Motorsport Archives - Page 127 of 129

Goodyear Eagle F1 performs well in Which? tyre test

Consumer Association magazine, Which? put the leading UHP tyres through their paces recently with the Goodyear Eagle F1 coming top of its category
again. A convoy of cars were driven over 6,000 miles each in order to compile the results, with the spotlight turned on performance in both wet and dry conditions, ride comfort, noise creation, rolling resistance and wear. The Which? test saw the Goodyear Eagle F1 competing in the 17 inch category, a tyre that would normally be fitted on sporty versions of cars such as BMW 3 Series, Ford Mondeo and VW Golfs. The extensive testing saw the Eagle F1 given an impressive score of 70 per cent across all categories, with Which? reserving special comment for its grip in both wet and dry conditions, as well as declaring it the quietest in its section.

11th March 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Cooper Tire Motorsports brings Mickey Thompson Tyres to the UK

Product News

In the sport of drag racing Mickey Thompson Drag Tyres are a force to be reckoned with in the United States. Now, through Cooper Tire Motorsports, Mickey Thompson drag tyres will be available from Avon Tyres Racing and three specialist distributors in the UK.

5th March 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Autosport International – is this what the tyre industry needs?

Premium, Product News

The Annual Autosport International show is without question one of the UK’s most successful motor shows. What began as an off-season showcase for the motorsports industries has developed into a glittering exhibition that few involved in motorsport can afford to ignore; though both Michelin and Bridgestone did just that this year.

Here we found Dunlop, Goodyear, Pirelli, Yokohama, Avon, Hoosier, Kumho, and Silverstone represented by Sport and Service. Each taking a very focussed approach to motorsport tyres and the motorsport sector. There were some odd men out, Vredestein and Technic both had stands and from a promotional point of view one had to wonder what the relationship between their display and motorsport was. Having said that Vredestein went home happy, reporting that they had gone to the show to contact independent dealers and made plenty of contacts. The company also took home the award for Best Stand in The Aftermarket Show. The company was also first to confirm its intention to return next year for the 2005 event. “We hoped to meet independent dealers and they were there in large numbers. It’s been a great show,” said Bert Stellinga. A similar statement came from Ian Smith at Technic, “It’s been a very successful return to exhibitions for Technic. We have seen independent tyre dealers, previous customers who have recognised the brand name and come on to the stand to re-establish contact, plus we are going away with some very promising leads.”

Technic took the opportunity of the show to display some clever blue retread tyres on a Smart car. The ‘blue tyre concept’ featured tyre casings with a blue pigment silica rally-type compound, rather than the traditional carbon black. “It was a move that has raised a great deal of interest and we are now considering adding coloured tyres to our range” said operations director Ian Smith.

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27th February 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Single Tyre for F1?

Motorsport

Max Mosley, FIA president, is considering putting an end to F1’s greatest present day battle, the tyre war, and having just one supplier for all of the teams because he believes it will allow the teams to reduce the number of hours spent testing, which in turn would cut the cost of competing in F1. He added, “The greatest controllable waste of money in F1 is testing. If there was just one tyre supplier, you could simply say: ‘No tyres for testing’. And that would be the end of it.” The teams, though, are already considering a proposal to cut the number of days spent testing.

19th February 2004/by Tyrepress Editors

Manufacturers in motorsport

News

Motorsport is a key tool in marketing tyres and has been since the first tyres were produced. Harvey Firestone used to say “Race them on Sunday, sell them on Monday”. That holds as true today as it did back then. However, the market is much more complex now with a wider variety of motorsports and a wider variety of manufacturers. Not only that but the technology of the vehicles and the tyres has developed at a pace that has created specialist divisions in manufacture solely to deal with developing motorsport tyres.

T&A looks at the leading players in the market in the UK and uncovers the thinking behind their involvement in motorsport, why they do it, how they do it and indeed what they hope to gain from motorsport in the long run. From a simple publicity advantage for some, through to a full blown engineering partnership with vehicle manufacturers for others.

12th December 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone loses BAR Honda contract

Product News

Bridgestone Motorsport has confirmed that it will not supply the Lucky Strike BAR Honda team with tyres for the forthcoming 2004 FIA Formula One World Championship. Bridgestone and BAR have amicably agreed to cease the current supply contract with immediate effect. Commented Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, Hiroshi Yasukawa: “Whilst Bridgestone is naturally disappointed not to continue its working relationship with the BAR formula one team, we wish them the best of luck in their future endeavours.” BAR Team Principal, David Richards, commented: “We would like to thank Bridgestone for the excellent technical partnership we have enjoyed with them over the past five years. We wish them well for the 2004 Championship and beyond.”

25th November 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Maxsport Competition Tyres: Retreading the motorsport way

Product News

In today’s economic climate there are few people investing in car tyre retreading. The received wisdom is that in the UK car tyre retreading is dead or dying, and that across Europe it is seriously ill.
However, Peter Burgess, tyre trade enthusiast and entrepreneur has done just that. He has invested in a car tyre retreading plant, which for many people in the know is tantamount to confirming a kind of madness not seen since George III. However, Peter Burgess reveals that there is indeed method in his madness.

