When Japanese drivers Ukyo Katayama and Takuma Aoki get underway in the 2009 Dakar rally, held in South America between January 3 and 18, both men will be driving vehicles fitted with tyres specially developed for the competition. Manufactured by Yokohama Rubber, the rally tyres utilise a new material the company calls “Orange Oil”, a substance also employed in Yokohama’s latest generation eco tyre, the ‘DNA Earth-1’.
Ingersoll Rand, which has been involved in the Dakar rally race for the last three years, will team up with the Euromaster, Mitsubishi and Toyota teams in 2009. It will offer them portable tools, including the new IQv range of impact wrenches. These wrenches can release torques up to 500Nm and will last three times longer than similar products on the market. IQv tools are also lighter and more compact than rival products, says Ingersoll Rand, characteristics particularly appreciated by race competitors.
Ingersoll Rand’s main partner is the Euromaster Team and has provided official team support at Dakar since 2006.
Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., is to support the largest FIA-certified cross country rally in Asia – the “Asia Cross Country Rally 2008.” The event started yesterday and is scheduled to held until 16 August where it will end in Thailand. The company has sponsored the rally for eight consecutive years, beginning in 2001.
The Asia Cross Country Rally began in 1997 to promote international goodwill and friendship among Asian nations. In contrast to the Dakar Rally, formerly known as the Paris-Dakar Rally, as well as a popular rally in Baja California Peninsula, Mexico, in which driving is primarily across deserts, in the Asia Cross Country Rally vehicles compete over a challenging course of about 2,500 kilometers, including dirt, mud, sand, jungle, mountain roads and river crossings. This year’s course starts in Bangkok and finishes at Phuket, Thailand. Every year more than 30 vehicles are expected to participate in the rally from Asia and Europe.
For the eighth consecutive year, Yokohama Rubber has announced it will support the largest FIA-certified cross country rally in Asia – the “Asia Cross Country Rally 2008” – to be held from August 10 (Sunday) through 16 (Saturday) in Thailand.
The Asia Cross Country Rally began in 1997 to promote international goodwill and friendship among Asian nations. In contrast to the Dakar Rally, in which driving is primarily across deserts, in the Asia Cross Country Rally vehicles compete over a challenging course of about 2,500 kilometres, including dirt, mud, sand, jungle, mountain roads and river crossings. The course of this year will start from Bangkok and finish at Phuket, Thailand. Every year more than 30 vehicles are expected to participate in the rally from Asia and Europe.
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has announced that it will support the first student team in history to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Yokohama will supply Advan race tyres to Tokai University’s “Le Mans Challenge Project” in the 76th 24 Hours of Le Mans, which will be held over the weekend of 14-15 June at the Sarthe Circuit in France. Yokohama has a long track record at Le Mans, stretching back more than 20 years.
Yokohama is also involved in supporting another student motorsport project: the OSU Dakar Rally Challenge Project, led by Osaka Sangyo University. This project aims to tackle environmental problems through motorsport and features Ukyo Katayama as a driver.
Kumho’s new 18-inch rally raid tyre has completed its maiden event, with all four of the Bowler Nemesis 4x4s the company supplied completing the Baja Italia event. The Nemesis, a specialist V8-powered rally raid 4×4, had been due to make its debut on the Lisbon-Dakar Rally earlier this year, but the event was cancelled at the last minute, due to terrorist threats.
Four such Bowlers were entered for the Baja Italia (14-16 March), a rally centered around the dried river beds above Venice. These included the Kumho-liveried vehicle of Richard Hayward and Alex Cole; the second British entry of Greg Macleod and Oliver Ford; the French entry of Thierry Charbonnier and Quin Evans and the Belgian one of Joost Van Cauwenberge and Marc Devos.
Following the great success of its BSA Brand end user advertising campaign in 2006, Kent based wheel distributor Alcar has placed an emphasis upon its DOTZ house brand. The introduction of seven new styles, including the unveiling of the new ‘Dull Anodised’ finishes on ‘Radium’ and ‘Roadster’, has been paired with a end user and trade advertising campaign to push home the re-focus on the DOTZ brand. The increased DOTZ presence not only covers retail and trade magazines there – the company plans to increase brand presence on the web. As well as offerings for the passenger car aftermarket, Alcar has released the first DOTZ wheel dedicated purely to the SUV market. ‘Omega’ is available solely in a 22-inch size and Alcar reports it is already developing substantial interest within this market sector.
Roughly a year ago Southam/Micheldever wholesale director, Alan Baldwin, told Tyres & Accessories that he expected General Tire’s 4×4 range to increase its UK market share by about 10 per cent. A year later, T&A asked if the company’s bold targets had been realised?
