Avon Tyres has added the Italian GT Hillclimb title to its impressive array of European championships. Italian Ferrari 430 GT2 driver Denny Zardo, 32, clinched the title with a round still to go, by winning the GT class of last weekend’s round at Pedavena-Croce D’Aune. He was tenth overall, four seconds ahead of chief rival and fellow Ferrari driver, Leonardo Isolani.
Bike builder Dave Cook has seen his Avon shod ‘Rambler’ crowned as this year’s World Champion machine. The 2009 AMD World Championship Of Bike Building took place recently in Sturgis, South Dakota, and it was Cook’s amazing machine – fitted with Avon’s Cobra tyres – which took top honours. Cook’s creation beat 82 other motorcycles to take top honours.
A metal commodities trader from Wakefield has been crowned the 2009 Avon Tyres British GT4 champion after clinching the title at Silverstone on August 16. Jody Firth, who races a 500bhp Ginetta G50 for Team WFR in the UK’s premier sportscar championship, now has an unassailable lead in the GT4 class, leading team-mate Nigel Moore by nine points with one round remaining. With the pair certain to share the car in the final round, Moore can only receive the same points as Firth and the gap between the two will thus remain the same.
The relationship between Avon Tyres and Caterham Cars, which stretches back 18 years, is being taken a notch further with the release of a bespoke version of Avon’s road-legal ZZR, designed for maximum dry weather grip. The standard version of the UHP tyre is already popular within the track-day fraternity for its grip and handling qualities, yet the boffins at Avon have adjusted the ZZR further in order to make it an even better match for the Caterham Superlight range.
Avon Tyres is aiming to be the first tyre manufacturer to beat the 10-minute barrier at the legendary Pikes Peak International Hill Climb event on 19 July. Essex-based team, Mach 2 Racing, is entering the famous race up the Pikes Peak mountain in Colorado Springs, USA, with a 1,150bhp Ford RS200 driven by double ex-British Rallycross Champion, Mark Rennison.
The 12-mile Pikes Peak course starts at 9,440 feet and ends at an altitude of 14,110 feet. Its 156 turns, mixture of asphalt and gravel surfaces and the sheer drops of up to 6,000 feet make it one of the toughest challenges in motorsport. However Rennison and car owner and pharmaceutical businessman Alan Greenwood believe they have the car, and the tyres, to complete the course in fewer than 10 minutes, a feat that has never been achieved.
Dave Molyneux’s Avon shod Suzuki has given the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer its very first three-wheeled victory at the Isle of Man TT. Molyneux and passenger Daniel Sayle’s victory with A&J Racing Suzuki brings Molyneux’s TT win tally to 14, and marks the 20th anniversary of his first victory on the island.
“The Avons worked brilliantly and were a pleasure to use,” Molyneux commented. “I was delighted to use Avons this year, as I’ve not used them since 1993 when I won on them. In fact my first race win at the TT in 1989 was on Avons too!
Isle of Man sidecar legend Dave Molyneux recently took his tally of Isle of Man TT victories to 14, with the assistance of some Avon tyres. Molyneux and passenger Daniel Sayle took Suzuki’s first three-wheeled victory ever on the Island. The victory on his A&J Racing Suzuki outfit also marked 20 years since Molyneux’s first sidecar victory on the island back in 1989.
The Manxman said: “The Avons worked brilliantly and were a pleasure to use. I was delighted to use Avons this year, as I’ve not used them since 1993 when I won on them. In fact my first race win at the TT in 1989 was on Avons too! The guys at BMTR put together the tyres and we picked some good compounds. It was a hard race, but we achieved what we set out to do. We had some trouble with the engine tuning but we ended up doing things ourselves, and it held together so it’s nice that we also managed to be the first bike to complete the race distance in under 59 minutes with laps over 115mph: we’re happy with that!”
Avon Tyres has announced the launch of its new website, which the company says is “designed to help car and motorcycle owners choose the perfect tyre.” The homepage features sidebars for its four and two wheel products, each allowing visitors to navigate to information on their desired products quickly. The site was designed, says Avon, in order to help users to browse through Avon’s entire product range quickly and easily, as well as locating their nearest dealer. It also possesses an educational facet, with a technical information section.
