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‘Bib’ Tower If Paris Gets Olympia 2012

In preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games Parisian leaders set a competition to find an unmistakable architectural indication of Paris. The winner, Explorations Architecture, took the title with a tower made from tyres that ends in the colours of the Olympic rings.

If the city were to win the Olympic rights the French area of Les Batignolles would exhibit the observation tower alongside the Olympic village. The architect’s draft plans an 80 metre high, bright tower, which provides most with a reminder of Michelin’s Bibendum. The tower will be constructed with helium filled tyres so that it is flexible and able to move with the wind. The tyres will be interconnected with four ropes, and the highest of the five rings will be illuminated in the Olympic colors.

30th September 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Fulda Moves Forward in the UK

German manufacturer Fulda has launched a brand new website in the UK – www.fulda.co.uk. The site will provide the company with a greater opportunity to showcase its ‘German High Technology’ and allow visitors to navigate easily through its range of products.

The new online service offers news and information covering all of the company’s market segments, including passenger car, 4×4, light van, heavy truck and farm tyres. The site also looks at the production process, features, benefits and the sizes available in each of these ranges.

The ‘Fulda Challenge’, an endurance competition run by the manufacturer is one of the site’s more unique features. The company is searching for a one man and one woman team to represent Great Britain in the 2005 Fulda Tyres Extreme Arctic Challenge, an alpine sporting event, applications are available online.

Marcus White, brand manager for Fulda Tyres UK comments: ‘I am delighted with the launch of this brand new website. It really does complement the current range of high quality products now available in the UK across the market segments of car, 4×4, light van and truck. We have a strong belief that this current focus on Fulda will drive forward the brand and position ourselves strongly in the UK market.’

25th August 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Western European Car Market Performs as Predicted

The western European car market has moved in line with estimates from automotive market analysts Polk, to 5.6 per cent.

The Japanese and Korean manufacturers were way ahead of the rest, having now captured a 16.1 per cent market share. Ford also fared well with 10.5 per cent yoy, thanks to good sales volumes of its C Max.

14th July 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop Announce Race Academy Qualifiers

After launching its Race Academy competition in April, Dunlop has announced that it has selected seven qualifiers. The successful qualifiers will now be put through their paces in the semi-final held at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground. Prospective drivers will have be interviewed, have their fitness tested and will have to pass precision driving and on track assessments. Only three drivers will make it through to the final which will be held at Silverstone on 17 August. The winner will compete at Brands Hatch in the Dunlop Drivers Cup, a one make race where all competitors race Ginetta G20 sports cars.

7th July 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Ferrari and Bridgestone Reclaim Victory at French Grand Prix

The Bridgestone Potenza equipped Ferraris of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello successfully reclaimed the French Grand Prix crown as they claimed first and third places respectively. Fernando Alonso’s Michelin running Renault took second place.

5th July 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

New F1 Tyre Regulations

The 2005 season will see the introduction of new regulations governing competition vehicles. The FIA has assigned experts to ensure that speeds will be reduced in the next Formula 1 season. The decision will also lead to further rules regarding tyres.

1st July 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin “Surprised” At FIA Recommendations

Referring to the recent FIA recommendation to have only one tyre supplier for Formula One, Michelin says that the company has yet to be officially consulted on the subject. “I am surprised by this course of action,” said Michelin Group Chairman and CEO, Edouard Michelin, “as, when we entered Formula One in 2001, it was following strong lobbying by certain teams that wanted to benefit from the positive effects of our technology on the performance of their cars. What’s more, their requests were supported by the Formula One organisers to heighten the sporting interest.”

7th May 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho withdraws race tyres

Kumho Tire U.S.A. is recalling some 1,400 ECSTA V710 competition tyres because of “inconsistent test results relating to tread splice and tread area durability. “Kumho have said, “Kumho Tire’s priority is safety, and we are committed to supplying our customers with the highest quality and best performing tyres that are available anywhere in the world. It is with this philosophy in mind that Kumho is taking immediate action in discontinuing the sale of the ECSTA V710 Competition Tire. The sale of the ECSTA V710 Competition Tire will be discontinued immediately, and tyres in use in the market will be collected from consumers. Kumho will replace them with either the Kumho ECSTA V700 or Victoracer tyre free of charge.”

