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Dmack expecting asphalt test on Rallye Deutschland

Previewing the coming German round of the FIA World Rally Championship, tyre supplier Dmack has revealed the ways in which it views the all-asphalt event as another tough challenge. The first full asphalt event of the season attracts fans from across Europe, Dmack is looking forward to testing its tyres on Germany’s demanding special stages as it aims to follow WRC2 victory at Rally Finland. Dick Cormack, Dmack motorsport director, said: “We are hoping to follow the success in Finland on gravel with another solid result on asphalt.

16th August 2013/12,345 Comments/by Tyrepress Editors

Dunlop to supply Geomax MX71 to FMX4Ever

Dunlop has announced a new cooperation with the Red Bull-sponsored FMX4Ever freestyle motocross team, for whom the manufacturer will provide advanced off-road motorcycle tyres for the team. FMX, or Freestyle Motocross, focuses on aerial manoeuvres – or jumps and stunts – known as tricks. Dunlop’s hard terrain Geomax MX71, which will be provided to FMX4Ever, have directional front and rear patterns, optimising performance under braking and acceleration – exactly what is needed on ramps and on jump receptions. The FMX4Ever team will use the Geomax MX71 90/100-21 as front tyre and the MX71 110/90-19 at the rear.

12th August 2013/12,345 Comments/by Tyrepress Editors

Lack of F1 contract a bizarre situation, says Hembery

Pirelli’s motorsport director has described the absence of a tyre supply contract for next year’s Formula One championship as a “most bizarre situation.” The company’s three-year contract ends at the end of the current season and as a new deal has not been struck it must go ahead with plans for next year without any guarantee that it’ll be selected as tyre supplier.

12th August 2013/12,345 Comments/by Tyrepress Editors

BTCC soft tyre providing additional excitement – Dunlop

Dunlop’s soft compound Sport Maxx tyre, added to the British Touring Car Championship as an option for nine out of the ten rounds, has added a new dimension to the racing in this year’s series. Of the 15 races at which the soft tyre has been made available, six victories have been claimed on the tyre, including two on Sunday at Snetterton, while the medium version has been used to win eight. The final race at Croft was won by Matt Neal on the Dunlop BluResponse wet tyre. Dunlop has been very satisfied by the results of its winter development, having been asked to provide an option tyre with increased grip but reduced durability by series organiser TOCA.

9th August 2013/12,345 Comments/by Tyrepress Editors

Option tyre playing ‘major role’ in exciting DTM season – Hankook

The introduction of an option tyre this year in DTM was something of an unknown quantity, as teams had no previous data or experience with which to predict its performance. With one set available only for the race, it was always going to be interesting to see how they would be used, and the tyre supplier to the German touring car series (competing in international locations) believes that its influence has had a positive effect on the action, heading into the second half of the season at the Moscow Raceway this weekend. Hankook says the softer compound Ventus Race Plus has allowed drivers to set faster lap times in the first 30-60km of use, before the tyre’s performance drops off to levels below those offered by the regular Ventus Race tyre. It is constructed to behave in this way purposely to allow for more tactical racing, and with five races won by five different drivers (albeit with one subsequently disqualified), the top five in the drivers’ standings within 24 points and all manufacturers with at least one race victory, Hankook argues that the tyre has helped make the series more competitive.

2nd August 2013/12,345 Comments/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli to make WRC comeback

WRC competitors will be able to select tyres from an additional manufacturer in 2014 after Pirelli registered as an official supplier to the Championship. The FIA confirmed on 1 August that the Italian manufacturer will join existing suppliers Michelin, Dmack and Hankook, who continues to supply tyres to Junior WRC.

2nd August 2013/12,345 Comments/by Tyrepress Editors

Brembo seeks growth in Americas

International News, News

Leading European performance brakes brand Brembo is continuing to diversify its global strategy in a bid to tackle sales figures that continue to fall in much of its traditionally strong markets. In the first quarter of 2013, the German and, to a lesser extent based on the relatively good performance of its automotive manufacturing, UK markets were the only two to increase sales, while domestic Italian and southern Europe continued to look weak. However, growing sales in the USA and China are prompting global investment, such as the 115 million euro investment the manufacturer recently announced to expand its US and Brazilian operations. And the company has continued to indulge its penchant for spectacle, with involvement in top-level motorsport series, such as MotoGP and Formula One, and Hollywood blockbusters driving its continued premium brand marketing.

31st July 2013/12,345 Comments/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin to comment on F1 supply

According to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport, Michelin intends to make an announcement regarding its stance on F1 tyre supply later this week. The publication believes the French manufacturer will voice its readiness to bid for the contract. The question is, it adds, when it would be ready to begin? Would Michelin be ready in time for 2014? That is unlikely, Auto Motor und Sport opines. It’s much too late for a tender covering 2014 as teams must be informed about tyre sizes by 1 September.

