Maxxis has extended its title sponsorship of the ACU British Motocross Championship for a further three years. The company believes continued commitment to the series, which this year comprises eight rounds including at a new track at Silverstone, will provide the “best national series in the world” with added security, stability and a strong financial and promotional footing.
Bridgestone UK’s commercial sales team has won a unique trip to Japan after it won the company’s European TBR Fleet Sales Award. According to a company press release, which congratulated the team on their achievements, the UK market leader has dominated the awards with three of the six winners coming from Bridgestone UK. 161 applications were received for the incentive that was designed to motivate the fleet staff and help them exchange best practice to share with the Bridgestone European sales team.
Bridgestone UK winners Simon Cairns, Steve Miller and Neil Collison are flying out to visit Bridgestone’s Head Office in Tokyo this month. As well as getting the chance to observe how the brand operates in Japan, with a trip to the manufacturing plant at Tochigi, the proving ground and a visit to a Japanese Fleet Operator, the trio will also have a chance to experience the local culture.
Federal and Grouptyre, the Taiwanese brand’s exclusive UK distributor, have announced the winner of the second ‘Red Letter Day’ campaign prize draw. Keith Manders, manager of Hammond Group’s tyre department, won the top £500 Red Letter Day prize.
Russell Smith from Kent has won the £2,000 holiday of his dreams courtesy of Bridgestone and Guildford Tyre Company in Horley, Surrey, having won the manufacturer’s ‘Ultimate Winter Excursion’ competition. The competition was held in association with 500 dealers, to promote the benefits of having your tyres checked and encourage more motorists to carry them out. The vouchers allow Russell to choose from prizes such as a skiing holiday, husky safaris or an exotic getaway to a faraway shore.
In its motorsport debut, Hankook Competition Australia has claimed a wholly respectable outright fifth place and third place in its class at the Bathurst 12 Hour production car race, held at the Mount Panorama circuit in New South Wales. The Hankook team competed in a newly built Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X fitted with its Ventus TD (Z221) tyres – a road legal R-Spec tyre – and the tyre maker said it used the event as an extended test to better understand the new tyre and how it would perform on one of the world’s most unique and demanding race circuits.
It is a sad fact that many motorists automatically distrust the garage trade and there are frequent stories in the press of rip-offs and shoddy service. The fact that the vast majority of garages do a good and efficient job time after time is frequently overlooked. But no longer, as Motor Codes is working in association with the Daily Telegraph and honestjohn.co.uk to seek out Britain's Golden Garage.
According to the findings of a study commissioned by Motor Codes, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders subsidiary established to act as the self regulatory body for the automotive sector, more than an estimated 14 million motorists feel short changed by their local service and repair garages. A sample survey of 1,194 UK motorists shows some 45 per cent of drivers have experienced this ripped off feeling, Motor Codes reports. Those living in the East of England have saw most cause for complaint, with a third claiming to be short changed, compared with just 17 per cent of Northern Ireland motorists. A quarter of motorists considered themselves between £51 and £150 out of pocket, and five per cent felt their wallets to be at least ₤300 lighter following an encounter with their local garage. In total, Motor Codes estimates that some ₤2.4 billion in motorists’ money is being lost in this way.
Pirelli has announced its latest motorcycle trackday and race slick tyre, the ‘Diablo Superbike PRO'. The company says the tyre has been released now to coincide with the start of the new World Superbike season tests at Portimão, Portugal. The new tyre is aimed at club racers and track day riders, with technology directly devised from Pirelli's development programme in World Superbikes. The ‘PRO' has been created with racers and track day enthusiasts in mind – it is designed to wear consistently and last for more than one racing event. It is easily recognized by a red stripe which is printed on the tyre and for its red "PRO" marking on the sidewall.
Metzeler has claimed its third consecutive World Indoor Enduro title with top riders Blazusiak and Cervantes heading the order on Metzeler 6 DAYS EXTREME enduro tyres. After just three rounds of competition, Metzeler rider Tadeusz Blazusiak (KTM) was proclaimed FIM Indoor Enduro World Cup Champion in Vigo, Spain after winning all three finals. According to the company, this form of exciting and fast action Enduro has attracted big names this season with top names including multi World Enduro and Trials champions such as Mika Ahola (Honda), Dougie Lampkin (Beta) and Ivan Cervantes (KTM).
A brand new motor racing championship has been announced for young drivers eager to progress their racing careers. ‘Dunlop Autosport Young Guns’ is supported by the Birmingham based motorsport tyre manufacturer Dunlop and uses single-seater JKS F75 cars, which have a striking visual resemblance to F1. Drivers aged 16-19 now have a helpful extra rung in the ladder to success, which could take them on to the pinnacle of motorsport in the tyre tracks of champions such as Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. Along with other great racing cars, a Dunlop Autosport Young Guns car will be on display at the Autosport International Show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, which runs from 14–17 January. There will also be information available about the championship at the show.
Michelin North America has announced the 2011 theme for the Michelin Challenge Design, its global vehicle design competition. In its tenth year the competition bears the name ‘PLUS 10. The Best is Yet to Come!’ and entrants have the opportunity to share their transportation concepts for the year 2021.
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Defence Logistics magazine honoured Michelin North America’s aircraft tyre group in its Defense Logistics Award competition. Michelin Aircraft Tire Co. won the category “Performance-Based Logistics Implementation of the Year” for its supply of military tyres to all branches of the US military.
Egypt is planning to establish a new passenger car tyre factory at a cost of 600 million Egyptian pounds. The state news agency MENA reports the plant will be built in El-Amerya, west of Alexandria, and will be ready to start production in two years. According to MENA, the factory’s annual capacity will be one and a half million units.
Michelin made a worthy contribution to agricultural vehicle safety during the summer through a group of experts in the field. The Michelin Agricultural Contractor Panel, made up of five agricultural contractors – all of whom are past winners of the Farmer’s Weekly Contactor of the Year Competition and benchmark industry specialists – met on a regular basis and used the Michelin brand to help communicate technical issues facing the industry. The five members, Jonathan Cole, Troy Stuart, Roger Dickinson, Mike Simpson and Daniel James, made their first panel appearance at Stoneleigh’s Agricultural Showground.
In only its second weekend racing Pirelli P Zero Racing Slicks, US based tuner GMG Racing posted another win – this time capturing qualifying by nearly three seconds over the next-fastest car, before going on to knock out the competition and the Porsche Owner’s Club Racing Weekend race at Willow Springs Raceway with a ten-second margin. GMG’s Porsche 997 WC Cup car set the fastest time ever in a standard Cup car (non-RS or RSR) with a time of 1:19.7. Driver and GMG co-owner James Sofronas is new to Pirelli Motorsport, but after sweeping the BMW CCA (Car Club of America) Club Race CM Class during the BMWCCA West Coast season finale club race, and following that up with a huge weekend at Willow Springs in his Porsche – Pirelli reports that he is a believer.
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