7th April 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin Tubeless bicycle tyres

Michelin, in partnership with wheel manufacturer Mavic, is adapting its Tubeless technology for bicycle road tyres used in competition. Three new products will be made available to professional racers this year: the Michelin Pro Grip Tubeless, the Michelin Pro Grip Special Paves Tubeless (for cobblestones) and the Michelin Pro Race Tubeless tyres. The tyres should be on the market in 2005.

4th March 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Radials Beat Competitor by 56% in USAF F-16 Test

In a competition to supply tyres for the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the United States Air Force notified The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company that its radial aviation tyres won a USAF performance shootout with a major competitor. Goodyear Flight Radials beat a Michelin radial tyre design by 56 per cent on the F-16 block 40 main landing gear, according to results of the USAF competitive evaluation. Goodyear officials said the win is significant since the Air Force uses the test results in its annual procurement awards.

1st March 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone’s Australian plant looks safer

Bridgestone Australia (Adelaide) has stated that the future of its Salisbury tyre-making plant looks “more assured”. Settlement of an improved wage agreement and several other changes late last year had resulted in “modest improvements” at the loss-making operation. Local manufacturing losses, intense competition and the higher cost of raw materials had caused a 15 per cent drop in net profit in 2003 to 10.6 million Australian dollars, despite sales rising 5 per cent.

5th February 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone to Supply Kawasaki Racing

Bridgestone Corporation will supply tyres to the Kawasaki Racing Team for MotoGP racing in the 2004 season. Bridgestone began supplying tyres for MotoGP competition in the 2002 season displaying winning potential in the past two seasons.

15th January 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Raising the profile of Truck Point

Taking the wider view of the picture, trucking is now, for most medium to large operators, an operation that requires a varying degree of international transportation. That exposes drivers to conditions in foreign markets that they are not ideally equipped to handle. European service is notoriously poor, and equally notoriously expensive. All fleet operators agree that any international operations require international breakdown recovery cover. This causes difficulties for all manufacturers, with limited coverage in Europe. Bridgestone have solved this through a pan-European network of independent dealers operating under the Truck Point banner.

Truck Point has some 220 independent commercial tyre specialist outlets in the UK and a total in excess of 1,600 across Europe. The operation covers most of Western Europe and Scandinavia and is now expanding eastward into Poland and Hungary and other states as the demand for the service expands.

Bridgestone Europe has recognised the need to build a strong Truck Point network, and has recognised an urgent requirement to develop brand awareness of Truck Point across Europe. In light of this the company has launched a multi-million pound UK campaign to increase Truck Point awareness in the tyre trade and in the fleet sector. This is supplemented by an advertising campaign across Europe. Roger Moulding Marketing manager for commercial products at Bridgestone UK, told T&A, “We need to tell people what Truck Point is about and the changes we are making to the programme.

The Truck Point awareness campaign comes at a time when the competition in the truck tyre sector is heating up. There are opportunities being created in the UK by the divesting of commercial services by Continental, There are changes afoot at ATS Euromaster and the Goodyear situation, perhaps unfairly, casts a shadow over Hi-Q – though Goodyear is far from being bowed and the trade can expect developments in that area shortly. However, for the independent commercial tyre specialist there is really only one possible route forwards in dealing with the fleet market, and that, in the UK certainly, has to be Truck Point.

17th November 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Street-legal drag tyre Dunlop SP Sport Inferno

At the SEMA show, Dunlop has unveiled a competition drag tyre that is also street-legal, aimed at the sport-compact drag segment, allowing enthusiasts to drive to the track and test their vehicles without changing tyres. The tyre, called the “Inferno”, looks the part as well, with an image of flames on the sidewall, and a tread pattern of directional, sweeping grooves to optimise straight-line performance. The Inferno’s compound is based on the Dunlop drag racing slick and the tread pattern, carcass and mould shape were computer-designed. It will be available early next year in size 205/50 R15.

6th November 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop’s Super Sport Race in North America

Dunlop North America announced the SP Super Sport Race; a Z-rated radial designed for super car owners and autocross enthusiasts who want a non-competition, street-legal tyre that nevertheless has race-like levels of grip. The Super Sport Race is available in eight Z-rated sizes, with aspect ratios from 40 series down to 30 series and for 17″ and 18″ wheels. Target cars include Audi TT, A4 and A6, Porsche 996 and 986, BMW 3 series, 5-series, M3 and Z3, Honda S2000, VW Golf GTi and the Mercedes SLK, CLK, C-class and E-class.

6th November 2003/by Tyrepress Editors