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Daly Name Racing Again on Avon Tyres

The Formula Ford Festival in October 2008 saw the return of the Daly name on Avon Tyres. Conor Daly, son of Former Formula 1 driver Derek Daly, performed well for Team USA at the festival – trousering a sixth-place finish – more than 25 years after his father raced on Avon rubber in Formula 1.

Derek Daly was born in Ireland and competed in F1 for teams including Hesketh, Williams and Tyrrell in the late 1970s and early 80s and now lives in the USA. There his son won the Skip Barber National Championship and a drive with Team USA in the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch.

5th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

‘The Stig’ in Pole Position at ETB Fundraiser

Stratford-upon-Avon’s latest First Stop dealership, ETB, opened in style with a weekend of fundraising activities and a visit from the original Top Gear ‘Stig’ (aka Perry McCarthy). The dealership, on Masons Road, raised funds for the MS Society and carried out free tyre checks for customers who dropped in.

5th November 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Two Hundred Champions in 2008

Cooper and Avon have shown particular strength in the field of motorsport, with more than 200 worldwide motorsport champions crowned on either tyre brand in 2008. One of the more impressive aspects of this record is the sheer variety of competitive motorsport championships and range of markets in which the manufacturer has enjoyed success.

In the US, Cooper continued its title sponsorship of the Cooper Tires Atlantic Championship powered by Mazda, where Finland’s Markus Niemela won the title in his rookie season. He held off challenges from second and third placed, Jonathan Bomarito and Jonathan Summerton, plus Greg and Leo Mansell, sons of 1992 F1 World Champion Nigel. From next year in Europe, Cooper Tire will also be the title sponsor for the UK’s premier single-seater championship, the British Formula 3 International Series.

30th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Avon Tyres Continues ERC Domination

Avon Tyres has once again proved a successful choice for FIA European Rallycross Championship drivers, with rallycross legend Kenneth Hansen recording his 14th ERC title, topping off a year of domination for the company in this category. Hansen’s 500bhp, four-wheel drive, Citroën C4 has run on Avon’s new-for-2008 ACB11 this year, a tyre specially designed for the ERC. It has also adorned the cars of the winners of Divisions 1A and 2, as well as the RX Cup class.

Swede Hansen finished fourth in the penultimate round of the championship in Poland to seal the main Division 1 title on his 225/640-17 ACB11s. He finished the year eight points ahead of nearest rival, Ludvig Hunsbedt. Hansen has scored two overall event wins in a close-fought season that has seen six drivers achieve race victories. The result means that Hansen has extended his own previous record of 13 ERC crowns.

“I am so happy, relieved, satisfied and quite dizzy from all the excitement,” beamed Hansen in Poland. “Of all my 14 gold medals, this was the most difficult to get and therefore I value it very highly. Now, my team and I will celebrate in style.” Jussi Pinomaki, Tomas Kotek and Michael de Keersmaecker won Div 1A, Div 2 and RX Cup classes respectively.

22nd October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Grouptyre Improves Wales and the South West Tyre Distribution

Grouptyre has expanded its Wales and South West tyre distribution service through the expansion of member company King David Tyres. The new additional distribution centres will be place in St. Clears, near Carmarthen, and St. Austell, Cornwall to provide multiple same-day deliveries within the South Wales M4 corridor and the valleys and throughout Cornwall.

King David Tyres is a family-owned business established over 30 years and operates retail and wholesale depots in various locations in South Wales, Devon and Cornwall. It serves a large territory incorporating Devon, Cornwall, Avon, Bristol, Somerset, Mid Wales and South Wales, as well as parts of Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.

21st October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Avon Tyres Name Bows out of British Formula 3

Avon Tyres ended a 27-year association with the British Formula 3 International Series at Donington Park on Sunday October 12, where Spain’s Jaime Alguersuari followed names such as Ayrton Senna and Mika Hakkinen by winning the UK’s top single-seater racing category. Next year the championship’s tyres will be branded under the name of Avon’s parent company, Cooper Tires.

Avon Tyres have been the sole tyre supplier to British F3 every year since 1982.

14th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper to Supply British Formula 3

Tyre supply and title sponsorship for the British Formula 3 International Series, the domain of Avon Tyres since 1982, will be handed over to parent company Cooper Tire as of next year.

“Through our many years in British F3 with the Avon brand, we know that it is a genuine stepping stone of great drivers on the way to F1, and therefore requires the very best components in every area,” said Cooper Europe managing director Julian Baldwin. “Avon Tyres is very well established in British and European motor racing and, as Cooper Tire grows as a brand in Europe, we want it to stand for the same standard of quality. Cooper’s racing tyres deserve to be allied with a high-profile championship in Europe and you don’t get much bigger than British F3.”

13th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Taking Over British Formula 3 Tyre Supply

Tyre supply and title sponsorship for the British Formula 3 International Series, the domain of Avon Tyres since 1982, will be handed over to parent company Cooper Tire as of next year, event organiser SRO has confirmed.