Maxsport competition tyres have been around for 15 years or so. The brand was originally owned by rally enthusiast Redmond Barry. Unhappy with paying high prices for motorsport tyres, Barry bought a few moulds and contracted an existing retreader to produce the tyres for him. Initially he had tyres made for himself and a few friends but the demand grew and the Maxsport brand developed a role in the motorsport sector. By 1993 the brand was sold to Monarch and Barry took on a role as sales consultant for Maxsport. When Monarch went into receivership Redmond Barry and Bill Madison bought the Maxsport side of the business. The next couple of years were a bit of a rollercoaster as manufacturers came and went.

In the meantime Peter Burgess had been selling Maxsport motorsport tyres through his Treble B outlets and directly to the grasstrack market. This experience with the brand and a knowledge of the market led Peter Burgess into a business relationship with Redmond Barry which resulted this year in the opening of a brand new factory dedicated to manufacturing Maxsport Competition Tyres.

17th November 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Eagle F1 Is “Best Buy”

Motorsport

In the US, the publication “Consumers Digest Magazine” has named the Goodyear Eagle F1 tyre as the “Best Buy” in the performance tyre category – an accolade that CDM awards to fewer than three per cent of the products it reviews. The tyre was also rated as the “Premium Selection” – a designation that means the product is “the best at any price” according to CDM.

1st October 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

New tyre plant for Wales

Product News

A sports car tyre retreading business has been launched in Wales. Maxsport Competition Tyres is to create up to 25 new jobs at its new tyre retread facility in Rhayader, Powys where it plans to eventually retread more than 50,000 tyres a year, primarily for the motorsport and off-road vehicle markets in Europe and Asia. The company, which has invested more than £1m in a 37,000 sq ft unit at the town’s Brynberth Industrial Estate where it currently employs nine people. Maxsport Competition Tyres is part of the Treble B Group based at Caterham, Surrey, which distributes new and retreaded tyres throughout the UK and has depots in England and South Wales. The group plans to open a new storage and distribution facility in Rhayader in the future.

22nd September 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone back at the IAA

Product News

Bridgestone will return to the Frankfurt IAA in 2003, after a 12-year absence, with an innovative display of its latest tyre technology and achievements. The 310 m2 booth will be located in Hall 8, nr. A18. The famous red Formula One Ferrari catches the eye, but there’s more to the stand than motorsport glitter. “We wanted to show that Bridgestone develops world-class tyre technology”, says Mr Günter Unterhauser, Managing Director of Bridgestone Germany. “The IAA is one of the most prestigious motor shows in the world and certainly the top show in Germany. It is not only for end users. It gives us the chance to invite loyal dealers and our First Stop partners, to convey the message that we are a high tech company and to show them the new range.”

2nd September 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

F1 Tyre Ruling Causes Controversy

Motorsport

The ruling body of Formula One, the FIA, has made a ruling that could effectively brand Michelin’s tyres as illegal. This follows a complaint, believed to have been made by Ferrari and Bridgestone, although both have denied it, that Michelin’s tread is wider than the 270 mm permitted by F1 regulations. If Michelin has to scrap its current tyres, the company cannot possibly modify the design before the Italian Grand Prix on September 14th and Michelin’s Pierre Dupasquier has suggested that the five teams running on Michelins might boycott the Monza GP. He says: “Our partners would have to spend a lot of money without any guarantee that they would not be disqualified. It is up to them to decide.”

1st September 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear Eagle F1 Scores Well In Survey

Motorsport

Goodyear’s Eagle F1 GS D3 performance radial has performed well in a survey of customers conducted by US mail order company Tire Rack. The tyre scored 9.4 out of 10 in the “repurchase” category, compared to the next highest score of 8.6. Tire Rack also tested the tyres against Michelin and Bridgestone in both wet and dry conditions and found that, although dry performance was comparable, the Goodyear tyre achieved the best lap times in the wet.

25th June 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Goodyear’s New Eagle F1 Tire Wins NorTech Innovation Award

Motorsport

Goodyear’s Eagle F1 GS-D3 “world tire” won praise just outside the company’s hometown last week, when company representatives accepted a NorTech Innovation Award for the unique, global tire.

8th June 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

F1 Tyre Competition Goes On

Motorsport

Michelin’s Motorsport Director, Pierre Dupasquier, has been reported in the British media saying that the tyre manufacturer developed new compounds and constructions for Formula 1 during the winter. Compared with 2002, the new tyres should be about one second quicker per lap and he hopes that the teams Michelin fits in 2003 can break the dominance of the Bridgestone/Ferrari package.

12th February 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone And Jordan Sign Up For Fifth Year Running

Product News

Bridgestone Motorsport has extended its involvement with the Jordan Grand Prix team for a fifth consecutive year. Bridgestone began supplying tyres to Jordan in 1999 and since then Jordan has won two Grands Prix and achieved six additional podium positions.

17th January 2003/by Tyrepress Editors

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