A new report prepared for Australian Tyre Recyclers Association (ATRA), “Carbon Value Proposition, Resource Recovery using Tyre Derived Fuels”, states that replacing one tonne of black coal with one tonne of TDF can save emissions of up to 1.05 tonnes of CO2-e into the atmosphere.
A star-studded driver line-up and some of the world’s leading supercar manufacturers will race exclusively on Pirelli tyres at the Bathurst 12 Hours in Australia this weekend. This year’s race marks the first in a three-year agreement for Pirelli to supply all competitors. Last year’s open competition was by McLaren – shod by Pirelli – and the tyre maker also claimed the top four places on the grid and recorded a new GT3 lap record.
Australia’s JAX Tyres is now entirely owned by Hankook Tire. On 23 January, the South Korean firm acquired a 100 per cent stake in the franchise network of tyre retailers from its principal shareholder, company chairman Fred Hurrell, and others. The deal covers 83 outlets in the eastern states of Australia. While Hankook Tire hasn’t disclosed the sum it paid for JAX Tyres, Pulse shares that market observers estimate a KRW 100 billion (£68.8 million) price tag for the transaction.
MRF Tyres has been named the official tire supplier for the CAMS Australian Rally Championship (ARC), Australia’s national rally championship series.
Bridgestone Corporation will act as naming rights sponsor to the World Solar Challenge for another year. The company, which first sponsored the solar race in 2013, considers the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC) the “perfect venue to promote research and development ventures geared toward the creation of a sustainable mobility.”
Kumho Tyre Australia will continue as the naming rights partner and official control tyre supplier of the Australian V8 Touring Car Series for a further three years, through to the end of the 2019 season. Kumho and V8 Touring Car organisers will also work closely to finalise an 18-inch tyre specification for the series, with a view to introducing the 18-inch wheels currently used in Supercar and Development Series competition into the category in 2019. The series will run on the current 17-inch rim until the end of the 2018 season.
Between 9 and 15 October, four Vipal retreading partners from Australia and New Zealand visiting the firm’s facilities in Brazil.
There were four retreaders in total, three from Australia (Arctic Cool, Tyre Lug and Eco Green) and one from New Zealand, (Power Retread). They toured the three plants of the leading tyre retreader, two in Nova Prata, Rio Grande do Sul (RS), and one in Feira de Santana, Bahia (BA). Vipal’s Head of International Business, Leandro Rigon, welcomed the group, accompanied by Adalberto Fernandez, Vipal’s Manager for MEROC (comprising Mercosul and Oceania), Tiago Campanharo, Commercial Director in Australia, and Rodrigo Refatti, Marketing Specialist.
Price advantage has led to a victory for Bridgestone in a test of size 225/35 R18 tyres performed by CarAdvice, Australia’s largest independent automotive content publisher. The tyres were tested on an Audi S1, with former World Rally Championship driver Chris Atkinson evaluating the five brands of rubber selected by CarAdvice.
Australia is suing the local arm of Volkswagen for allegedly misleading customers by selling modified vehicles that covered up emissions fraud, with its consumer watchdog claiming Volkswagen intentionally sold more than 57,000 such vehicles over a five-year period. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is seeking a public declaration of misconduct, financial penalties and corrective advertising. Volkswagen Australia said it is reviewing the ACCC claims.
The latest chapter of the Bob Jane saga sees the former racing driver and founder of Australian tyre and fast fit chain Bob Jane T-Marts filing for bankruptcy. Queensland-based newspaper The Courier Mail writes that the former millionaire claims to have just AU$15 (less than £9) in cash to his name and a meagre collection of assets, including a Holden car. Jane’s creditors include the Australian Taxation Office, which seeks to recoup $105 million in capital gains tax still outstanding from the 2006 transfer of the Bob Jane T-Marts business to son Rodney Jane.
Six years after it began operating in Western Australia, Kal Tire has expanded into Eastern Australia where the majority of major mines operate by buying Klinge & Co. No figure has yet been disclosed.
“Even though our reputation is strong and recognized in many countries, it has been a challenge convincing customers of our credibility inside Australia as our experience there has been limited.” says Dan Allan, senior vice president, Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group. “With Klinge, Kal Tire aligns with a well-respected, trusted company known to the Australian mining industry and secures our presence as a national tyre service provider.”
Kal Tire’s Mining Tire Group has opened a new mining tyre repair facility in Australia. The operation in Muswellbrook is within the Hunter Valley coalfields, some 160 miles northwest of Sydney, and is said to be the first of several measures planned by Kal Tire as part of an expansion of its mining tyre management service offerings in Eastern Australia.
Zenises has opened a new office in Sydney, Australia. With the initial focus on its Z brand for passenger cars and SUVs, the new regional office will also offer a wide range of products throughout Australia and the surrounding areas of New Zealand and other Pacific markets.
Sumitomo Rubber Industries’ Australian tyre sales subsidiary has signed up as an official sponsor of the country’s national rugby union team, the Wallabies. The agreement runs until the end of 2017 and will be used to promote the Falken tyre brand, which becomes the “Official Tyre of the Qantas Wallabies.”
Pirelli claims ‘Grand Slam’ honours at the Bathurst 12 Hour production and GT car race in Australia: pole position, fastest race lap, and race victory.
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