Managers at Northern Accident Repair Centre in Halifax shared a luxury car and VIP motorsport package at Silverstone after winning the top prize in Grouptyre’s ‘Feel the Passion’ national promotion, organised in conjunction with premier tyre manufacturer and British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) sponsor Dunlop.
Qingdao, China-based tyre manufacturer Sailun Co., Ltd., has appointed Martin West as managing director of its new Sailun Tyres (Europe) subsidiary. West previously held a number of senior roles with Goodyear, Lassa and most recently Infinity. Tyres & Accessories understands that the new European team, which will be based in the UK, currently consists of two people including the recent appointment of a back office manager that brings with him logistics experience at Goodyear Dunlop. According to a statement released by Sailun Europe, the recent moves follow the firm’s decision to begin “strategically focussing to further develop their presence in the European market.”
Goodyear has launched a new Dunlop SUV tyre line, aimed at mid-market SUVs and light trucks, Tire Review reports. The Dunlop Rover H/T, which replaces both the Dunlop Grandtrek AT 20 and the Dunlop Rover A/T, is now available to US and Canadian dealers. Officials said about half of the 33 total sizes are now available for shipment, with the remainder slated for early 2011 release.
The BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team has clinched the 2010 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) GT Manufacturer and Team Championships, a feat that was helped by Dunlop, which provided the grip for its BMW M3 GT2. The team’s fourth place finish at the final round last week was enough to score the points needed to stay ahead of Ferrari and Porsche in the Manufacturers Championship by a point. Most racing observers considered the GT segment to be the most competitive class in the ALMS during 2010, with teams from BMW, Ferrari, Porsche and Corvette battling it out, and each winning a race this year.
Apollo Tyres reports that its south African Dunlop brand has emerged as the country’s number one tyre brand in an independent survey. The iconic brands survey, conducted by TGI South Africa and commissioned by the Afrikaans language newspaper Rapport and English language paper City Press, measured the usage of more than 8,000 brands within 19 different product categories.
Some say his work with the BBC has dried up of late, and that he’s no longer on Jeremy Clarkson’s Christmas card list – all we know, is that he’s called Ben Collins, and he’s about to make his BTCC debut. The man who gave substance to Top Gear’s tame racing driver The Stig prior to his recent ‘outing’ has decided to throw his helmet into the Dunlop British Touring Car Championship ring at Brands Hatch on October 10. This title-deciding final round of the 2010 BTCC season will see Collins driving for Kent-based Airwaves BMW.
Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK Limited has announced that Norbert Hecking, currently Market Supply Chain director Middle East and Africa, has been appointed as Market Supply Chain director UK & Ireland. Hecking joins the UK and Ireland organisation reporting to MD George Rietbergen and functionally to Rob Scholte, vice president Supply Chain Europe, Middle East and Africa. Hecking replaces Steve Carless, who will be leaving the company at the end of the year to pursue a new opportunity outside of the tyre industry.
An agreement has been reached between South African trade union Solidarity and the local Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop and Goodyear operations. The union, which represents around 1,000 tyre industry workers in the bargaining council for the New Tyre Manufacturing Industry Association, released a statement on October 1 reporting the deal, which is being implemented retrospectively from July 1, 2010.
Goodyear Dunlop Tyres UK Ltd has announced the appointment of Peter Tye as retail director, including heading the company’s HiQ tyre and vehicle servicing network. Tye, who was previously franchise development manager, replaces Juergen Titz, who was appointed director of Goodyear Dunlop’s consumer tyre business unit last month.
Peter Tye joined Goodyear Dunlop in 2006 when the company relaunched and revitalised the HiQ brand, its service standards and franchise model. Before joining Goodyear Dunlop, he had 14 years franchising experience, most notably on the Volkswagen Group brands including Audi and Seat.
Goodyear Dunlop’s new consumer director, Juergen Titz, has made his first public appearance in the role, launching the recently revamped Kettering branch of HiQ alongside UK and Ireland managing director George Rietbergen. Titz suggested that he would open his tenure as consumer director with new strategies to improve the success of the company’s brand range, notably utilising its connection to HiQ. Following his spell as retail director for the fast fit network, a period described by the franchise as extremely successful, Titz was present at the launch to support HiQ’s biggest franchisee Chris Kisby, MD of Easy Tyre & Autocentres.
On 10 September the No Budget Cup (NBC) came to the UK for the first time, staging a one off race at Anglesey. The peninsula saw a strong grid of 48, the maximum amount of racers allowed on the grid at the Welsh circuit. Dunlop tyres partnered with the NBC to become the control tyre for the championship, which has plans for more UK-based events in 2011.
In an evaluation of 21 UHP summer tyres, US publication Consumer Reports has rated products from Goodyear, Dunlop and Michelin as being the pick of the bunch. Tyres from 19 different companies were put through their paces at Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center in Connecticut, with evaluations of braking, handling, hydroplaning, tread life, rolling resistance, and noise performed. An overall “excellent” score was given to the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT, Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 and Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric. Scoring just below the trio of victors was the Continental Extreme Contact DW and the Hankook Ventus V12 evo. Both of these tyres are lower priced products than the test winners, the Hankook “considerably” so.
While it finished tenth out of twelve overall in Auto Express’s tyre tests, Slovenia’s Sava – part of the Goodyear Dunlop group – scored particularly well in the noise test, beating all the other contenders, and was ranked in second place in the rolling resistance tests, in which it scored closest to the runaway winner of that test, Hankook.
While the big winner of consumer motoring magazine Auto Express’s annual tyre test was Continental, the German manufacturer had strong competition from Michelin, Goodyear and Dunlop, whose tested tyres all scored within a point of Conti’s. As with all comprehensive tyre tests, most segments favoured different tyres, and Goodyear’s Eagle F1 Asymmetric was ranked top in the wet handling and cornering tests.
HiQ’s fast fit centre in Kettering is encouraging motorists in the area to visit the flagship store during three days of free festivities to celebrate its £75,000 makeover. The centre on Telford Way Industrial Estate reports that it “is enjoying a huge upturn in fortunes” since it was radically rebranded and is now officially commemorating its new decor with a series of safety-orientated charity events on Thursday, 9 September to Saturday, 11 September. Fast fit technicians will provide free vehicle and wheel alignment health checks for every visitor, while the company will run a free prize draw to win a plasma TV, a Sat Nav system, a mountain bike and a barbecue. HiQ’s official charity Breast Cancer Care will also be represented throughout the days with its “pink ladies” as HiQ attempts to educate more families and women about the good work that the charity carries out.
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