From 2013 onwards, the Lotus on Track Racing Drivers Club will use the Avon Motorsport ZZR range as its control tyre. The track day club has signed a three-year tyre supply agreement with Avon Tyres covering its race championships across the UK and Europe. Avon will supply the ZZR for competitors in the Lotus Elise Trophy and the Lotus Cup Europe; during the deal’s first year it will also provide wet weather racing tyres.
Having recently introduced an agricultural radial tyre range, Infinity Tyres reports that the latest addition to its widening portfolio incorporates tyres suited for the latest advancements for modern agricultural machinery. Infinity agricultural tyres are already available in the UK market and the company formally announced that the tyres can be purchased from Somerset-based Europa Tyres.
Titan International’s Board of Directors has approved a quarterly cash dividend of US$.005 (one half cent) per common share for the fourth quarter of 2012. The cash dividend is payable 15 January 2013 to stockholders of record on 31 December 2012.
Frank Harvey has been appointed Head of the RMI’s National Association of Bodyshops (NAB) with effect from January 2013. Frank Harvey has worked within the body repair sector for the majority of his working life. After starting his career as a coachbuilder he moved on to become a Staff Engineer at a number of leading motor insurers. He went on to become Group Operations Director of the Karl Vella Group where he oversaw a number of Bodyshop operations. He specialises in training and support for the body repair industry; skills that will prove extremely beneficial in his new role.
The Board of Directors of the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) have elected Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat S.p.A., as the association's President for 2013 – his second consecutive term heading the association.
Perhaps Pirelli’s 2012 tyres pushed Jenson’s buttons a little. Autosport.com shares that the McLaren driver, who finished this season in fifth place, believes Pirelli needs to make the F1 playing field “a bit more fair” by focusing on widening the operating window of its 2013 tyre compounds.
The Nomination Committee of Swedish company Trelleborg AB will propose the election of Jan Carlson as a new director of the board at its 2013 Annual General Meeting next April. The committee has also decided to propose the re-election of Heléne Vibbleus Bergquist, Claes Lindqvist, Sören Mellstig, Hans Biörck, Nina Udnes Tronstad, Bo Risberg and Peter Nilsson as directors. As previously announced, the Nomination Committee has decided to propose the election of current director, Sören Mellstig, as the new chairman of the board, succeeding Anders Narvinger, who declared he is not available for re-election.
Directors of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company have declared a quarterly dividend of 73.44 cents per share of mandatory convertible preferred stock. The dividend is payable 1 January 2013 to shareholders of record on 14 December 2012. The payout represents an annual rate of US$2.9375 per share.
The 2012 Formula One season has just ended, but Pirelli is eager to know sooner rather than later whether its services will be needed after next year. Autosport writes that Pirelli motorsport director Paul Hembery would be happy for the question of Pirelli’s F1 involvement beyond the current three-year contract to be settled quickly.
Toyo Tire U.S.A. reports its Toyo Open Country A25 has been selected as an original equipment fitment on the 2013 Nissan Pathfinder in North America. The new 4×4 will be supplied with the A25 in size 235/65R18.
The latest edition of the world’s most famous tyre calendar has been launched in Rio de Janeiro, and Pirelli has given the world a peek its artwork. Within the 2013 Pirelli Calendar are 23 photographs of 11 actresses, singers and models – all fully clothed this time – plus nine images of “daily life and two photos entirely composed of graffiti and murals.
According to Pirelli, during the 2012 Formula One season the tyre maker supplied teams with a total of 31,800 race tyres (22,500 dry tyres and 9,300 wet tyres) plus an additional 6,600 tyres for testing. A quarter of all tyres delivered were soft compound, while medium proved the second most popular fitment and accounted for 21 per cent of all tyres. Intermediate tyres accounted for a further 18 per cent, while hard, wet and supersoft supplies were 17 per cent, 11 per cent and six per cent respectively. Two per cent of all tyres supplied were development tyres. The average lifespan of dry compound tyres this season was 180 kilometres, while wet compound tyres lasted 140 kilometres on average.
The first taste of Pirelli’s 2013 tyres for teams came during free practice in Brazil, with the Italian firm bringing two extra sets of prototype tyres in addition to the usual allocation. The teams used the 2013 prototype tyres, which were distinguished by orange writing on the sidewalls, in the morning session. The prototype tyres seen in Brazil have a different structure compared to the 2012 tyres, using the current hard compound, but with a quicker warm-up time as well as deliberately faster degradation.
Pirelli will invest 105 million euros in its Romanian plant over the next five years, the manufacturer has announced. The investment, which is supported by around 35 million euros of state aid, is designed to increase the size of the factory – from 180,000sqm to 200,000sqm – the number of employees by 500 to 3,500 in total, and its capacity. Initial estimates say the company plans to raise the current production figure of 8.5 million tyres per year to 10 million at the end of 2013 and 13 million by the end of 2017.
South Korean tyre maker Hankook will serve as tyre supplier to next year’s FIA Formula 3 European Championship.
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