 125,000 spectators, which while respectable in terms of F1 attendance was smaller than any other event held at the speedway. In comparison, attendance at the Indianapolis 500 has been estimated at around 300,000 people. George believes the US Grand Prix could have drawn larger crowds had it been given the opportunity to better establish itself through sponsorship and the media.
Continue ReadingBridgestone produces snow tyres for F1
Bridgestone Motorsport has produced a special Limited Edition F1 Potenza Snow Tyre at the request of the BMW Sauber F1 Team. The team will be holding a demonstration of at the prestigious White Turf horse racing event in the Swiss resort town of St. Mortiz, and special tyres are required due to the extreme conditions in which the BMW Sauber F1.06 will run. The F1 snow tyres, produced by Bridgestone Motorsports Technical Centre in Tokyo, feature 420 studs on each of the front tyres and 588 studs on each rear tyre. It took two Bridgestone technicians over 16 hours to manually insert all 2,016 studs into the double layer of tread compound on one set of tyres alone.
Continue ReadingWhite Grooves to Differentiate F1 Tyres
Bridgestone has confirmed it will use white markings to distinguish the softer compound tyre options used in the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix. The marking, applied to the bottom of the tyres’ second inside groove, was one of a number of options tested during practice days in Sepang following complaints about the red dots used during the Australian Grand Prix.
Continue ReadingF1 Tyre Markings too Discrete
Bridgestone is facing pressure to make alterations to the markings used for identifying the soft compound tyres used during Formula One races. During the Australian Grand Prix Bridgestone chose to distinguish the tyres with a white circle, but many have complained that these markings were so small that they became difficult to spot when the F1 cars were actually moving. Following the race Bridgestone agreed they would look at alternate forms of marking, but added that the tyres for the upcoming races in Malaysia and Bahrain had already been produced and therefore no changes could be made until the Spanish Grand Prix at the earliest.
Continue ReadingF1 Teams Have a “Good Understanding” of 2007 Tyres – Bridgestone
With the F1 Australian Grand Prix – the first of the 2007 season – taking place on March 18 drivers are getting ample opportunity to get a better feel for the Bridgestone tyres during practice sessions. The March 16 practice sessions saw Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa shine through as the best overall performers. The first practice session began on a wet circuit, which meant that Bridgestone’s wet and extreme wet tyres were given an airing. With the second session run in much drier conditions the medium and soft dry compound tyres were put into use.
Continue ReadingF1 to Employ Revised Red Tyre Rule
Bridgestone has confirmed it will visually differentiate its two specifications of dry weather F1 tyres following last-minute changes to this year’s Formula One regulations. This ruling by the Formula One Commission and the FIA World Motor Sport Council means states that the two different tyre compounds – both of which must be used in each race – must be visibly different.
Continue ReadingPirelli Proposes to Supply Tyres for F1
During an interview with Italian media Pirelli Tyre S.p.A CEO Francesco Gori disclosed that the tyremaker has approached the FIA regarding supplying tyres for Formula One racing. This admission comes only days after the FIA selected Pirelli as sole supplier for the Word Rally Championship’s 2008-2010 seasons.
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