“Through our many years in British F3 with the Avon brand, we know that it is a genuine stepping stone of great drivers on the way to F1, and therefore requires the very best components in every area,” said Cooper Europe managing director Julian Baldwin. “Avon Tyres is very well established in British and European motor racing and, as Cooper Tire grows as a brand in Europe, we want it to stand for the same standard of quality. Cooper’s racing tyres deserve to be allied with a high-profile championship in Europe and you don’t get much bigger than British F3.”

10th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Avon Tyres Extends British GT Title Sponsorship

Avon Tyres has formalised a deal with British GT Championship organisers SRO to continue its title sponsorship of the UK sportscar series for an additional three years, until the end of 2011. The brand completes its existing three-year tenure as supplier and title sponsor of the championship at Donington Park on the weekend of October 11 and 12.

Tyre supply for the British GT has been in Avon Tyres’ hands since 2006, and in that time thousands of GT tyres have been raced for more than 120,000 miles. “We have enjoyed the first three years of working with the British GT Championship,” said Cooper Europe managing director, Julian Baldwin. “The mix of cars and their very different handling characteristics really tests our expertise, but so far our crew has risen to the challenge, and they will relish another three seasons of doing so with a field of such high-powered machinery.”

10th October 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Avon OE for Morgan Aeromax

The eye catching new Morgan Aeromax has become the latest in a long line of British sports cars to use Avon tyres as OE tyre supplier. Avon will supply its ZZ3 for the British manufacturer’s brand new 362bhp, 170mph machine, which has a 0-62mph speed of just 4.5 seconds. The Aeromax will be Morgan’s flagship model as the marque heads into its 100th anniversary year in 2009.

The Avon ZZ3 is said to have been selected because of its excellent road holding in both wet and dry conditions, and as its predictable high-performance handling characteristics suit the powerful car perfectly. The Aeromax will use Avon’s 225/35 R19 XL 88Y XL ZZ3 at the front and 245/35R19 XL 93Y ZZ3 on the rear.

24th September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

First UK Bus Rolling on Bridgestone Through £5M Contract

A £5 million contract awarded to Bridgestone UK will result in the company supplying new and remould tyres for 3,500 vehicles in the First UK Bus fleet. Bridgestone UK began supplying tyres and service provision to sites in Yorkshire in July, and this was followed by supply to the Midlands and East Anglia regions commencing in August. Supply to sites in Bristol, Somerset and Avon begin in late September. The new arrangement is directly supported by 35 Bridgestone staff, of which 29 were transferred from the previous supplier under the Transfer of Undertakings Regulations (TUPE) employment regulations.

23rd September 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Motorcycle Tyre Manufacturers Launch New Round of Price Increases

Leading UK motorcycle tyre wholesaler, Bike Tyrestore reports that continuing volatility in two-wheel tyre prices have prompted manufacturers to announce another round of increases, due to spiralling raw material and fuel costs.

The UK two-wheel market leader, Bridgestone, is raising motorcycle and scooter product prices by an average of 6 per cent on September 1, and on the same date Pirelli/Metzeler increase radial tyre prices by 5 per cent, 7 per cent for conventional lines and 3 per cent on scooter. Dunlop follow on September 15 with a 6 per cent hike and Avon are thought to be adding 5 per cent to their two-wheel tyre prices on October 1.

28th August 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper and Avon Boast Expansive Winter Range

Cooper Tyre and its subsidiary, the UK-based Avon Tyres, are both gearing up for the winter rounds with a wide range of options for seasonal drivers. Both brands are represented particularly strongly in the 4×4 sector with the Avon Ranger Ice and the Cooper Discoverer M+S and M+S Sport, while Avon alone caters for the winter needs of performance cars with the Ice Touring ST, both companies have small-to-medium passenger car options (the Ice Touring and the Weather-Master Snow H & V), while Avon leaves its parental brand to cater to the Van market (Van-Master M+S).

There has been an increasing demand for dedicated light truck and 4×4 winter tyres in recent years and Cooper Tire has responded to this requirement with the development of dedicated winter 4×4 tyre ranges alongside Avon’s own offering, the Ranger Ice.

1st August 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Avon Tyre GT Takes Class Behind the Scenes

Engineers in the Avon Tyre Crew for the company-sponsored British GT Championship gave youngsters participating in the Young Engineers initiative the chance to glimpse their potential future careers.

The initiative is designed to encourage children to think about the importance of engineering and to develop an interest in the field to take through to higher education and beyond. Avon’s engineers showed the 19 11-year olds of All Saints Junior School in Hastings the ropes at the event at Thruxton race track on Sunday, June 29, which presented the ideal opportunity to promote this aspiration to the younger generation.

23rd July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors

Avon Tyres British GT Champions Crowned at Brands Hatch

Dodge Viper pilots, James Gornall and Jon Barnes, were crowned 2008 Avon Tyres British GT Champions at Brands Hatch (13th July). Gornall and Barnes needed to score only five points more than their rivals at the Kent circuit in order to secure the prestigious sportscar title. In the weekend’s two 60-minute races around the famous 2.3-mile Grand Prix loop, the Viper scored a win and a seventh place, more than enough to take the crown.

The Team Trimite Brookspeed duo’s victory was their fourth of the season, with the potential to increase that tally at the remaining rounds in Silverstone (August 17) and Donington Park (October 12).

22nd July 2008/by Tyrepress Editors