Hankook has released a video promoting the newly modernised, but still legendary Red Bull Österreichring. According to the promotional film drivers will have push their brakes and engine revs to the limit “all the time” round the revamped circuit which, although currently part of the DTM series, is described as a Formula One track.
A HiQ fast fit manager has revealed his frustration at the preponderance of acronyms in the automotive industry – a state of affairs he describes as “infuriating”. Stuart Carr says he has been driven to distraction by the creeping usage of perplexing acronyms in manufacturers’ manuals. Carr said: “I actually enjoy picking out a manual from the glove box and having a read through, but upon recent inspection I stumbled across reams of unnecessary jargon.
Pirelli is at the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend with its new supersoft tyre, the PZero Red, which the company says are designed to be ideally suited to the tight and twisty streets of the principality. The iconic Monaco street circuit is 3,340 metres long, and the PZero Red is designed to offer increased grip over the slippery asphalt, which is open to normal road traffic in the evenings. The evolution of the track is therefore difficult to predict, and with frequent heavy use of brakes, such as in the first corner, Sainte Devote, where cars will lose 160kph in 100 metres. The continuous heavy use of the brakes in Monaco generates extremely high temperatures which are also felt in the tyres, increasing the stress caused by heat on the tyre as a whole.
Authorities in the Northern Italian province of La Spezia have seized 50,000 counterfeit wheels, reportedly worth over 20 million euros. The local Guardia di Finanza seized the products deemed to be hazardous to the safety of motorists, having intercepted them on the way into the market from China. In addition to the wheels, police also seized 100,000 accessories featuring logos of car manufacturers and 400 moulds allegedly intended for the production of knock-off wheels in Italy. A number of firms based in north-central Italy implicated in importing the products from China have been reported.
Peterlee, County Durham based engineering company GT Group intends to add some 200 new employees to its current workforce of 300 after securing £50 million contract to supply exhaust gas control system for Russian vehicle manufacturer GAZ Group. GT Group intends to boost output of its heavy-duty diesel engine exhaust gas control systems to 100,000 units per annum within three years.
Scottish driver David Bogie has extended his lead at the top of the Dulux Trade MSA British Rally Championship drivers’ standings with his second win out of three rounds on the Pirelli International Rally in Carlisle on the weekend of April 29 and 30. Now leading the pack by seven points, the 23-year-old from Dumfries has performed consistently well throughout this season, taking first on Rallye Sunseeker in February and second on the Bulldog International Rally North Wales last month.
MSA Scottish Rally Championship contenders driving on Pirelli tyres secured the top three positions at the Granite City Rally in Aberdeen on Saturday, 16 April. Dave Weston, the 2006 champion, claimed victory in his Ford Focus WRC by a slender margin of one second over current title-holder David Bogie, who continues to lead the championship standings, following wins on the opening two rounds of the season in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. Rising star David Wilson, in another Mitsubishi, completed the podium to underline the control and durability of its Scorpion tyres on the punishing gravel stages of Aberdeenshire.
The UK distributor for MAK replacement alloy wheels, Yokohama HPT, says it is helping the manufacturer celebrate its 20th anniversary by introducing three new styles into the UK. These include the Venti (Italian for 20); a striking design intended to reiterate the company’s design flair and high quality production values.
Michigan’s Federal-Mogul, a global supplier of powertrain, chassis and safety technologies, has introduced a new range of brake discs designed specifically for use on vehicles with alloy wheels. The Ferodo brakes product range now includes the new Ferodo Coat Plus premium coated brake discs and is available immediately through distributors. “The benefits of Ferodo Coat Plus discs extend beyond an attractive appearance; each disc is engineered to provide superior braking performance, without noise or vibration,” said Mario Garelli, Federal-Mogul braking products manager, EMEA.
While tyre manufacturers do everything in their power to reduce braking distances, recent test results highlight that there is performance gap wider than a supersingle separating the best and worst braking systems on new vehicles. That's the conclusion of a recent report by the UK's leading consumer magazine Which? The consumer watchdog measured the average distance new cars took to stop from 62 mph, one of the ongoing tests Which? carries out across 160 cars a year. In the supermini category, the Volkswagen Polo took 34.16 metres to come to a stop, whereas a Suzuki Alto took 42.52 metres – a performance gap of over 8 metres.
Xavier Foj is one of the most experienced Dakar racers with this year marking is twentieth time, as he and co-driver Pablo Jaton steered their Cooper Tires-shod Toyota Land Cruiser safely through what Foj called “almost unbearable” conditions. The Toyota Cooper Tires team’s lead vehicle claimed 19th position overall in this year’s gruelling Dakar race.
On January 10 the new facilities at HiQ Crewe were officially unveiled by local MP Edward Timpson. The fast fit network states that following its upgrade the Nantwich road centre is now able to boast a full provision of automotive services for motorists; facilities installed as part of a £100,000 investment by owners Andy Bucknall and Ken Lawton include an ATL class 4 MOT bay. The facility has been extended to accommodate two extra bays and motorists are now able to observe their vehicles’ treatment from a new customer lounge.
TMD Friction Group has announced plans for the acquisition of bt Bremsen Technik. TMD Friction has been a minority shareholder of bt Bremsen since 2001. On 16 December Derek Whitworth, president and CEO of TMD Friction Group, Luxembourg, and Dieter Goldbach, managing director, bt bremsen Technik GmbH, Rosbach (Hessen, Germany) jointly announced TMD Friction’s acquisition of the remaining 51 per cent of bt Bremsen. The transaction also includes the business of bt Brake Technology of America, registered in Florida.
It has become annual tradition at Marangoni to unveil a tuned demo car sporting its tyres. This year the tyre maker showed off the ‘Z-Hydro’, a modified Nissan 370Z, but for 2011 Marangoni has selected a vehicle from its homeland to ‘give the business’. Next year’s car is being introduced to the world at December’s Bologna Motor Show; visitors to Marangoni’s stand will meet the Giulietta G430 iMove Marangoni, sitting resplendent on glow-in-the-dark green tyres.
ATS Euromaster has launched a new payment card named ‘ATS Assist’, offering a single payment option for all motoring needs, regardless of vehicle type, covering drivers for everything from tyres to fuel and windscreen replacement to vehicle rental. Individual cards available for every car, van, truck and trailer. A single weekly or monthly invoice is sent to managers detailing all transactions, vehicle by vehicle, eliminating the need for drivers to collect receipts and claim expenses, thus reducing administration. The collective online information also provides a clear fleet cost analysis, enabling businesses to identify purchasing trends and potential cost savings more readily.
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