In answering that question with a resounding yes, Alan Baldwin explained that his calculations make Southam/Micheldever the largest seller of 4×4 tyres in the UK: “[Southam/Micheldever] had another phenomenal year in 2007…General 4×4 2007 sales grew by 15 per cent over 2006, and [the company] continues to produce the innovative tyre sizes that the very specialized UK market requires…More and more 4×4 tyre specialists and retailers stocking and selling the ever expanding General line up.”
Kumho Tyres was ready to steal a march on its competitors by producing a special 18-inch Rally Raid tyre in time for the cancelled 2008 Lisbon-Dakar Rally. The tyre will now see action in similar events in the future and, according to the manufacturer, no other tyre manufacturer produces a comparable tyre in this size.
The monster tyre with its enormous tread blocks is designed for optimum pace and durability over the sand and rock conditions that tend to prevail on events like the fearsome Lisbon-Dakar Rally. It employs the ultra-tough synthetic fibre ‘aramid’ (short for aromatic polyamide) in its construction for optimum weight and strength.
The 2008 Dakar Rally, which was due to start in Lisbon on 5th January and finish in Dakar on 20th January, has been cancelled because of safety concerns in the African republic of Mauritania. On Christmas Eve, four French tourists were murdered, and the French government advised against any travel to the country. Eight of the 15 stages of the rally were due to pass through Mauritania.
The event’s organisers, the Amaury Sport Organisation, said there had been “direct threats against the race issued by terrorist groups” and issued the following statement:
“Following several consultations with the French government and taking into account its firm recommendations, the organisers of the Dakar have taken the decision to cancel the 2008 edition of the rally.
Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has announced that it will support a bio-diesel powered Dakar Rally 2008 entry. But, unlike most motorsports vehicles, this car will be powered by bio-diesel fuel refined from used tempura (deep fry) oil. The project called the OSU Dakar Rally Project was launched in June last year mainly by Osaka Sangyo University to raise awareness of the importance of environmental protection through motor sports. Ukyo Katayama, renowned racing driver and former Formula One driver, will pilot the vehicle. Yokohama Rubber will supply Geolander A/T-S tyres with Dakar Rally 2008 specifications. According to the company, this tyre offers improved durability and running performance improved through the use of a new material called “Orange Oil”. The car will be a Toyota Land Cruier 100.
US tyremaker BFGoodrich claims a long motorsport heritage, entering the motor racing history books in 1915 when it became the first tyre manufacturer to enjoy victory two years in a row at the ‘Brickyard’, home of the Indy 500 race. More recent accomplishments in a variety of championships have cemented the brand’s sporting credentials, and today BFGoodrich retains a reputation as being a tyre of choice for those seeking both a sports-oriented image and performance.
During 2007 the Michelin owned tyremaker was active at the highest levels in four key areas of motorsport: The World Rally Championship, the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship, Intercontinental Rally Championship and Rally Raid events, including the famous Dakar Rally.
Long Way Down, starting soon on BBC2, is the latest adventure featuring Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor in which the two intrepid explorers ride their motorcycles from John O’Groats to Cape Town to raise money for numerous charities including UNICEF. The Long Way Down team used BFGoodrich tyres on their Nissan support vehicles during the 15,000-mile hike from Scotland through Europe and Africa. Navigation throughout the journey was aided by Charley and Ewan’s Nokia 6110 Navigators, which they also used for keeping in contact with their support team and UK operations base.
BFGoodrich is now giving drivers the chance to win one of 10 Nokia 6110 Navigators as used by Charley and Ewan to complete their epic adventure earlier this year. Entry forms for this free competition to win a Nokia 6110 Navigator, worth £375, are now available at BFGoodrich tyre dealers in the UK and Ireland.
BFGoodrich tyres will be celebrating its motorsport success with a pan-European roadshow that is to visit London in November. This giant 1,600 square metre interactive display will feature BFGoodrich tyres and the rally vehicles that have delivered victories in the World Rally Championship, the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and the famous Dakar rally.
The BFGoodrich Victory Tour roadshow will be located at the Lakeside shopping complex, just to the east of London adjacent to the Dartford Crossing, offering easy access for motorsport enthusiasts from across the southern half of the UK. Good motorway links also mean that rally fans have a straightforward journey from further-afield.
OZ has used its unrivalled knowledge of the track to produce another alloy, which it hopes will be a winner. Engineers have spent years combating the physical effects of a wheel turning on an axis. The so-called gyroscopic effect of “unsprung weight” can impact on steering, acceleration, handling and braking. So technicians have honed the Botticelli to improve driving dynamics, finish and durability.
Three-piece modular wheel technology allows for extreme sizes and a high degree of lip depth on the inner and outer rims. The forged flange offers superior mechanics, lightweight and versatility of form otherwise impossible to achieve in wheels sized 19, 20 and 22 inches.
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