MOTORSPORT
It was a good weekend for Dunlop on 7/8/9th October at Brands Hatch, with Dunlop-shod riders taking all the available two-wheel titles.
Gregorio Lavilla, on an Airwaves Ducati, clinched the Superbike championship with a first and second place in the two races; the first-ever Spaniard to win the title.
As Kimi Raikonnen celebrates what he has described as one of his best victories ever, the FIA is said to be considering a U-turn on its policy of keeping to one set of tyres per race weekend. Despite starting back in 17th on the grid, Raikonnen powered to victory on the last lap of the Japanese Grand Prix. Renault’s Giancarlo Fisichella and Fernando Alonso filled the remaining podium places. Once again, Michael Schumacher’s seventh place Ferrari was the only Bridgestone shod vehicle to score points.
The UK finalist of the Bridgestone e-reporter competition, Mike Channell, has been announced as the overall winner of its pan-European Bridgestone e-reporter young journalist competition.
He attended the European Grand Prix as part of his prize and reported on the inaugural GP2 Series for Bridgestone Europe and the GP2 Series’ websites. Channell will fly to Japan for this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, and also received a new laptop.
Bridgestone has called in some of its celebrity connections to help motivate workers in advance of next weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix. Michael Schumacher, Rubens Barichello, and Ferrari F1 team managing director Jean Todt recently visited Bridgestone’s worldwide headquarters in Tokyo at the invitation of Bridgestone Corporation president, CEO and chairman, Shigeo Watanabe.
How does motorsport engineering influence series development and vice versa? This question will be at the heart of the Global Motorsports Congress to be held in Frankfurt on 17 and 18 November.
Researchers and developers from throughout the world of motorsport and series development will attend the two-day event in Germany.
Marcus Gronholm’s Pirelli-equipped Peugeot 307 WRC, has won the all-gravel Rally Japan, round 13 of the World Rally Championship. The event came to a dramatic finish when the Subaru of Petter Solberg, which had led from the beginning, retired through a steering mechanism failure. Pirelli-shod cars dominated the action throughout all three days, setting 25 fastest times out of 26 stages with all three partner teams (Subaru, Peugeot and Mitsubishi). Gronholm, who took the lead when Solberg retired, notched up Pirelli’s 140th World Championship rally victory.
Yokohama Rubber’s IAA exhibit was designed to continue the manufacturer’s strategy of pushing its premium Advan range. Under the banner of “Further Evolving Advan – A Global Flagship Brand” Yokohama showed visitors its commitment to becoming a world leader in tyre brand development through three aspects – its flagship product line-up, OE activities and motorsports activities.
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Observers are hailing the inaugural race of the new A1 Grand Prix motorsport series as a success after it attracted 72,000 visitors over its first weekend. The fact that the series was able to sell out every seat at Brands Hatch when spectators couldn’t have known exactly what to expect must have been music to the ears of organisers and control tyre supplier Cooper.
The British leg and opening race of the series was won by Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jnr, a driver who has already made a name for himself in the GP2 series.
Hankook Tire Co has signed alliance agreement with German tuning company, Hamann Motorsport, company officials have reported. Under the deal, Hankook Tire will cooperate with Hamann Motorsport in promoting their brand recognition and carrying out joint promotional activities, the Asia Pulse agency has reported.
Michelin has confirmed it will end its F1 links with Williams and Toyota in a press conference at Spa-Francorchamps on Saturday evening. As expected the company also suggested it would pull-out of Formula 1 altogether if it became a single supplier series. However the sport’s governing body, the FIA, hit back at Eduoard’s Michelin’s statement saying: “If Mr Michelin is not aware of these simple facts he shows an almost comical lack of knowledge of modern Formula 1.”
Pirelli has announced that it will provide original equipment for the new Audi RS4 range. The Italian tyre manufacturer made the announcement at the Pirelli proving ground in Vizzola Ticino – exclusively fitting the vehicle with the company’s ultra high performance P Zero Rosso and P Zero Corsa Asimmetrico tyres.
Tyre supplier Michelin is set to shed at least two F1 teams next year, online news sources have reported. Michelin currently dominates the Formula 1 grid, supplying tyres to 70 per cent of entrants. Michelin CEO Edouard Michelin is expected to announce which teams will swap suppliers to Bridgestone at Spa this weekend. Further speculation has suggested that Michelin may pull out of F1 completely at the end of 2006. Teams tipped to move to Bridgestone include Red Bull and Williams. Toyota is also reported to be under pressure to team up with the fellow Japanese company.
Dunlop is introducing a series of ‘Great and British’ Dunlop Motorsport Festivals for the 2006 season.
A major marketing programme, to broaden the appeal of motorsport in the UK and to introduce new spectators to the sport, will also support the weekend events.
The complete list of championships is due be announced shortly, however the John Cooper Mini Challenge, Radical Enduro and Radical BiDuro Championships, and Avo Ginetta Championship have already signalled their commitment to the package, which is backed by the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC).
The Yokohama Rubber Co, Ltd is to exhibit at the 61st International Motor Show (IAA) Passenger Cars 2005 in Frankfurt, Germany from September 13 to 25. The company’s exhibit will go under the theme of “Further Evolving Advan – A Global Flagship Brand.” Yokohama says it will show visitors its commitment to becoming a world leader in tyre brand development through three aspects – its flagship product line-up, OE activities and motorsports activities.
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The A1 Grand Prix’s first calendar has been confirmed and unveiled. In its inaugural year the A1GP will feature 24 races over 12 weekends. Teams from across the globe will compete on a level playing field across world-famous circuits and newly upgraded facilities. All cars will run on a standardised control tyre produced by Cooper Tire & Rubber.
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