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Metamorphosis

India’s tyre industry is steadily coming of age. In a country whose new car market has witnessed phenomenal changes since the days when consumer choice was more or less restricted to what colour Hindustan Ambassador one would purchase, the tyres made and sold have also needed to change with the times, both in quantity and quality.

Figures released by India’s Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA) report steady growth in tyre production figures across all market segments, with an overall 12 per cent growth to January 2007, with approximately 61 million tyres produced during the preceding 12 months. During February 2007 alone 5.9 million tyres were produced, with 1.18 million of these for passenger cars. And although other segments showed even greater growth – tractor tyre sales in February were on average more than 25 per cent greater than a year earlier – the passenger car market seems to be where all the action is taking place.

13th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone produces snow tyres for F1

Bridgestone Motorsport has produced a special Limited Edition F1 Potenza Snow Tyre at the request of the BMW Sauber F1 Team. The team will be holding a demonstration of at the prestigious White Turf horse racing event in the Swiss resort town of St. Mortiz, and special tyres are required due to the extreme conditions in which the BMW Sauber F1.06 will run.

The F1 snow tyres, produced by Bridgestone Motorsport’s Technical Centre in Tokyo, feature 420 studs on each of the front tyres and 588 studs on each rear tyre. It took two Bridgestone technicians over 16 hours to manually insert all 2,016 studs into the double layer of tread compound on one set of tyres alone.

10th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Top Brands and Genuine Discounts

With more than 25 years in the motor trade, Motorsport Wheels are confident that their alloy wheel and performance catalogue and depots around Britain and Northern Ireland position them as a UK market leader. The company is the sole importer of several well known alloy wheel brands, including OZ Racing, BBS, RS and Fox Racing, and large stocks of both alloy wheels and performance tyres to suit every budget are kept at each of their depots, alloying for a prompt delivery service throughout the UK.

A new development for Motorsport Wheels is that, for the first time ever, they are able to offer recently superseded product lines direct to the public at a sizeable discount. Motorsport Wheels are proud of their constantly updated product range, but when a new style is introduced they are sometimes left with excess stock of the old style. By offering these wheels direct to the public, cutting out the middleman, Motorsport Wheels believe they can provide “genuine brands at fake prices!”

4th April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Avon Tyres British GT Series – GT Heaven

Aston Martin DBRS9, Lamborghini Gallardo, Jaguar’s new XKR, Ferrari 430, Porsche GT3RS, Ascari KZ1R and the iconic Dodge Viper are among the mouth-watering line-up of GT machinery that will grace this year’s Avon Tyres British GT Championship. And, of course, these dream machines will be shod with Avon motorsport tyres.

Avon Tyres Motorsport, the racing division of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company Europe Ltd, won the contract to supply control tyres to GT Championship series for the 2006 to 2008 race seasons. This year’s season rumbles into action at Oulton Park, Cheshire, on Easter weekend, April 7-9.

3rd April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Brityrex the Show the UK Tyre Industry Needs – Micheldever

Prominent wholesaler Micheldever Tyre Services has revealed plans for a major sales offensive during May’s Brityrex International’07 exhibition. The company intends to place a strong emphasis upon its private brand car tyres, which include ranges from Kumho, Falken, Sportiva, Enduro and Fullrun. BF Goodrich and General will also feature on Micheldever’s display as the leading replacement brands for the 4×4 market.

Underlining the importance of the show, a 12-strong sales team has been assigned to the three-day event at Manchester’s G-MEX Centre. “We can’t wait for the exhibition to start, said Alan Baldwin, Micheldever’s UK director of wholesale. “As far as Micheldever is concerned, Brityrex is the show that the UK tyre industry needs and deserves. We’re fully committed to making it a big success for us, our customers and the organisers, who have had the confidence to revitalise the event.”

3rd April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

White Grooves to Differentiate F1 Tyres

Bridgestone has confirmed it will use white markings to distinguish the softer compound tyre options used in the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix. The marking, applied to the bottom of the tyres’ second inside groove, was one of a number of options tested during practice days in Sepang following complaints about the red dots used during the Australian Grand Prix.

3rd April 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Sales and Marketing Appointments at Pirelli North America

Pirelli Tire North America has reorganized its sales and marketing organization. The announcement coincides with the news that Peter Tyson, VP Communications and Motor Sport, Pierluigi Dinelli, Director of Marketing, and Giovanni Ricci, Supply Chain and Pricing will return to management positions in Europe.

The Pirelli North American sales and marketing effort has been re-organized, largely by promotion from within its existing team. Dan O’Shaughnessy is promoted to the newly created position of Regional Sales Director, reporting to Riccardo Cichi, Vice President Sales. He will be responsible for all regional sales and all Pirelli’s Regional Sales Managers will report to him.

