MOTORSPORT
Michelin has renewed its commitment to the NASCAR Whelen Euro-Series (the new name for the former Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series). The tyre maker has been involved in the US-imported championship since 2009 as technical partner and tyre supplier, and has developed two tyres for the mechanically uncomplicated cars used in NASCAR. These are the Michelin S9C slick (33/70-15) and P2E rain tyre (33/70-15).
Developed for the European Rallycross Championship with competitive testing in Germany, Sweden and Norway, Cooper Tire has launched its new 17” wet-weather rallycross tyre. The new tyre has already run in open competition in both Portugal and France, setting fastest laps in the heats. Cooper says its eponymous and Avon brands are established as global rallycross leaders, with these brands supplying the tyres of choice for the vast majority of competitors.
An 11-year old racing driver has gained tyre brand Falken’s support alongside her first victory in the National Ministox series. The Japanese manufacturer supplies tyres to Catherine Harris as part of its expanding presence in UK grass roots motorsport. The brand recently announced its intention to back the ANWCC Under-17s AutoSOLO and the K11 Micra Rally series, and is using this involvement as a way of raising the awareness of the importance of tyres to the next generation of car drivers.
Maxxis is supporting the drifting ambitions of one of its promotional team of Maxxis Babes. Michelle Westby has set her sights on achieving her semi-pro licence by the end of 2013 having taken up drifting a year ago and the tyre supplier that originally made her part of its motorsport marketing presence is supporting her driving ambitions with sponsorship, tyres and website assistance. Maxxis International managing director Derek McMartin says the relationship is “proving to be mutually beneficial.”
Pirelli has released two statements to explain the reasons behind the spate of tyre failures at the British grand prix. The exclusive tyre supplier said that the “sophisticated” asymmetric construction of the current P Zero Formula One slicks meant that tyre management methods employed by teams, such as mounting rear tyres on the opposite side to that for which they were designed, reduced tyre pressures, and extreme cambers had combined with the high kerbs at Silverstone to cause the problems, which Pirelli Motorsport director Paul Hembery described as “completely unexpected”. While Hembery was adamant that the “2013 range of tyres, used in the correct way, is completely safe”, he accepted that Pirelli had “underestimated” the effects that these unconventional running techniques would have on the tyres, and had declined to forbid mounting tyres the wrong way around. In future, Pirelli is seeking, with the agreement of FIA, FOM, the teams and the drivers, greater control over the ways in which its F1 tyres are utilised.
Following a highly successful debut at Snetterton in Norfolk seven weeks ago, the new-for-2013 Michelin Clio Cup Series with Protyre will resume its season at North Yorkshire's Croft Circuit this weekend, 6/7 July, with the third and fourth races of the inaugural campaign. Established for its maiden year as a series of races rather than a championship, the Renault UK and British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) category – which features classes for third generation Clio Cup race cars and converted Clio Renaultsport 197 roadcars – has certainly hit the ground running.
Falken Motorsport has released a 28 minute movie showcasing its 2013 Nürburgring 24 Hours experiences. Filmed across three countries and on location at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, the film contains driver interviews and intense racing action culled from 25 terabytes of data. The film is now available to view online via sites such as YouTube and Facebook, as well as in the subscriber area on Tyrepress.com below.
To say that June was an interesting month for the tyre industry is something of an understatement. It was explosive – and in at least one case literally so. But the drama of it all offers consumers a challenging life lesson.
In accordance with the new regulations in the FIA European Rally Championship (FIA ERC), Michelin launched its latest range of asphalt rally tyres at the GEKO Ypres Rally between 27 and 29 June. The French tyre maker describes the new Michelin Pilot Sport R range as “streamlined” and “cost-effective” – music to the ears of ERC organisers, whose proposal to restrict tyre usage as of the Ypres Rally was agreed upon by the FIA on 24 May. Organiser Eurosport Events says these measures have been implemented to “reduce the cost of competing in the flagship competition.” This decision followed new tyre regulations introduced by the FIA on 1 May.
