(Fullerton, California/Tire Review) Yokohama Tire Corp has premiered its new Advan brand television commercial on the Speed Channel. The commercial was aired multiple times during the network’s replay of the 12 Hours of Sebring 2005 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) event. “We believe Advan will reinstate Yokohama as the premier ultra-high performance consumer tyre-maker,” said Art Michalik, director of marketing communications for Yokohama.
Maserati is to participate in the entire 2005 American Le Mans Series race calendar, following discussions between IMSA and Maserati Corse. After 48 years absence from Sebring the team will make its debut on 19 March with a factory racing car and has teamed up with Pirelli.
The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) season-ending race, the Audi Sports Car Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca was provided an eventful climax to the season. It was a longer event (4 hours instead of the previous 2 hour 45 minute format) and it was a race that finished in darkness for the first time. It even offered up a smattering of rain during the last hour just to keep the teams and tyres on their toes. But through it all, the consistent driving of Clint Field, Robin Liddell and Rick Sutherland resulted in another P2 class victory for the Pirelli-sponsored Intersport Racing Lola/Judd, the sixth in the nine race series for Intersport, the 7th overall P2 class win for Pirelli and a first place for Pirelli in the coveted ALMS Tire Manufacturers’ Championship in P2.
This weekend Jarama in Spain hosted the penultimate racing weekend in the truck-racing calendar. While new Goodyear tyres dominate in the Super Race class, in the smaller, Truck Race class both the first and second place drivers had retreads fitted to their axles. For the two most successful drivers at this meeting, Rigdon retreads were the chosen products.
Englishman Stuart Oliver leads the championship with 21 points, ahead of Germany’s Lutz Bernau. The two competitors are the only two drivers that have a chance of becoming the new European Champion at the final race weekend in Le Mans.
Either retreads or new tyres are allowed on the drive axle. On the steering axle retreads are prohibited.
Pirelli is to be the new official tyre supplier to the Volkswagen Racing Cup in the UK. All competitors in the 2004 championship, which gets underway in April, will run on Pirelli P Zero tyres. The Volkswagen Racing Cup joins the UK’s Seat Cupra Championship and the Pirelli Maranello Ferrari Challenge in using Pirelli tyres. The company also supplies its product to the American Le Mans Series and to GT teams internationally. Since its inception in 2000, the Volkswagen Racing Cup has grown to become one of the best-supported and most successful club championships in Britain. Last season more than 30 drivers took part, handling cars ranging in size from a 1.8-litre turbocharged Lupo to a four-wheel-drive Golf R32.
For the second time in two weeks, Michelin has announced that a major racing team will switch to its tyres. The announcement that three-time GTS class-winning Corvette Racing will switch from Goodyear to Michelin racing slicks in the American Le Mans Series follows the confirmation that Formula One team BAR-Honda will run on Michelin rubber in 2004. The No. 3 and No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C5-Rs will begin Michelin tire tests this week in preparation for the nine-race ALMS schedule and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Michelin-shod teams took the top ten positions and won all four classes at the world-famous endurance race in 2003, which also marked the company’s sixth consecutive overall win.
This weekend sees the finale of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), the Petit Le Mans. The 1,000-mile or 10-hour race is being held at Road Atlanta, not far from Pirelli’s MIRS factory at Rome, Georgia, and Pirelli’s hopes are riding on the Ferrari 550 Maranellos of Team Olive Garden. Pirelli won the inaugural Petit Le Mans event in 1998.
History was made at the Le Mans 24 Hour race, with Bentley Speed Eights coming first and second – the first time since 1930 that Bentley has been on the podium. Guy Smith drove the car over the finishing line – the first time he had finished a Le Mans race, in contrast to team-mate Tom Kristensen, for whom this year’s victory made it four in a row. The drivers paid tribute to the Michelin tyres, saying that they “played a big part”. Bentley’s victory ended three years of domination by Audi, who had to settle for third and fourth this time around.
For their 2003 racing programme, Michelin will become Bentley’s exclusive supplier in competition. This partnership involves the development and supply of tyres for preliminary testing at Sebring and the Le Mans 24 hour race. On the production car side, Michelin will become the supply partner for the new Bentley Continental GT.
As announced at the Detroit Motorshow, the new Bentley EXP Speed 8 will be exclusively equipped with Dunlop tyres for the 2001 Le Mans 24 hour race. This renews a 70 year old motorsport partnership. For many years the tyre brand has had a strong connection with Le Mans: exactly half the total number of winners have driven on Dunlop tyres.
While, for example Michelin, declares the demands of Le Mans comparable with Formula 1, Goodyear is fitting the Corvette of the official Chevrolet team and a private BMW prototype with the Eagle F1 street tread pattern.
If you would like the latest news from the Chinese tyre industry in Chinese, visit our partner site TyrepressChina.com. Or click below to continue on Tyrepress.