30th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyo Provides OUMF

Toyo looks set to give a head start to the automotive stars of tomorrow thanks to the company’s latest sponsorship deal with The Oxford Universities Motorsport Foundation, or OUMF as it is affectionately known.

OUMF is an independent, pan university student initiative, founded in 2005, to promote practical engineering and associated skills through the medium of motor racing. Already it looks set to provide a valuable skill base of able enthusiasts that will benefit the industry for years to come.

29th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Spoiled for Choice

Here in the UK buying a new set of alloys for your car is a much different experience than in many countries. A trip to the local tyre shop won’t usually result in a satisfied customer rolling home on the wheels of their dreams – very few tyre specialists also deal in alloy wheels, and those that do mostly have a limited range on offer. This means that the bulk of alloy wheel purchases in the UK are made through dedicated wheel suppliers, and these days that equates to two options – in person shopping or ordering online.

Larger stores, such as the deceptively named South West Tyres (they do sell tyres, but the company’s specialty is definitely their large range of alloy wheels), offer the advantage of having a wide selection of both leading brands and budget alloys on hand, so little is left to the customer’s imagination. And with in-store fitting bays, such as at South West Tyres’ 10,000 sq. ft. premises, wheels can be selected, purchased and fitted all in a single convenient procedure.

28th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Five New Styles from Momo

The last few months have been a busy time for Italian motorsport icon Momo, with the release of four brand new five-spoke wheel designs and one seven-spoke offering – the Momo Corse – which Momo claim will fit nearly 100 per cent of all popular saloons, hot hatches and sports cars. The seven-spoked Corse is a cast alloy design that comes in sizes between 15 and 17-inches. All sizes are available in either silver or black with a highly polished centre hub and outer rim, and prices start at £99 per wheel.

For Momo their silver X-43 represents a return to classic styling cues, with the wheel’s five slender spokes curving out from the centre towards the rim in a manner reminiscent of earlier Momo designs. The lightweight wheel is available in 15 to 18-inch sizes and can be equipped with a range of hub centres. Prices start at £109 per wheel.

27th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

F1 Tyre Markings too Discrete

Bridgestone is facing pressure to make alterations to the markings used for identifying the soft compound tyres used during Formula One races. During the Australian Grand Prix Bridgestone chose to distinguish the tyres with a white circle, but many have complained that these markings were so small that they became difficult to spot when the F1 cars were actually moving.

Following the race Bridgestone agreed they would look at alternate forms of marking, but added that the tyres for the upcoming races in Malaysia and Bahrain had already been produced and therefore no changes could be made until the Spanish Grand Prix at the earliest.

22nd March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Kumho Tyres to Sponsor MSA British Rallycross Championship

Kumho Tyres will be the title sponsor of the MSA British Rallycross Championship (BRC) for the next three years. The company’s contract will also see the introduction, for the first time, of a control tyre for the British championship’s Supercar and SuperModified categories. The British Rallycross Drivers Association (BRDA), which organises the MSA British Rallycross Championship has negotiated the deal under which Kumho tyres will become specified equipment.

BRDA chairman John Horton said “Kumho will back the MSA British Rallycross Championship for the next three years and offer considerable financial and promotional support. This partnership with Kumho will bring stability to the BRC and the resources to promote the championship to a wider audience.”

20th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Toyo Makes Appointments

(Akron/Tire Review) Toyo Tire (USA) Corp. made two appointments to its sales and marketing staff. Adrian Puente was hired as events project manager, and his primary focus will be on motorsport team support and events. Henry Story was promoted to district sales manager, covering the central and southern U.S. Most recently, Story was project manager for motorsport markeing and events.

19th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

F1 Teams Have a “Good Understanding” of 2007 Tyres – Bridgestone

With the F1 Australian Grand Prix – the first of the 2007 season – taking place on March 18 drivers are getting ample opportunity to get a better feel for the Bridgestone tyres during practice sessions. The March 16 practice sessions saw Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa shine through as the best overall performers. The first practice session began on a wet circuit, which meant that Bridgestone’s wet and extreme wet tyres were given an airing. With the second session run in much drier conditions the medium and soft dry compound tyres were put into use.

16th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors

Prodrive Founder buys Aston Martin

One of the UK’s oldest automotive marques has changed hands for US$848 million. Aston Martin, founded in 1913 and most recently owned by Ford, has been sold to rally driver and founder of prodrive David Richards plus several smaller stakeholders. Ford retains a minority shareholding in the carmaker.

13th March 2007/by Tyrepress Editors