Bernie Ecclestone has given Pirelli the go-ahead for two three-day tyre tests during the 2013 season with a current F1 car – little over a week since an international tribunal reprimanded the tyre manufacturer and the Mercedes team for the way in which they conducted a previous 1,000km test. While the news follows the number of deflations that occurred at the British grand prix on the Sunday, the Formula One boss revealed the changes were made as a result of a meeting held on the Saturday between FIA president Jean Todt, Pirelli Motorsport director Paul Hembery and Ecclestone himself. Ecclestone also stated his opinion on talk of a driver boycott of the German grand prix if nothing is done to solve the tyre problems at Silverstone: "I don't think that will happen. I don't think it's something we need to address," he told the BBC.
Anyone predicting that Formula One’s tyre supplier Pirelli could settle in for a quieter end to the 2013 season had a rude awakening at the British grand prix. Three rear left tyre deflations in the first 15 laps decidedly different in character from the delaminations seen earlier in the season led to a lengthy safety car period. During these laps race marshals rushed to clear debris from all around the track, while FIA race director Charlie Whiting was reportedly on the verge of red-flagging the race on safety grounds. But the race continued to a highly compelling conclusion for a passionate crowd of over 110,000 after Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel rolled to a standstill on the home straight, an event that lifted the spirits of a partisan home crowd. They were denied a British victory, though home favourite Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton produced a season’s-best drive to claim fourth following his early tyre failure from first. Mark Webber also pushed the victorious Nico Rosberg close in the final stages, marking an apt last British grand prix for the popular, perennial nearly-man. The fans surrounding Tyres & Accessories near the home straight, who had been more than murmuring their discontent at Pirelli following the early tyre deflations, raised their voices to a crescendo as Hamilton and Webber improvised a tyre strategy to allow them to work their way through the grid.
With the ink still drying on Apollo Tyre’s agreement to purchase Cooper Tire and Rubber, on 27 June Tyres & Accessories met with Apollo vice chairman and managing director Neeraj Kanwar at the company's new global marketing office in central London in order to get the inside line on the deal, the impending integration and the strategy behind the purchase.
In 2010, Apollo's owners, chairman Onkar Kanwar and vice-chairman and managing director Neeraj Kanwar, told the world that the company was aiming to break into the global top 10…at least. At the time this announcement was made you could be forgiven for thinking such a proclamation was either an exercise in hyperbole or in corporate goal setting. And why not? There's nothing wrong with aiming high, as many of the world's fastest growing tyre companies are clearly doing. After all, as the saying goes, “he who aims at nothing hits it”.
But with all the speculation that surrounded the company's decision to engage in takeover talks with Cooper at the end of 2012, the fact that the deal has now been agreed arguably isn't as much of a surprise as the speed with which the top 10 goal has been attained. Early indications suggest that the amalgamated Apollo/Cooper will be the seventh largest tyre company on earth. So what’s next? The exclusive club that is dominated and fiercely defended by the big five? Or, as is more likely, a period of integration and consolidation while the dust settles?
The voting process for the 2013 NTDA Tyre & Fast Fit Awards has already begun and ends on 27th September. The big difference this year is that voting is only via the NTDA website (ntda.co.uk/TAFF) and not by post, as in previous years. For the second year running, the TAFF Awards are sponsored by speciality chemicals company Lanxess.
Possibly the most famous phrase in the history of the United States Supreme Court occurred when Justice Potter Stewart attempted to explain why, in his opinion the 1958 European film festival award-winner Les Amants should not be censored as pornographic: “I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that.” Two months later James Bond uttered the same seven-word phrase in the film Goldfinger – “it” referring to gold in this instance rather than questionable motion pictures – further popularising the phrase as a sort of shorthand for the application of common sense when attempts to define a field become tedious. Some of this attitude has certainly come through to Tyrepress.com this month, after the Question of the Month queried, “Are all tyres now ‘high performance’?”
Pirelli has introduced the latest addition to its P Zero family: the new Pirelli P Zero Nero GT. Available in a wide range of fitments, the new ultra high performance tyre was introduced for 2013. The tyre’s headline improvement is increased durability, which Pirelli says it has achieved without affecting driving pleasure, safety and performance. Also underlining the importance of the high performance segment to Pirelli is May 2013’s 50th anniversary celebration of its partnership with Lamborghini.
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