FIA Finds Teams Guilty on Two F1 Charges
FIA, the world motorsports governing body, has found the seven F1 teams that pulled out of the US Grand Prix guilty on two charges, but has deferred punishment. The compromise is seen as a way of buying time for the international motorsports series to recover. The teams – Renault, McLaren, Williams, Toyota, Sauber, Red Bull and BAR – were found guilty of failing to arrive at Indianapolis with proper tyres and wrongfully refusing to allow their cars to race after Michelin issued a safety warning. However, the teams were cleared of charges of failing to inform race stewards of their intention not to race, refusing to race subject to a speed limit and combining to put on a spectacle damaging to Formula One. Punishment was deferred until 14 September. The FIA cannot punish Michelin directly.
Continue ReadingBridgestone Potenza RE050A Original Equipment on MazdaSpeed6
Bridgestone brand Potenza RE050A tyres will be original equipment on all of Mazda’s new MazdaSpeed6 vehicles. Bridgestone Corporation will supply the tyres to Mazda’s Hofu, Japan manufacturing facility in a 215/45R18XL 93Y size. The Bridgestone Potenza RE050A carries a UTQG rating of 140 for treadwear, A for traction and A for temperature.
Continue ReadingWal-Mart Heir John Walton Dies
John Walton, the second oldest son of Wal-Mart found Sam Walton has died in an aeroplane accident. One of the heirs the Wal-Mart dynasty, Mr Walton’s ultralight aircraft is reported to have got into difficulties shortly after take-off in Jackson, Wyoming. Mr Walton was one of the wealthiest men in the US, with an estimated fortune of $18.2 billion. Wal-Mart is the largest tyre dealer in the world. According to Tyres & Accessories estimates, in the US alone the chain sells more than 15 million tyres, almost exclusively to end consumers.
Continue ReadingFIA Publishes Michelin Correspondence
In the continuing aftermath of the fateful US Grand Prix, F1’s governing body has contested “Michelin’s version of events” of what happened at the race. The association made the comments by taking the unusual step of publishing its correspondence to the manufacturer. An FIA statement said it decided to do so because earlier correspondence had been “deliberately leaked to members of the press.”
Continue ReadingKwik-Fit to Stay in Scotland
Kwik-Fit will remain in its Edinburgh headquarters despite the fact that it has been bought by European equity firm, PAI partners. Paris-based PAI Partners confirmed to The Times that Kwik-Fit’s management team and the headquarters in Broxburn, West Lothian, would remain in place. London-based PAI partner Hamish Mackenzie, who negotiated the deal, said: “The business remains as it is. You wouldn’t think, with my name and my accent, it would be moving out of Scotland, now would you?” the newspaper reported.
Continue ReadingGoodwill Gesture to US GP Attendees
Michelin has confirmed that it will refund the cost of US grand prix tickets to the 110,000 people that attended the ill-fated event, according to German newspaper, Handelsblatt.
Continue ReadingSnap-on Celebrates 40 Years
Snap-on Tools is celebrating its 40th anniversary of the opening of its UK operation this year. “Today we are clear brand leaders in the UK automotive tools market, with a commanding market share,” said Terry Barcham, Snap-on Tools UK managing director, at a recent press conference.
Continue ReadingJD Power/LMC Predicts Growth in Hybrid Engines
(Akron/Tire Review) JD Power/LMC Automotive Forecasting Services predicts that new vehicles powered by hybrid electric or clean diesel engines will garner 11 per cent of US sales by 2012. Currently, such vehicles hold a 4.8 per cent market share, said the firm.
Continue ReadingGoodyear’s Assurance Get an IDEA
(Akron/Tire Review) Not only is it a top seller, but Goodyear’s Assurance TripleTred is also an award-winner, taking a Silver IDEA in the 2005 Industrial Design Excellence Awards. Co-sponsored by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) and BusinessWeek magazine, the Industrial Design Excellence Awards evaluates designs for innovation, aesthetics, user benefits, business impact and ecological responsibility. Products from Apple, Nike, BMW and Microsoft were awarded IDEAs in the competition, but the Goodyear Assurance was the only tyre honored.
Continue ReadingToo Many E-Numbers?
In the coming months a whole raft of EU legislation affecting different aspects of the tyre business is set to come in place. First the Hazardous Waste regulation came into force on 16 April. Now the end of life vehicle directive (2000/53/EC) banning the use of lead balancing weights is upon us. Next up is the Waste Incineration Directive (due to be implemented from 28 December), which is sure to have a knock-on effect on the way tyres are disposed of and at what cost. The last regulation in the current run is the second part of the EU tyre landfill ban (1999/31/EC), which prevents chipped tyres from being disposed of at landfill sites in July 2006 - not to mention the working time directive. Do you think there is too much red tape or do the regulations make life difficult in the tyre business? To answer and add your own views to the new ‘question of the month’ click here.
Continue ReadingMichelin: F1 Tyres Wrong Spec, Not Faulty
Having completed an internal investigation into why its tyres were not suitable for the US Grand Prix at Indianapolis, Michelin has found that its tyres were the wrong specification, rather than faulty. “The tyres were not intrinsically flawed, but were insufficiently suited to the extreme racing conditions encountered through Turn 13 of the Indianapolis circuit this year”, an official statement read.
Continue ReadingSnap On To Solus
The Snap-on Solus is the latest addition to the equipment manufacturer’s series of hand-held diagnostic tools. Designed to provide the technician with faster performance and more diagnostic data the product has a much larger display than previous models, taking the technology used in Scanner to a higher level.
Continue ReadingHazardous Waste Awareness Levels Low
Only one in five motor vehicle service and repair garages are aware of the hazardous waste regulations due to come into place in coming weeks, according to new figures revealed today by the Environment Agency. The findings, which are the result of a survey of more than 1000 small and medium sized businesses in England and Wales found that only 17 per cent of garages interviewed knew about the new regulations which will take effect from 16 July 2005.
Continue ReadingGoodyear Sells Resins Business
(Akron/Tire Review) Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co has agreed to sell its Wingtack adhesives resins business to Sartomer Company Inc, a unit of the French energy firm Total SA, for a reported $65 million. The sale includes a production facility in Beaumont, Texas, adjacent to Goodyear’s synthetic rubber plant there. Goodyear said it will continue to supply raw materials to the adhesives resins plant. The adhesives resins business, with 115 employees, produces Wingtack brand hydrocarbon resins, which are used in pressure-sensitive and hot melt applications.
Continue ReadingKumho Plans R&D/HQ Centre in Tianjin
(Akron/Tire Review) Kumho Tire Co said it is investing some $20 million to establish a research and development centre in Tianjin, China, a facility that will evolve into the company’s Tianjin Kumho Tire Co Ltd headquarters. The research and development facility will employ some 300 scientists and engineers, said Kumho. Tianjin Kumho Tire Co’s new $185 million radial passenger tyre plant is set to begin production in July 2006 with an initial capacity of 5.25 million tyres per year. Plans have already been made for a $130 million expansion there that will bring capacity to 10.4 million units per year. The tyre plant will service Chinese automakers.
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