29th July 2013/12,345 Comments/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli to take hardest F1 compounds to Spa, Monza

Pirelli has announced that it will take its P Zero Orange (hard) and White (medium) compound Formula One tyres to Spa and Monza this year, while the final street race in Singapore will see the use of the P Zero Red supersoft compound along with the White. If there a whiff of conservatism about Pirelli’s tyre choices for the two fastest tracks of the year, you wouldn’t necessarily blame the tyre supplier. Following the harshness and high profile of the criticism it has received in 2013 – building to the crescendo after the British grand prix – the latest announcement is perhaps an indication of a change in thinking; perhaps it would be good not to talk about degrading Pirelli tyres for a while. On the other hand, Pirelli reasons that at these most demanding of tracks, the harder compounds are simply best-equipped to deal with the conditions, and Pirelli has tended to steer clear of by default providing tyres two compound steps apart, as had become conventional in the recent past. Of course, Singapore will provide an opportunity to see if this idea provides more strategic choices for teams and drivers. Motorsport director Paul Hembery reiterated his view that the tyres selected would provide the “best opportunities for strategy” and be “the most effective race tyres.”

26th July 2013/12,345 Comments/by Tyrepress Editors

Maxxis extends UK 4×4 range

Maxxis has announced the planned extension of its 4×4 tyre range in the UK, confirming the full availability of every tyre in it. The company says this move is a result of increasing customer demand from distributor Stapleton’s. The manufacturer is also readying itself to contest the King of the Valleys endurance event in August – its tyres were used by the winner of the inaugural contest in 2012, and Maxxis is confident the fierce competition will be the perfect showcase for its range. Maxxis Marauder, Bravo, Bighorn, Trepador, Mudzilla and Creepy Crawler tyres will now be available to UK dealers through the Stapleton’s distribution network.

25th July 2013/12,345 Comments/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli sponsors Porsche 911 parade at Silverstone Classic

Pirelli is back at Silverstone this weekend following its recent Formula One visits for the Silverstone Classic. The manufacturer will sponsor a Porsche 911 parade of the GP circuit on Sunday 28 July to commemorate its 60th anniversary, having signed a minimum three-year deal to sponsor Porsche Club Great Britain. Pirelli’s financial support of Porsche Club GB, as well as providing it with tyres and on-event technical expertise, are part of this agreement, makes it the official tyre supplier to the 16-race Porsche Club Championship series for production-based Porsches. Pirelli will also bring its F1 simulator and hospitality unit to the annual three-day event, from which it will run a number of competitions with prizes including drive experience days at Thruxton race circuit.

24th July 2013/12,345 Comments/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli hungry for 2014 F1 test schedule confirmation

Pirelli travels to the Hungaroring with the new mash-up tyre selection sampled by 2013 drivers at Silverstone’s Young Driver Test last week this weekend. Consisting of the 2013 compounds in the tread and the 2012 Kevlar-belted construction, Pirelli channelled its inner Thom Yorke, pronouncing there were no alarms and no surprises following the “reliable” testing of the ‘new’ tyres’ performance. Pirelli’s Motorsport director Paul Hembery was diplomatic following the Young Driver Test, opining that “everybody achieved their objectives” at Silverstone. Thanking the teams for their cooperation in running tyre tests as required by Pirelli, he said the tyres had run “reliably throughout the three days”, and maintained the hope that they would allow teams to use “an interesting mix of strategies for the races ahead”. Yet with teams already possessing “a lot of information about the shape and deformation of this tyre from the previous season,” according to Hembery, it seems likely that these new compromise tyres could reduce tactical malleability. That said, the Hungarian grand prix will allow some focus on tyre strategy, with limited overtaking opportunities and low average speeds, so perhaps there could be more to talk about from a tyre point of view than Tyrepress.com anticipates.

23rd July 2013/12,345 Comments/by Tyrepress Editors

Yokohama launches AD08 ‘evolution’

Yokohama has added another high performance PCR to its ranks following the introduction earlier in the year of its leading UHP product, the Advan Sport V105. The Japanese manufacturer has added the latest evolution of its Advan Neova AD08 tyre, a product it describes as its “most aggressive road-going product.” The new version, the Advan Neova AD08R, appears similar externally; however, Yokohama assures its customers that alterations made to the tyre’s compound have resulted in significant improvements to the high levels of grip and response that made its predecessor a tyre of choice for ultra-high performance road and track day use.

22nd July 2013/12,345 Comments/by Tyrepress Editors

Our sponsorship reaches 100% of core target group – Continental

These days it seems every tyre maker and his dog participate in motorsport. This is fine of course, and a good way to boost brand awareness. But serving as a tyre supplier involves considerable product development costs, not to mention the logistics and planning associated with each championship round. And motorsport sponsorship only reaches a particular target audience – unless, as we’ve seen throughout this year, in cases where the tyre supplier finds itself on the receiving end of negative media attention.

11th July 2013/12,345 Comments/by Tyrepress Editors

Dmack tyres on 3 Fiesta R5 WRC crews

Tyre supplier to the FIA World Rally Championship Dmack has been chosen as the first fitment to three of the five new Ford Fiesta R5s built by M-Sport debuting on the Neste Oil Rally Finland next month. Local driver Jari Ketomaa and Norwegian Eyvind Brynildsen in Autotek-run Fiesta R5s wrapped in Dmack 2013 livery, and Robert Barrable from Dublin, Ireland in his CA1 Sport Fiesta plan to line up at the start of the event in Jyvaskyla with Dmack’s DMG+2 gravel tyre. Dmack, a brand manufactured in China by Shandong Yongtai and developed over the past few years in tandem with Carlisle-based Dick Cormack, faces stiff competition from the other WRC tyre supplier, Michelin. Dmack launched a range of passenger car and commercial vehicle tyres through a number of global distribution partners in 2012.

10th July 2013/12,345 Comments/by Tyrepress Editors