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Bridgestone to finish MotoGP season in Simoncelli tribute

Bridgestone travels to Valencia for this MotoGP season’s final round, which the tyre supplier says will be run in tribute to Marco Simoncelli, whose death in Malaysia last week devastated those involved in the series. Hiroshi Yamada, manager at Bridgestone’s Motorsport Department said: “It is with heavy hearts that we travel to Valencia this week for the final round of the season, but that we continue racing is in itself a fitting tribute to Marco. He never gave up, so nor shall we.

1st November 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Michelin appoints new commercial director of agriculture

Michelin Tyre has announced the appointment of former Wedgwood and Austin Reed customer service specialist Mike Lawton as its new commercial director of agriculture, responsible for the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Lawton joined Michelin’s UK operation, based in Stoke-on-Trent’s Campbell Road, in 1999. He will replace Rob Beddis, who is retiring at the end of the month, after seven years in the role.

31st October 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Vettel takes on Hembery in tyre fitting challenge

Sebastian Vettel, the first winner of the Formula One Drivers’ Championship in the Pirelli era, took on Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery in a tyre fitting challenge at the Buddh International Circuit in India yesterday afternoon. The German driver had never fitted a tyre before, though that did not prevent him from beating Hembery’s time by 31 seconds. Despite help from the Pirelli crew, both men took more than twice as long as the experts in assembling the wheel from scratch. The event, filmed by television crews around the world, is another example of Pirelli’s ongoing mission to put tyres in the limelight during its period as F1’s supplier.

28th October 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook DTM tyre supplied for NZ V8 Supertourer championship

The V8 SuperTourer championship in New Zealand has announced that Hankook will supply the tyres it developed for the German-based DTM series. The Korean manufacturer will hold the exclusive position for the next three years following a period of testing.

25th October 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli “deliberately conservative” in F1’s first visit to India

Pirelli’s motorsport director Paul Hembery says the newly-introduced Indian Grand Prix, taking place at the recently-constructed Buddh International Circuit near the manufacturer’s Indian HQ in New Delhi, has led to Formula One’s tyre supplier taking a “deliberately conservative” compound line-up “simply because on a brand new circuit you are never quite sure of the exact race conditions you will encounter.” With the track never having been used before, Pirelli has opted for a tyre nomination that should cover every eventuality, with the P Zero Silver hard tyre – making its final appearance of the season – alongside the P Zero Yellow soft tyre.

24th October 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Bridgestone Motorsport expresses “devastation” over Simoncelli

The tragic events at MotoGP’s Malaysian Grand Prix, at which Italian San Carlo Honda Gresini rider Marco Simoncelli was killed, have left representatives at tyre supplier Bridgestone Motorsport understandably devastated. Taka Horio, general manager at the department, continued: “Our thoughts and prayers are with Marco’s family at this terrible, terrible time, and with his team. Words can do no justice to the emotion we are all feeling.

24th October 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

F3 Euro Series Kumho supply deal to end

The F3 Euro Series will announce a new tyre supplier for 2012 as the existing deal with Korean manufacturer Kumho will not be renewed, Autosport.com reports. The website reports that the championship's managing director Walter Mertes says the amicable ending of the supply agreement meant the championship had lost “an always loyal partner”.

20th October 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Hankook previews maiden DTM season closer

Hankook’s maiden DTM season as tyre supplier got underway in May of this year at Hockenheim near the Hardtwald Forest, and it comes to an end at the same venue this weekend. Hankook says the track’s varied characteristics offer everything that makes racing so attractive: high-speed straights follow many narrow and wide, slow and fast corners.

20th October 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli to supply 17” Diablo to World Superbike Championship in 2013

From the 2013 World Superbike Championship season Pirelli will replace the current 16.5" tyres with larger 17" Diablo Superbike tyres. Pirelli says the move will better allow the company to develop its road-going products in the motorsport arena. The Italian manufacturer says it “develops its reference product through technologies and advances learned from its highest-level production series, the World Superbike Championship, for which it is the sole supplier.

19th October 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Maxxis reviews season in motocross

Tyre brand Maxxis is heavily involved in British motocross, with a title sponsorship of the sport’s British Championship and team sponsorships in three separate series. It is, for instance, associated with Maxxis Henderson LPE Kawasaki rider Bryan Mackenzie, who claimed his first British Motocross Championship podium at the final round of the series on 2 October, providing what Maxxis described as “a fitting climax” to the 2011 season.
Having qualified in third in the MX2 class, Mackenzie made the most of some good starts, settling quickly into a rhythm and posting a second and two third place finishes. This netted him second on the day, while his commitment and consistency throughout the eight rounds was rewarded with fourth place in the series standings.

18th October 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Pirelli’s ‘Let’s Dance’ campaign “celebrates” F1 involvement

Pirelli is capitalising on its Formula One involvement in a typically spectacular way with its “Let’s Dance” video. The supplier has generated plenty of column inches for tyres with its involvement in the sport, and has announced a special edition passenger car product for 2012, named after the P Zero Silver compound. The night of 8 September 2011 – the day before the Italian Grand Prix – saw the campaign video shot in Milan, with the events filmed also marking the announcement of the limited edition tyre.

18th October 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Calibre to launch Askari wheel

Calibre has announced the next in its collection of niche wheel designs, which will launch in 2012. The Askari is “a new take on the ever-popular ‘Y Spoke’ genre,” according to the manufacturer. It is designed with motorsport aesthetics in mind; a gloss black centre sits within a polished and deep-set lip, reflecting what Calibre says are current trends.

17th October 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

DMACK tyres face mixed surface challenge in WRC Spain

This season’s rookie tyre manufacturer in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), DMACK tyres, face a stern challenge at next weekend’s Rally de Espana – the 12th and penultimate round of this year’s series. The mixed-surface round delivers an extra challenge for competitors and teams who must transform rally cars from gravel to asphalt specification during the event. But it’s also a huge test for tyre manufacturers. Not only will they have to cope with the normal rigours of a world rally but, on day one, gravel tyres will have to perform on both gravel and asphalt mixed-surface stages.

14th October 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

HiQ names Basingstoke housewife as winning grid girl

A self proclaimed ‘basic Basingstoke housewife’ will be transformed into a glamorous grid girl for the day after winning a prestigious motorsport competition at Silverstone with the HiQ fast fit network. Mother-of- three Beverley Edwards was chosen as HiQ’s Pink Grid Girl following an intense online vote (she was 149 votes ahead of the nearest rival), meaning she will line up with Team Aon, representing one of their three drivers on the day.

12th October 2011/by Tyrepress Editors

Maxxis delighted with ‘best ever’ British Drift Championship

Maxxis, the official partner of the British Drift Championship, has reported that the organisers of this series have acclaimed the 2011 season as “the best in the championship’s history” thanks to overwhelming support for all three classes. According to the company, such was the level of skill demonstrated over the past six months that there was everything to play for at the final round, held at the Nissan factory in Sunderland, and some very close battles provided a fitting end to the campaign.

10th October 2011/by Tyrepress Editors