Melksham landlord Eddie Schofield has been named as the new manager of the Cooper Avon Sports & Social Club, based at Melksham House in the town. Schofield, currently landlord of the Pickled Pilot pub in Bowerhill, will take up his new post at the end of June, when current manager Terry Gregory retires. Gregory, 69, has managed the popular club, which is just off Market Place in the centre of Melksham, for 26 years.
“Terry has been a regular presence at our Sports & Social Club for over quarter of a century, and he’s one of the most popular faces in the town,” said Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe managing director Julian Baldwin. “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Terry for his long and faithful service. We’ll miss him.”
Former Ebley Tyre and ProTyre colleagues John Price and Chris Mullins have resumed a working relationship spanning almost 25 years by joining forces to open a new tyre retail centre in the heart of Gloucester’s busy commercial centre. The new venture, Chris Mullins Tyres, is a £250,000 investment in a 5000 sq ft centre specialising in car, motorcycle, 4×4 and van tyres on the city’s Bristol Road, a few hundred yards from the ProTyre centre which Mullins managed for 10 years.
The pair first met while working for the west country independent group Ebley Tyres in 1985 and their career paths ran in parallel when both moved on to ProTyre in the late 1990s. Price owned and managed centres in Gloucester, Bristol and Alcester before selling his interests in the company in early 2006, while Mullins looked after the flagship centre in Gloucester until late last year.
Wiltshire tyre dealer Melksham Tyre Supplies is celebrating its 45th year in partnership with local tyre manufacturer Avon Tyres, offering promotional giveaways including Avon goody bags and jackets. The company sells some 500 Avon tyres a week – or 26,000 a year – having been a partner since its inception in 1964. Avon Tyres account manager, Graham Mitchell, said: “We are proud to have been part of MTS’s success for the past 45 years. Through outstanding customer service, MTS has successfully provided local people with access to quality, locally-produced tyres. We look forward to another 45 years working with them!”
Avon Tyres helped to raise more than £200 for the Guide Dogs for the Blind charity recently by raffling off a set of ZZ3 high-performance tyres. The raffle was held via the National Tyres and Autocare (NTA) stand at a Yorkshire Water Health & Safety event. The set of ZZ3s was won by Mr Tim Wragg. Meanwhile, NTA account manager Terry Waite, presented Guide Dogs for the Blind branch organiser, Thelma Wilson, with a cheque for the £212 raised in the raffle.
Avon Tyres national account manager, James Steventon, said: “We were very pleased to be able to help out such a worthwhile cause with the prize of the ZZ3 tyres. The charity helps some 21,000 blind and partially-sighted people experience true independence every year, and NTA has always done a sterling job selling Avon Tyres across the UK.”
In these uncertain times when every news bulletin reminds us of the financial difficulty the country is in, it is rare to hear a positive story about British manufacturing.
Avon Tyres is urging bikers across the UK to ensure their tyres are properly inflated, warning of the sever drops in performance that can be the result of having incorrect air volumes inflating the rubber. The announcement has been made to coincide with May Bank Holiday weekend, when the crack of leather on willow is matched by the roar of the motorcycle, heralding the start of the biking summer. Having racked up a century of motorcycle tyre experience, Avon wants to make sure bikers aren’t caught on a sticky wicket in this busy period.
Peter McNally, Avon Tyres’ technical product manager for motorcycle tyres, says, “Tyre pressures on a motorcycle are critical to the safety of the rider aboard it – there’s no other way of putting it. The tyre’s connection with the road has to be perfect and if the tyre is under inflated after a winter’s lay-off, the bike will not handle properly and it could be dangerous.”
Avon Tyres, a brand owned and manufactured by Cooper Tire, dominated the opening round of the 2009 FIA European Rallycross Championship at Lydden circuit, in Kent. In a championship where tyre choice is completely open and where tyres have to provide traction on both asphalt and gravel on every lap, Avon reports that the popularity of its selection has increased over recent seasons. 37 of the 38 drivers who scored at Lydden use Avon Tyres.
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