MOTORSPORT
The World Motor Sport Council met in Barcelona recently and, in the subsequent press release issued by the Federation Internationale de L’Automobile (FIA), there were a couple of references to tyres in future Formula 1 and World Rally Championship events.
Exactly a year after their victory in the Pharaoh’s Rally with a Team Overlock Mercedes-Benz Unimog U500, Pirelli’s PS22 standard truck tyres have repeated their performance with another win in the Egyptian marathon. Fitted to an Iveco Eurotrakker driven by specialist Giacomo Vismara, the normal production Pirelli PS22s, are mounted on Italian vehicles in size 14.00 R20.
Pirelli Tyres has been selected as the control tyre manufacturer for the Tesco 99 Octane MSA British Rally Championship. The three-year agreement with Pirelli sees the BRC introducing a prize fund to be spread across all classes in the Championship with every finisher receiving prize money on every round. In addition to the substantial prize fund, Pirelli has introduced a driver development scheme unique to the BRC which, under their direct support, will see the winner being progressed in their careers.
A car enthusiast enjoyed a unique taste of life in the fast lane, after taking an exclusive tour of the Williams F1 factory as a guest of Bridgestone. Robert Newton was given open access to the F1 team’s state-of-the-art Grove head office as the winner of a Tyres & Accessories competition to promote the Firestone brand. The trip enabled him to indulge his passion for fast cars and pick up some useful tips for one of his hobbies-cum-business ventures – building rally cars.
The UK distributor of TSW wheels, Yokohama HPT, has announced the launch of five new designs which have now been introduced into the UK market. The wheels all offer TSW’s trademark quality and style and – according to the company – any car owner looking to individualise their vehicle will find something to their taste and style in the TSW range.
First up is the Holsten, an almost-full face wheel with seriously European undertones. It features a centre-cap to conceal the mounting nuts, giving uninterrupted lines. The Holsten is available in sizes from 9×18 to 10×22 and in silver or chrome finishes.
Motorists who work on their own vehicles at home often want to lift the car to remove a wheel or even carry out an underbody examination, perhaps of the exhaust system. The emergency jack provided with the car is designed specifically just to enable a wheel change, lifting the vehicle at the correct point by the minimum amount required only to change a flat tyre. So having a robust small trolley jack at home is a useful aid to safe lifting for more extensive work.
UK TV viewers of BBC’s Top Gear motoring programme will be familiar with the character called “The Stig” – an anonymous driver who regularly puts cars through their paces by driving them at the limit. Italian tyre manufacturer Marangoni has its own version of the Stig who, according to the company, has the task of assisting the Marangoni research and development team in testing and analysing each product’s ‘intelligence’, on track and road. The information gained is used to ensure performance, comfort and safety are optimised for everyday drivers. The main difference is that the identity of Marangoni’s ‘Stig’ is not shrouded in mystery – he is in fact former F3 driver and European GT Champion, Cristiano del Balzo – the current Director of the Italian equivalent of the MSA, the CSAI Velocità.
Trackday driving is a fast-growing activity for drivers who want to see exactly what their cars are capable of, but often the car will not go where it’s pointed – and nine times out of ten the tyres are the biggest influence. Jerry Freeman of Service & Sport, official tyre partner of Easytrack, Europe’s biggest trackday event organiser, says that there’s a handful of key rules that can turn a trackday nightmare into a driving dream. A former Pirelli motorsport specialist with thousands of racing support miles under his belt, Freeman says 99 per cent of the problems are invisible to the layman.
(Akron/Tire Review) Cooper’s Mickey Thompson tyre group has launched a revised web site – www.mickeythompsontires.com. The updated site, said the company, “features a variety of information on all Mickey Thompson Tires and Wheels in addition to the latest race news, tech tips, motorsports links, event calendars, application guides, an online store, and more.”
Despite wet weather, up to 25,000 people lined the streets of Manchester on Sunday 13 August as six Cooper-equipped A1GP race cars roared around the city centre, reaching speeds of up to 70mph. A1 Teams Great Britain, Australia, China, Ireland, Lebanon and Malaysia drove along a purpose built 1.5km course as part of the Sky Festival, promoting the broadcast of the entire 2006/07 A1GP race season live on Sky Sports in the UK. The calendar of 13 A1GP races will be broadcast to over 100 countries around the world across a network of more than 40 television partners.
The Britcar 24 Hours is seen by some as the jewel in the UK endurance racing crown. Following the successful inaugural event in 2005, the marathon race returns to Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit from 9-10 September and has attracted a diverse range of cars, and headline sponsorship from Dunlop. With the biggest starting line-up in UK racing, up to 80 cars are expected to take to the grid for the 24 Hour race, including Porsches, Ferraris, BMWs and TVRs.
Julian Baldwin has replaced Ron Shield as vice president of Cooper’s European operations and as managing director of Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. Europe. Baldwin, who previously held the position of marketing and motorsports director, will be responsible for the company’s sales, marketing, manufacturing, supply chain and finance activities throughout Europe. He will continue to oversee the global motorsport remit that includes the British GT, British F3, GP Masters and A1 GP series. Ron Shield is retiring after 15 year with Cooper. The news comes less than two-weeks after Tom Dattilo resigned as chairman, president and CEO of Cooper Tire and Rubber Company.
The Cooper sponsored A1GP World Cup of Motorsport is to visit New Zealand with Taupo hosting the sixth round of the Series on 21 January 2007. The announcement was made in Auckland by A1GP chief operating officer David Clare in the presence of Prime Minister Helen Clark, key Cabinet Minister Trevor Mallard and the race managers. In Season One A1GP had an average live television audience of 7.7 million for each round across 37 networks in 120 countries, with 127 different programmes generated per round. Some 2000 media representatives attended the 11 events.
Falken Tyres attendance at Max Power Live (at the NEC.), said to be the “Fastest, loudest car show ever”, lived up to expectations according to the company. Inside the halls were filled with stands and bursting with customised cars. Outside was the Speed Arena where people could watch the cars in action.
The Falken team designed their exhibit to stand out and, according to company staff it was constantly busy as a result. The Falken girls once again drew in the crowds by giving people signed posters and having their photograph taken. In addition GT4, the Playstation computer game that features the Falken Skyline, had queues of people waiting to play.
The A1GP World Cup of Motorsport will race on the streets of Manchester, this summer as part of Sky Festival. In a UK-first, six elite A1GP cars and drivers will complete a 1.5 kilometre course, through the centre of Manchester from 2-3pm on Sunday 13 August – the third and final day of the three day free festival. A1 Teams Australia, China, Great Britain, Ireland, Lebanon, and Malaysia will all run on the road course. A1GP uses Cooper control tyres.
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.
