FIA World Endurance Championship Porsche teams Dempsey-Proton and Gulf Racing will run on Dunlop tyres in their global campaigns following comparative testing. Both teams have experience of working with Dunlop in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS), where the brand is the sole tyre supplier to the LMGTE class. Both teams will race in the LMGTE AM class of WEC, including the Le Mans 24 hour race.
Bridgestone Corporation reports it is supplying its Racing Battlax tyres to two teams participating in the current FIM Endurance World Championship season. Both the YART Yamaha Official EWC Team and the F.C.C. TSR Honda team will race on the Bridgestone tyres for the next round of the FIM EWC, the 24 Heures Moto at Le Mans on 15 April 2017.
Davanti Tyres has become the official tyre sponsor of the 5Club Racing MX5 Cup for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. The series is described as a favourite among a growing number of car enthusiasts. Davanti will supply its DX390, while cars will carry Davanti branding as part of the agreement.
US-based motor racing sanctioning body Indycar has agreed to a multi-year extension of its contract with Bridgestone Americas Tire Operation for the Verizon IndyCar Series, thus confirming the continuation of Firestone as the official tyre to the series. Upon announcing the extension of its arrangement, Bridgestone notes that the brand has been involved in open-wheel racing since Firestone tyres were fitted to the winning car in the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911.
Pirelli has announced an extension to its Bute Motorsport relationship, becoming the exclusive tyre supplier to the new LMP3 Cup Championship after signing a three-year deal. The new series was officially renamed at the beginning of the year following an exhibition race at Snetterton last October under the Prototype Cup banner. The championship features the Le Mans Prototype 3 (LMP3), developed under the technical stewardship of the ACO and aimed at teams and drivers looking to compete in the Le Mans 24 Hours.
Cooper Tire Europe has become the presenting sponsor and official tyre supplier of the RX2 International Series, the rebranded feeder series to the FIA World Rallycross Championship. Formerly known as RX Lites, the series has been renamed the RX2 International Series presented by Cooper Tires.
Pirelli will return to the FFSA French GT Championship next year as part of the new-look GT4 European Series promoted by SRO Motorsports Group. As exclusive tyre supplier to the championship, Pirelli will supply two commercially available, 18-inch P Zero fitments: The DH slick tyre for dry conditions and the WH patterned tyre for rain.
Yokohama has extended its agreement to supply its global flagship Advan racing tyres as the sole control tyre for the All-Japan Formula 3 Championship Series through until the end of 2019. The extension means Yokohama Rubber will be the sole tyre supplier to the championship series for nine straight years, starting from 2011.
Kumho Tyre Australia will continue as the naming rights partner and official control tyre supplier of the Australian V8 Touring Car Series for a further three years, through to the end of the 2019 season. Kumho and V8 Touring Car organisers will also work closely to finalise an 18-inch tyre specification for the series, with a view to introducing the 18-inch wheels currently used in Supercar and Development Series competition into the category in 2019. The series will run on the current 17-inch rim until the end of the 2018 season.
NASCAR, the most American of all motorsport championships, has enjoyed input from Goodyear since the 1950s, and Goodyear Tire & Rubber has served as exclusive tyre supplier for NASCAR’s top three series since 1997. The tyre maker’s current contract with NASCAR runs until the end of 2017, and Motorsport.com reports it is now in negotiations with NASCAR regarding its involvement in seasons beyond this date.
The Blancpain GT Series Asia, a new race series that commences next year, will exclusively run on Pirelli tyres. The Italian tyre firm is a long-term partner to the Blancpain GT Series within Europe, and considers the agreement to supply the Asia championship “the next logical step in a vital growing market for ultra-high performance tyres.”
Michelin will return as official tyre supplier to the Renault UK Clio Cup next year following four seasons of Dunlop tyre supply. The switch back to Michelin tyres brings the UK championship in line with international Clio Cup competition – as of 2017, the French tyre maker will supply all Clio Cup championships around the world, including those held in Benelux, Bohemia, Central Europe, China, Italy, Spain and Sweden.
The FIA World Motor Sport Council has selected Cooper Tire Europe as the Official Tyre Supplier and Associate Partner to the FIA World Rallycross Championship for the next three years. The new deal begins in 2017 and sees Cooper, who has been associated with World RX since its inception, continuing supply to the championship.
Launched in September 2014, the inaugural FIA Formula E Championship an on 18-inch, patterned Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres. Work on developing new tyres for the second Formula E season had already begun when the FIA asked Michelin to continue with the same-spec tyre for the season in order to enable teams use a known tyre when developing their cars to meet new, less restrictive technical regulations. Work on the second-generation tyre nevertheless continued, and Michelin Motorsport says this means “two steps forward will have been taken” in regards to tyre development when its new tyre finally debuts at the start of the third Formula E season.
Pirelli has confirmed its expected three-year extension to its tenure as exclusive tyre supplier to the FIA Formula One World Championship. The deal was completed over the winter, with both parties working with the teams to agree changes to the technical regulations from 2017, including significant changes to the bodywork and wider tyres.
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